- The programme, promoted by the MITECO Biodiversity Foundation, will reach 450 schoolchildren from schools located in the provinces of Girona and Barcelona, in the areas of action of the project coordinated by the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC)
- The activities include classroom resources, teacher training and visits to the brotherhoods that house the project’s aquariums with the species of corals, gorgonians, sponges and bryozoans used in the restoration of the seabed
- The project aims to restore nearly 30,000 hectares of deep marine habitats in Catalonia, with the active participation of the fishing sector
The environmental education programme of the LIFE ECOREST project has been launched with the aim of raising awareness among the educational community about the natural values of deep marine habitats and the importance of marine restoration. In this first stage, it is aimed preferably at educational centres located in the towns with fishermen’s guilds participating in the project, in the provinces of Girona and Barcelona. This programme, which is promoted by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Democratic Challenge (MITECO) in coordination with the rest of the project partners, which is coordinated by the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), expects to reach at least 450 schoolchildren in the middle or upper cycle of primary school and students in the first cycle of secondary school. The programme includes a training guide for teachers and students, as well as activities, games and other resources that accompany the development and implementation of the contents of the guide. The thematic areas on which the teaching staff will work with the students focus on the actions of the LIFE ECOREST project itself and on raising awareness of the importance of deep marine habitats, with a special focus on sessile organisms, including corals, gorgonians, sponges and bryozoans. In addition, it delves into marine restoration and its benefits. Special attention is also paid to the role of the fishing sector in the project and marine restoration, while at the same time promoting the active participation of the students with activities in the classroom in which they will be able to work on their contribution to the conservation and protection of marine ecosystems. The proposal combines activities in the classroom with others outside the educational center, including a visit to the aquariums installed in the fishermen’s guilds where accidentally caught organisms are recovered for their subsequent return to the sea. The first visit took place in the brotherhood of Port de la Selva (Girona). The collaboration of these brotherhoods will allow that, in the coming weeks, schools from Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona, Llançà, Figueres, L’Escala, Arenys de Mar, Castelló d ́Empúries, Cadaqués and Roses will visit the aquariums maintained by the brotherhoods participating in the project closest to their towns. The educational resources are available on the LIFE ECOREST project website so that interested schools can access the various materials.
RESTORATION OF DEEP HABITATS
The LIFE ECOREST project is moving forward with the objective of restoring nearly 30,000 hectares of deep-sea habitats in Catalonia with the active participation of the fishing sector.
In addition to research and conservation actions, we are also promoting the participatory management of fishermen who are part of the project, strengthening governance mechanisms and raising public awareness of the importance of conserving deep-sea habitats.
This initiative, coordinated by the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) until 2026, has as partners the Federació Territorial de Confraries de Pescadores de Girona, the Fundación Biodiversidad del Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico, the University of Barcelona and WWF Spain, as well as the financial contribution of the LIFE Program of the European Union. The brotherhoods of Llançà, Port de la Selva, Cadaqués, Roses, Palamós, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Blanes, Arenys de Mar and Vilanova i la Geltrú collaborate in the project.
