🌊✨Celebrating an incredible year for Waatu Kaatijin (Ocean Knowledge)!
Educational Marine Areas Australia
ABOUT US
An Educational Marine Area (EMA) is a relatively small coastal area (e.g., beach section), being actively managed in a participatory manner by the pupils from primary and/or secondary school (ideally year 4 to year 10). Accompanied by their teacher cultural custodians and marine experts , the students study the area and its environmental values and decide how to preserve its natural and cultural heritage. Through this project students meet requirements of their curriculum while connecting to their local marine environment. They acquire perspectives of marine conservation and management and its actors (e.g. local government, marine park officers, stakeholders, NGOs etc). Thanks to the commitment of schools, local government and accompanying actors, an EMA can be established, enriched and provide the opportunity for children to develop their knowledge and ability to act for the protection of the marine environment.
The EMA program was developed and is now being promoted at the international level by the French Biodiversity Agency (OFB) and the government of French Polynesia.
Our Background
The concept was born in the Marquesas Islands in 2012 after pupils from a school in Vaitahu spoke of their desire to look after a marine area near their school. Following the enthusiasm generated by this first EMA, the experiment has now been extended to both mainland France and its territories where over 1000 EMAs have been created
Setting up an EMA
The goal of an EMA is to allow students to learn and make decisions, by being in the position of citizens organising themselves, and collecting information they need to take the best decisions on how to manage and preserve their site. An EMA project includes several stages, from its preparation to the assessment of management actions.