Blythedale teenager’s environmental project launches
As part of the challenge, she created the Help Oceans Protect Earth (HOPE) organisation which aims to create 'citizen scientists' on the North Coast.
Blythedale teenager Tahirah Naicker is an ocean warrior on a mission.
The energetic 16-year-old is passionate about marine conservation and is trying to spread awareness about how to protect our coastline.
Originally from Cape Town, she developed a love for the diverse marine life on offer in our Indian Ocean after moving to the North Coast.
“I’m a scout with the First Ballito Scouts, which really helped me to become engaged with the environment,” said Tahirah.
“I realised there is always something you can do to make your world better, and that’s what I am aiming for.”
It was a national scout competition, the Champions for Nature Challenge, which prompted Tahirah to formalise her conservation efforts.
As part of the challenge, she created the Help Oceans Protect Earth (HOPE) organisation which aims to create ‘citizen scientists’ on the North Coast.
Citizen scientists are people who help the scientific community by collecting crowd sourced data which can be used for research and to identify trends.
In HOPE’s case, this means logging sightings from local beaches on a specially designed mobile app which stores the information.
If you are walking and see a whale, for example, or illegal fishing and dumping, you can log onto the free eOceans app and record the sighting.
They should be filed under the uThukela Banks Community Project.
A similar global project, the December Ocean Count, can also be found on the eOceans app for those looking to get involved when outside the North Coast.
Ideally, projects such as HOPE and the Ocean Count will collect enough data to one day be able to influence policy change and conservation efforts.
“It’s important that the youth develop an appreciation for their environment so that conservation efforts pass onto the next generation,” Tahirah said.
“It’s about realising that yes, whatever I do matters, I can make a difference.”
Any sightings, big or small, can carry a greater weight when combined with hundreds and thousands of other users doing the same thing.
Tahirah, for one, will be making the inroads she can – will you?
Visit linktr.ee/hopeforourocean to find out how you can get involved.
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