Know to preserve | Sea urchin

Know to preserve | Sea urchin

The project Knowing to preserve | Sea urchin aims to raise awareness among the population of Torres Vedras municipality for issues related to the ocean, considering the study of the sea urchin, a species of extreme importance in the balance of ecosystems and for the local population.

The project’s intervention strategy is outlined in three combined axes that will act in the promotion of Ocean literacy: i) Educate, which aims to promote critical thinking and enhance the direct contact between the school community and the object of study; ii) Train, which aims to provide teachers with tools to disseminate knowledge in the area of Ocean literacy, encouraging the development of new practices; and iii) Communicate, which seeks to increase the dissemination of information to a wider audience through outreach campaigns.

Project activities include:

• Organization of visits to research laboratories to show some of the research projects about the sea urchin that are being implemented and encourage students to develop their own projects (including field trip and laboratory analysis components).
• Preparation and compilation of stories about the sea urchin by primary school students that will later be published and made available in school libraries in the municipality.
• Organization of field trips to observe the existing biodiversity in the intertidal zone with students from primary and secondary schools.
• Organization of an exhibition to show the scientific illustration works on the sea urchin made by secondary school students.
• Organization of a conference on Ocean literacy aimed at teachers, environmental educators, students, public administration technicians and the general public.
• Implementation of training actions to increase the Ocean literacy of the municipality's teachers and provide tools for them to develop new pedagogical practices and apply them to their students.
• Preparation of a pedagogical guide on Ocean literacy with a local component to be made available to the municipality's teachers.
• Organization of a campaign aimed at a wider public during the summer months, in public spaces and at some events of the municipality.
• Organization of a final event to present the results of the activities carried out.