From Marketplace Excellence Corporation

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS (November 28, 2023) – The School for Field Studies (SFS) along with Marine Conservation without Borders (MCB) and Stichting Nationale Parken Bonaire (STINAPA) are implementing the project entitled “Novel Educational Tools to Foster Local Ecosystem Sustainability Practices”, a pioneering initiative dedicated to enhancing access to ecosystem education resources in the Caribbean. The project introduces a dynamic strategy to address the widespread challenge of Sargassum across the region.

The 14-month initiative is being supported by a €337,562 (US$355,406) grant from the European Union for the Resilience, Sustainable Energy and Marine Biodiversity (RESEMBID) programme, which aims to create ecosystem education materials that are more accessible through a multilingual podcast and an online ‘Sargassum Champions Course’. The initiative will also see the development of a multilingual biocultural curriculum on local marine ecosystems for primary and secondary school students.

These novel tools will provide not only a better understanding of the ecological impacts of the influx of Sargassum but will also help raise awareness on the challenges brought about by climate change and its effects on ecosystems, as well as new business opportunities that can provide solutions. The podcast, available on four social media channels, features interviews with different Sargassum stakeholders, and highlights useful information to users and listeners interested in learning about the challenges and opportunities of Sargassum.

The project is expected to benefit an estimated 2,450 people, including adults and students. The new digital tool coverage is accessible to anyone interested, from Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) and the wider Caribbean.

The Sargassum podcast has published over 64 interviews with experts and stakeholders that are either impacted by Sargassum or working on solutions. This EU-funded grant makes it possible for the podcast to continue for another 20 episodes and feature more people from the OCTs. 

The first online Sargassum course was completed between August 11 to September 6, 2023. Over 20 local residents from OCTs learned about Sargassum beaching events, including methods of Sargassum removal and potential Sargassum byproducts. Participants interacted with experts and stakeholders from other Caribbean Islands, discussing how Sargassum is managed in their countries and territories. They are now able to share their newly acquired knowledge in their local communities as Sargassum champions.

About RESEMBID

RESEMBID is a 48-project programme funded by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France, the development cooperation agency of the Government of France. The programme supports sustainable human development efforts in the 12 Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), i.e. Aruba, Anguilla, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Montserrat, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Saint Barthélemy, Sint Maarten, and Turks and Caicos Islands. For additional information on the RESEMBID programme, visit https://resembid.org; and for the ‘Sargassum Novel Educational Tools and Science Materials for the Greater Caribbean to foster Local Ecosystems’ Sustainability’ programme, visit https://marinefrontiers.org/resembid-project

About SFS 

The School for Field Studies (SFS) is known throughout the United States as the premier environmental study abroad program for undergraduates. SFS creates transformative study abroad experiences through field-based learning and research. Our educational programs explore the human and ecological dimensions of the complex environmental problems faced by our local partners, contributing to sustainable solutions in the places where we live and work. The SFS community is part of a growing network of individuals and institutions committed to environmental stewardship.

About MCB

Marine Conservation without Borders’ (MCB) priority is making marine science concepts and principles of conservation relevant and accessible to the people who use and derive livelihoods from the marine environment. The projects in which we engage make it real for local folks by delivering scientific messages in local languages using both local and scientific taxonomic descriptions. We look beyond the national borders laid across these shared resources and environments to consider ecosystems in their whole within nations and between them.

About STINAPA

Stichting Nationale Parken Bonaire (STINAPA) is the organization that manages Bonaire’s nature parks on behalf of the Bonaire government. Something unique about Bonaire’s nature parks is that they are managed and maintained almost completely with funding and support from its visitors.

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