Atlas Agüita – Pilot Community Observatory for Tidal Pool-Reefs in Macaronesia is an 18-month community-led initiative connecting Gran Canaria and Madeira through a shared coastal observatory focused on tidal pool ecosystems. The project responds to growing climate vulnerability, biodiversity loss, coastal erosion and tourism pressure affecting Atlantic volcanic coastlines, while recognizing tidal pools as both biodiversity refuges and culturally significant community spaces.
The project will pilot and validate a participatory observatory model combining citizen-led biodiversity observation, participatory cartography, oral memory collection and community stewardship methodologies. Residents, fishers, students, artists, architects, researchers and local associations will actively participate in ecological observation, mapping workshops, archive activities and cross-island exchanges, becoming co-creators of an open-access observatory documenting environmental change and local ecological knowledge
Atlas Agüita builds upon climate adaptation framework developed through LIFECOSTAdapta and contributes to the objectives of EU Mission Restore our Ocean by strengthening community-based monitoring, ocean literacy and coastal resilience. The project will generate biodiversity datasets, participatory cartographies, oral archives and a trilingual Observatory platform hosted by the ULPGC university.
By combining science, citizen participation and climate adaptation, Atlas Agüita proposes a transferable and replicable framework for community-led coastal stewardship in Macaronesia and other Atlantic coastal regions.