The project has been designed to provide meaningful, valid environmental baseline data on the state of seashores around New Zealand. It will enable us to not only take a snapshot of seashore biodiversity, but to form a baseline against which future change may be measured.

The aims of the Marine Meter Squared project are for participants to:

• learn more about the animals and plants that live between the tides around New Zealand
• collect valuable scientific information that will help build a picture of the biodiversity, distribution and abundance of seashore animals and plants in New Zealand’s marine environment
• monitor change in this habitat over time and investigate what might be causing the change
• make connections between scientists, educators, schools and community/Iwi groups who care about their local seashore environment and want to look after it.