Solution Scope: Citizen Involvement (Ocean Literacy)

Target Contaminant: Plastics & Other Litter 

Solution Provider or Contact Point: SUBMON

Project: EDUCAMARES – Awareness and environmental education about the Natura 2000 Marine Network

ITS Description: The solution implemented by the EDUCAMARES project involved an educational initiative to raise awareness about the importance of the marine environment and the Natura 2000 network among secondary and high school students in Spain. The key objectives of the activities have been to educate and inform students about the relevance of the oceans and their influence on our lives while promoting ocean literacy and empowering students to make informed decisions about marine conservation. SUBMON conducted in-person visits to 73 educational centres across 24 coastal provinces and autonomous cities in Spain (more than 7100 students), covering both the Mediterranean and Atlantic regions. During these visits, SUBMON delivered a series of workshops and talks to students to convey the importance of the marine environment and the role of the Natura 2000 marine network in its preservation. To complement the in-person activities, the initiative foresaw the development of educational dossiers adapted for different secondary and high school grade levels, alongside launching a social media national awareness campaign through the hashtag message “#MensajeAlOcéano” (Message to the Ocean).

Correspondence with BMM OIR (sectoral priorities, R&I activities, gaps, needs): This ITS responds to a need for further prevention activities under the BMM prevention dimension and the social domain, namely under the development of new education and awareness raising campaigns directed to society. It also provides a solution to the societal challenge of the BMM OIR for wastewater and solid waste treatment in territorial administrations (local, regional) by changing consumers’ habits through ocean literacy and awareness of the consequences of water pollution into oceans’ health.