|
Background
Sandwatch
is an inter-regional project, focusing on small islands. It seeks
to involve school students, with the help of local communities,
in the enhancement and wise management of their beach environments.
With a strong field monitoring component, Sandwatch tries to 'make
science live', yet remains inter-disciplinary with applications
ranging from biology to woodwork and from poetry to mathematics.
The
long-term goal is to have Sandwatch activities integrated across
the school curriculum so that it can form a flagship project in
this decade of Education for Sustainable Development.
Specific
objectives are to:
- involve
school students (primary and secondary school students) in the
scientific observation and measurement of beaches utilising
an inter-disciplinary approach
- assist
school students, with the help of local communities, to apply
the scientific data collected to the management and enhancement
of their island beaches
- reduce
the level of pollution in adjoining seas and oceans
The
idea for the Sandwatch project came about during a teachers workshop
in Tobago in 1998, and the following year, the project was officially
endorsed by UNESCO's Associated Schools Project Network (ASPNet)
and Coasts and Small Islands Unit. The project formally got under
way in May 2001 with the First Regional Workshop in St. Lucia.
In 2003 the project became inter-regional, including islands in
the Indian Ocean and Pacific regions.
Countries
involved in Sandwatch are:
Caribbean:
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Barbados,
Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Netherlands
Antilles, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the
Grenadines, San Andres Archipelago, Trinidad and Tobago
Indian
Ocean: Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles
Pacific
Ocean: Cook Islands, Fiji, Palau
Click
here to see the
Sandwatch poster
|
|
