More than 70% of our nature lies below sea level. Hhow does it look like? Is this nature well managed and protected? EcoMare, NIOZ, NIOO and Wageningen IMARES, together with the North Sea Foundation and the Dutch oil and gas producing compagny NAM form the foundation ZeeInZicht (SeaOnScreen) which aim is to show the marine underwater nature, in order to improve the awareness of the need for protection of this invisible nature. VLIZ became a partner of the foundation in 2008.
Through the website www.SeaOnScreen.org one learns to know the divers aspacts of the marine underwater nature: images and movies, sounds, following transmitting seals, informative files and links to other materials. Most easy to gainthis information is to enter the content of the site through the interactive plates. At this moment plate of the North Sea and Wadden Sea ecosystems are avaiable. We work hord to put a plate online on the Schelde and Delta area (soon available). All information on the SeaOnScreen-website is scientifically sound and coupled to the "the Skate" - the digital encyclopedia on the North Sea, Wadden Sea and the coastal areas - and the "North Sea Infobase" - the database with information on the North Sea aimed for the public.
By cooperation to this initiative VLIZ hopes to inform a wider public on the marine and coastal research in Flanders. The Dutch version of the website www.ZeeInZicht.nl is nowadays well known. The site had 0.5 million visitors in 2008 (66% from The Netherlands and 18% from Belgium; but also from USA, Canada, UK, Italy, germany, France and Denmark). We hope that the English translation of the site (www.seaonscreen.org) serves this latter public and attracts even more people to discover the sea from behind their PC!