On July 1st, 2024, the RAMOGE Agreement and the French Federation for Underwater Studies and Sports (FFESSM) signed a partnership agreement for their online citizen science tool, CROMIS.
This partnership aims to promote data exchange and strengthen the involvement of anyone who can observe marine species through public participation.
Indeed, the RAMOGE Agreement already develops citizen science actions by inviting all sea users to record their observations of emblematic and non-native species of the Mediterranean.
The FFESSM, through its National Commission for Underwater Environment and Biology (CNEBS), develops educational projects for divers and the public, such as the directory of underwater and peri-aquatic species and habitats (doris.ffessm.fr) and the dive species observation logbook (cromis.ffessm.fr). CROMIS was thus created in 2020 as a genuine citizen science tool, allowing its members to: record their observations from an illustrated list of species that may be encountered, integrate photographs, and complete a questionnaire specific to the species encountered.
In just 3 years of existence, CROMIS has collected more than 150,000 observations, nearly half of which were in the Mediterranean. An active collaboration between RAMOGE and CROMIS will allow the centralization and sharing of species observation data in the three countries of the Agreement, as well as promote Italy’s participation in this French initiative.
The recorded observations will be transmitted to the scientific partners of FFESSM and RAMOGE, significantly contributing to the increase in knowledge of the distribution of emblematic and non-native species in the Mediterranean. These data will be valuable for establishing effective protection and management measures for these species.
Become an Observ’actor and record your observations on CROMIS as well.
Find more information at https://cromis.ffessm.fr/a-propos and on our website.