Dear MARMAM, We will be hosting a workshop<https://www.europeancetaceansociety.eu/workshops-36> 'Blue Innovations: Communities and Tech for Cetacean Monitoring on a Budget', at the 36th European Cetacean Society Conference in the Azores<https://www.europeancetaceansociety.eu/36th-annual-conference-ponta-delgada-azores-portugal>, on the morning of Tuesday 13th May 2025. Workshop information: To grapple with the global twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change, it is increasingly being recognised that contributions to conservation require a global effort, which involves local communities. This 'Horizons Mission Ocean: BLUE CONNECT' workshop will highlight the variety of approaches and ways local communities around the globe are currently contributing to marine mammal monitoring, identify new opportunities for innovation and inclusion, and discuss how locally collected data is perceived and incorporated into management. Short talks will showcase examples, then in a world cafe format, we will ask participants to share examples of community monitoring for marine mammals, and brainstorm innovative and cost-effective solutions which could further enhance community contributions. We will also dedicate time to identifying how current data collection approaches could be adapted to incorporate local people. After the workshop, the collated evidence base will be developed into a StoryMap, (optionally) co-authored by attendees. The interactive website will showcase past, present and future examples of community monitoring of marine mammals, and will be made publicly available to support efforts in this field. Attendees who would like to share examples of community and/or cost-effective innovative monitoring of marine mammals in 5-min talks are encouraged to email emily.hague@uhi.ac.uk<mailto:emily.hague@uhi.ac.uk>. Organisers: Emily Hague (University of Highlands and Islands - Shetland); Débora Gutierrez (Universidade dos Açores); Bob Rumes (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences); Maria del Mar Otero (European Topic Centre, University of Malaga); Barbara Bauer (European Topic Centre, University of Malaga); Jasmina Uusitalo (HELCOM). Attendance at the workshop is free, but we are limited to 50 participants, so register early to secure your spot. You can sign up to the workshop via the conference registration link. If you would like to present a short (five min) talk on an example of community and/or cost-effective innovative monitoring of marine mammals, please get in touch! Look forward to meeting some of you in the Azores, Best wishes, on behalf of the workshop organising team, Emily Emily Hague (She/her/hers) Marine Researcher www.emily-hague.com<http://www.emily-hague.com/> ·...¸><((((º> .··´¯`·.¸.·><((((º> ·.¸.·´¯`·...¸.·><((((º> Email: emilyhague@live.co.uk<mailto:emilyhague@live.co.uk> Twitter: @emilyhague<https://twitter.com/emilyhague>