From the remains of prehistoric forests to lost medieval ports and World War coastal defences, not to mention the countless wrecks of abandoned boats and ships.

However, many of these sites lie exposed to the elements and are at risk of being destroyed by extreme weather and rising sea levels.

MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology), with support from the National Lottery, has launched CITiZAN (Coastal and Intertidal Zone Archaeological Network) which will survey and monitor threatened sites before it’s too late.

Covering 5,600 miles of coastline, CITiZAN is training an army of volunteers in the practical skills needed to survey, record and monitor the sites on an ongoing basis. The volunteers will feed information into an online database via an app, creating a lasting and evolving record of the heritage of England’s coastline and tidal estuaries.

Our Historic Environment Adviser, Ben Greener, is calling on everyone to get involved: "It’s a huge job to record thousands of these sites before they are lost for good and the Heritage Lottery Fund is encouraging as many people as possible to don their boots and join CITiZAN at their nearest site.”

For more information about CITiZAN and local training opportunities and events visit the CITiZAN website or download the app via iTunes or Google Play.