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Sandwatch
Project in Palau
Seeking
to mobilize schools and sensitise young people to protect and
preserve their beaches, the Sandwatch
Project aims to train school students in the scientific monitoring
of beaches so that, together with their communities, they can
use this information to effectively manage their beaches and to
reduce the impact of pollution. Starting in the Caribbean in 1999,
this project is supported by UNESCO's Associated Schools Project
Net, the Coasts and Small Islands Unit and regional offices. Recently
the scope has expanded to involve islands in the Pacific Ocean
including Palau.
Ms.
Anu Gupta of the Palau Conservation Society attended the Second
Regional Sandwatch Workshop held in Dominica in July 2003
and wrote 'It is clear that those students and teachers involved
with the Sandwatch Programme found it to be rewarding and enjoyable'.
Photo caption: Ms Anu Gupta planting
a West Indian Almond tree behind the beach at Portsmouth, Dominica,
July 2003
In
2004 several sets of beach monitoring equipment were provided
to Palau by the Small Islands Voice project and Sandwatch activities
will be started in the schools as part of Palau Conservation Society's
2004/5 environmental education programme. Four primary schools,
all of which have beaches nearby, have been selected: Kayangel,
Ngiwal, Ngaraaard, Ngcherelong. Visits to these schools are scheduled
for September/October, when the Sandwatch methodology will be
introduced. While beaches are not under significant threat at
the moment in Palau, the monitoring skills that students learn
through this programme can also be applied to other environments
with more pressing concerns (such as mangroves).
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Photo caption: Beach erosion in the RockIslands, July 2002
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Photo Caption: Construction of the Compact Road in Babeldaob
has disrupted drainage through many mangrove areas and watersheds,
Nov. 2002
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