Visitors to the Wales Coast Path in Criccieth are being asked to help tackle coastal erosion — with a little help from their smartphones.

CoastSnap, a global citizen science initiative which has arrived in Wales for the first time in partnership with the Wales Coastal Monitoring Centre (WCMC), encourages people to take part by snapping smartphone photos at 19 designated photography points along the Wales Coast Path, including Castle View and West Beach, both in Criccieth.

The programme is the first piece of activity in the Wales Coast Path’s 2023 campaign, ‘Find Yours’ — which will encourage people to find their slice of well-being, fun or adventure this season, all while looking after 870 miles of coastline in Wales.

A QR code can be found on the phone cradles at each location, enabling walkers to submit their images quickly and easily to WCMC — in a bid to aid understanding of and help mitigate the impact of climate change on Wales’ coastline. The images will be collated to form a timelapse video — displaying the coastal changes over time. This data will then be used to inform the management of the Welsh coast for future generations.

Gwyn Nelson, programme manager at Wales Coastal Monitoring Centre, said: “The CoastSnap project will undoubtedly have a long-lasting impact across Wales, contributing towards global efforts to better understand — and offset — coastal erosion. Our coastlines can only be protected if we have detailed knowledge of the changes taking place — even if these changes are incremental. And often, the best way to understand the extent of coastal erosion is through close monitoring and regular image capture. We know so many people living in and visiting Wales are deeply passionate about protecting the environment — so we look forward to seeing the people of Wales and beyond engaging with the Wales Coast Path in this meaningful way.”

CoastSnap was founded in 2017 by the University of New South Wales and New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment in Sydney, Australia, and is now live across 13 countries. To find your nearest photography point visit: Coastsnap | Wales Coastal Monitoring Centre (wcmc.wales)