About

What is Blue Forests Learning?

Coastal ecosystems formed by macroalgae, seagrasses, saltmarshes and mangroves, also known as blue forests, are amongst the most valuable ecosystems on earth¹. They are powerhouses of benefits for human well-being through the provision of a variety of global and regional ecosystem services such as climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration and accumulation in sediments, the support of biodiversity, including nursery grounds for commercial species, the purification of water, the protection coastlines and the control of diseases²^,³. In spite of their ecological, societal and economic importance, blue forests lack charisma⁴ and their benefits and values are poorly grasped by the general public, particularly by the decision-makers and media, and surprisingly even among professionals whose livelihood directly depends on well-performing ecosystems (e.g. fishermen, maritime tourism activities), even though efforts are being made worldwide by the scientific community and international organizations to reverse this situation⁵.

The concept of ecosystem services (ES) of blue forests are instrumental to explain the benefits and values that these ecosystems provide to people and how people influences them back. In spite of this, ES continues to be disregarded in the formal K-12 curricular programs in Portugal as well as in other European and American countries⁶, resulting in a citizenry that is not equipped to deal capably with many environmental problems. The lack of knowledge of the importance of blue forests is a major constrain for their poor conservation, which has contributed to their drastic declines in Portugal⁷^,⁸ and worldwide, with global estimated losses of more than 30%⁹^,¹⁰^,¹¹^,¹².

To address these issues, the Blue Forests Education project aims to improve the skills and competences and provide capacity-building on ecosystem services of blue forests to an audience ranging from university students to elementary school teachers, decision-makers and environmental authorities, media and maritime tourism professionals, through education, training and the development and provision of digital learning tools. The skills and competences acquired will contribute to improve the performance of these professional classes:

Teachers will be prepared to convey the importance of the ecosystem services perspective of blue forests to school students, supplementing the existing gap in the curricula.
Students, the scientists and environmental professionals of tomorrow, will be more qualified in the subject.
Decision makers will have more sound scientific background on which to make better judgements on management and conservation decisions.
Media professionals will be better equipped in terms of scientific capacity to disseminate news about the importance of coastal ecosystems, particularly blue forests,
Marine tourism professionals will be better equipped to walk, drive or sail coastal ecosystems with tourists, provide more informed service and reduce their environmental impacts.

Funded by

EEA Grants

Through the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA), Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are partners in the internal market with the Member States of the European Union.

Project Promotor

The Algarve Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR-Algarve)

The Algarve Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR-Algarve) - is one of the foremost marine science research centres in Portugal, gathering experts in the fields of marine biology, ecology, oceanography, environmental sciences, biotechnology, fisheries and aquaculture.

Project Partners

GRID-Arendal

GRID-Arendal is a non-profit environmental communications centre. Transforming environmental data into innovative, science-based information products and providing capacity-building services.

Ocean Alive

Ocean Alive is Portugal’s first co-operative dedicated to ocean protection. They work to protect the ocean through marine education projects and activities that foster the transformation of behaviours.