The Marine Strategies educational campaign has completed its northern route, bringing the marine environment to the classroom

The Marine Strategies educational campaign, organized by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITERD) in collaboration with SUBMON, completed its first half on Thursday, November 23rd, after covering the northern region of Spain for three weeks. This initiative aims to introduce primary and secondary school students to the importance of the marine environment and Marine Strategies as a crucial tool to achieve its conservation.

The Marine Strategies were incorporated into Spanish legislation by means of Law 41/2010 on the protection of the marine environment. The objective of the Marine Strategies is to ensure the Good Environmental Status (GES) of seas and oceans in Europe through their planning, conservation, protection and improvement. Despite their importance in ensuring the protection of the marine environment, Marine Strategies remain unknown to a large part of the population.

Educational workshop to raise awareness of the importance of the marine environment.

In an effort to raise awareness about the importance of the marine environment among young people, 15 schools were visited in various regions of the northern half of the peninsula for three weeks. Altogether, more than 1,500 primary and secondary school students participated in these educational workshops aimed at raising awareness of the importance of the marine environment and the threats it currently faces. During the workshops, two SUBMON technicians shared valuable insights and experiences on oceanic culture, marine biodiversity, and the urgent need to protect them. For that purpose, the students were able to see, first hand, biological samples of marine fauna and flora, among them, a rib and baleen plates of a whale, remains of Neptune seagrass and red coral colony fragments, among others.

The workshops were a huge success; the students showed a great interest in the marine environment and participated very actively, learning and having fun throughout the sessions. It was gratifying to see how they enthusiastically connected with the topic and became aware of the importance of the marine environment in our lives. 

In addition to the educational talks, the students received a Marine Strategies fabric bag that they were able to decorate during the session as a way to raise awareness about the impact of marine litter, particularly plastics. In addition, educational dossiers were also prepared and made available to the schools so that students and teachers could learn more about this topic in the classroom and better understand the importance of Marine Strategies in achieving the GES of the marine environment.

SUBMON technician and students decorating a Marine Strategies bag.

After the school visits, participating schools can enter a contest promoting students’ knowledge and creativity regarding Marine Strategies. The contest ends on December 22, 2023, and prizes for the best proposals will be awarded!

The second part of the campaign will begin in March 2024, when 15 provinces in the southern half of Spain will be visited, thus expanding the initiative’s scope and bringing the marine environment to all corners of the peninsula. With the Marine Strategies school campaign, MITERD and SUBMON join forces with a clear purpose: to educate and raise awareness about the importance of the marine environment. This initiative will reach 30 educational centres, one per province, actively promoting the protection and preservation of our oceans and seas for future generations.