Title: Engaging youth and community in coral reef restoration and beach monitoring

Project is twofold: implementation of adaptation measures (coral farming to replenish coral reefs e.g. involving schools and women community members in hands-on experience in Mauritius) and mitigation measures (involving a wider community – particularly school and women community members in sensitisation and adoption of measures to reduce carbon emissions which is the root cause of global warming which indirectly impacts on coastal areas/marine life)

1. to  exchange expertise/consultancy e.g. Seychelles already implementing large scale coral farming / capacity building (transfrontier)//training of community members e.g. skippers and fishermen in scuba diving and students in measuring techniques for beach monitoring
2. to enhance dissemination of information to relevant authorities/institutions: exchange across school in Mauritius and Seychelles and bottom-up communication – indigenous information from community members in both countries and results of beach monitoring by students in Seychelles.

Activities: Beach monitoring and coral reefs restoration–

Gathering indigenous information

• students to carry out Interviews to gather indigenous information about the visible changes (in terms of sand stretch, coral status in reefs) over twenty/thirty years, sand profiling measurement of sand stretch from land to sea, status of coral bleaching, coral species existing and reduced

• Hands-on:

-activities at school level to produce materials / models for simulation of real situation and tranfrontier sharing

-small mitigation actions at school and at home to reduce emissions/global warming in the long term to ensure continuity of project

- Hands-on involvement of students and community members esp. women in coral farming to restock the reefs /help in preparation of land-based nurseries, training of skippers/fishermen in scuba diving to place nurseries and observe coral status placed back in reefs

Outcomes:

-sense of ownership of a wider community to make them more responsible and value our environment

Positive impacts on marine environment/ ecosystem/ livelihood/tourism/country’s economy