Marine Conservation Society South East Group

MCS South East Group
Abbreviation MCSSEG
Formation 1975 (1975)
Type NPO
Focus Marine Conservation, Overfishing, Pollution
Headquarters United Kingdom
Region served
South East
Parent organization
 MCSUK
Website www.marine-conservation.org.uk

Marine Conservation Society South East Group Our seas are some of the most beautiful and diverse in the world, supporting an astonishing variety of life, as well as providing vital food, employment and pleasure for millions of people. From the tiniest plankton to the biggest whale, life in our seas is precious.

But our seas are under immense pressure: too many fish are being taken out, too much rubbish is being thrown in and too little is being done to protect our precious marine wildlife and vital fish stocks. The MCS SouthEast group is part of the National organisation, the Marine Conservation Society, playing its part in the Society's national campaigns as well as having activities of its own.

The ethos of the group is 'promotion through education' and to achieve this we host a number of meetings at Imperial college London throughout the year with guest speakers on a marine topic.

We also run marine life based courses at Swanage Dorset which though aimed at divers, would also be of benefit to non divers as well.

History

Awaiting details!!!!

Meetings

Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of March, June, September and December at 20:15 for 20:30, on the top floor of the North Building at the Imperial College Union,Biet Quadrangle, Prince Consort Rd, London, SW7 Imperial College London, which is near South Kensington tube station and several bus routes.

The meetings usually feature a main talk on a subject which is particularly relevant to marine conservation, an update of current environmental issues and Group activities, followed by a second talk if there is time.

Details of meetings can be found on their website.

Imperial College Union has excellent facilities including 2 bars and is well served by public transport, being near to South Kensington Underground Station and several bus routes.

There are no car-parks at the college but free parking can be found in the surrounding roads if not right outside.

Courses

Leeson house

The MCS SouthEast Group run a series of marine identification courses throughout the year. These usually take place at Leeson House Field Study Centre in Dorset. Leeson House is set in beautiful grounds and has well equipped class rooms.

The courses are designed for people with no formal background in marine biology, to introduce the major groups of animals and plants that are found in the sea. A general description of the characteristic structure and appearance of the representatives of the group is dealt with, as well as their ecology.

All courses include the opportunity to take a dive under Swanage Pier to put the newly acquired theory into practice.

Courses include:

Have you ever wonder what on earth that "thing" you saw in the sea or on a beach last weekend was, or even whether it was animal, vegetable or mineral? Well then our marine life identification and Ecology Courses can provide you with the answers to these and many other questions. The idea of the courses is to provide a basic introduction to marine life and its environment, allowing both enough time for the class work and the diving without trying to be too intensive . These courses also qualify as 'Seasearch Specialist' courses.

John Dory and Paul Naylor under Swanage pier

The Digital Underwater Photography course is run by Paul Naylor who is a marine biologist and underwater photographer. In the last 20 years, he has dived all over the world. Photographic credits include the California chapter in New Holland's Top Dive Sites of the World, the National Marine Aquarium calendar - Beneath Plymouth Sound, and dozens of articles on marine life in all the major UK dive publications. Paul has also produced his own marine life guides with Great British Marine Animals being the most famous.

Attendees will need to arrange their own accommodation for the Saturday night. Please be aware that Swanage can get very busy on certain weekends and therefore booking early may be wise.

People planning to dive under the pier must hold a current diving qualification and do so under their own supervision. There is a fee payable to the pier trust, see their website below for details, parking is limited on the pier but there are car-parks nearby.

Group Talks

Reaching out to local groups / organisations is a great way to share the science and explain why marine conservation is so important to us. That is why we are prepared to come out when invited to give talks on marine conservation issues, marine ecology or marine life identification.

For groups interested in Seasearch activities these talks can also qualifies as a 'Seasearch Specialist' courses.

We normally attend events such as the dive shows, Whalefest and Paddle around the pier. But if you are running an event and need stands / exhibits on marine conservation we could possibly attend as well.

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