More information
Description
Blue forests of macroalgae, seagrasses and saltmarshes, are powerhouses of benefits for human well-being through the provision of global and regional ecosystem services such as climate change mitigation, support of biodiversity and commercial species, water purification, coastline protection and disease control.
The aim project is to improve the skills and competences of teachers, media professionals specialized in environmental issues, environmental decision makers, maritime-tourism professionals and future environmental professionals (university students) on the ecological, societal and economic benefits and values of blue forests, to build professional capacity that may increase awareness and drive for conservation of this natural capital. To achieve this, we assembled a team of Portuguese and Norwegian scientists, educators and communicators to deliver a series of education and capacity building events targeting those professional classes, supported by a digital learning platform where educational modules on blue forests will be available. A georeferenced data base on blue carbon will also be developed to store data collected by a turnkey blue carbon project that will be made available tin the platform to be developed by teachers and their students both in Portuguese and Norwegian schools. At least 20 university students from Portugal and Norway in the International Summer School, 60 teachers from the training schools (and hundreds of their students) and 60 stakeholders form the participatory workshops will receive education, training and capacity building on the ecosystem services of blue forests. It is expected that the created network of educators and scientists from Portugal and Norway will be extended beyond the project end to other countries.