Over 4,000 locals took to the shorelines of the Rhins of Galloway to learn more about marine wildlife on their doorstep, when they made the shocking discovery that invasive seaweed species are endangering habitats on the region’s most beautiful beaches.

Led by local charity Solway Firth Partnership and supported by ScottishPower funding, Galloway Seaweed Search has been tackling environmental challenges affecting seaweed and marine life along the shoreline.

With grant funding provided by ScottishPower Renewables’ Kilgallioch Windfarm Community Benefit Fund, the inspiring team at Galloway Seaweed Search has been educating communities, organising exhibitions, training sessions, and guided walks to equip locals to act as citizen scientists with the confidence to carry out seashore surveys themselves.

Using a specially designed seaweed identification guidebook, more than 4,000 people had been exploring and monitoring seaweed along the Rhins of Galloway, when they uncovered invasive seaweed species. After a year of further monitoring, it has been reported that the threat has gone, and marine life has returned to normal.

Nic Coombey, Project Officer at Solway Firth Partnership said: “Galloway Seaweed Search has been one of our most impactful projects to date! Not only have we been able to successfully discover and monitor an invasive species, but we’ve also been able to get many locals involved to discover the wonderful world of seaweed.

“Protecting and celebrating our beautiful beaches is at the heart of what we do, and thanks to ScottishPower’s funding we went even further than we had initially hoped to. This will have a lasting impact on the shoreline for years to come.”

The non-native species found was Wakame, Undaria pinnatifida, a large brown seaweed that grows on submerged manmade structures such as pontoons. This invasive seaweed from Asia, where it is economically important in the food industry, was discovered through the project and recorded for the very first time in the South West of Scotland. Thanks to the efforts of the project, there was no evidence of Wakame found in 2025, after having been detected two years in a row.

Recent research run by Censuswide for ScottishPower found that 95% of people surveyed living in the South of Scotland believe that supporting community projects and groups is important as a priority for energy companies. Through its networks and renewables projects, ScottishPower is marking the milestone of £23million of support being invested into the region.