Background Document

Sandwatch seeks to change the lifestyle and habits of children, youth and adults on a community wide basis, to adapt to climate change by building ecosystem resilience, and to develop awareness of the fragile nature of the marine and coastal environment and the need to use it wisely.

In 2009 the Sandwatch approach was expanded to include climate change resilience building,, with the support of the Government of Denmark, UNESCO and the Sandwatch Foundation. The Sandwatch manual was revised and trialed at a Sandwatch workshop in The Bahamas in June 2009. The manual has now been published and will be launched at an Indian Ocean Regional Workshop to be held in Seychelles 4-8 October 2010. The workshop will bring together several new and experienced Sandwatch practitioners.

In addition, work has progressed on developing a Sandwatch database that will provide a scientific tool and record of the beach monitoring activities being conducted by Sandwatch groups worldwide. The prototype database will be presented and discussed at the workshop.

The Indian Ocean Regional Sandwatch Workshop is being held in Seychelles with the support of UNESCO and the Seychelles Ministry of Education, Employment and Human Resource Development.

The objectives of the workshop are:

• To launch Sandwatch in the Indian Ocean region, especially in Comoros, Rodrigues, Mauritius and Maldives
• To re-invigorate Sandwatch in Seychelles and enhance the skills of existing Sandwatch practitioners in Seychelles
• To form a group of Sandwatch trainers, skilled in the revised Sandwatch approach that incorporates climate change adaptation and resilience building, and equipped to spread the revised approach nationally and in the Caribbean and Pacific regions
• To trial the prototype Sandwatch database