Committed to make the key topics of the project available to all audiences, including younger ones, the scientists in partner organisations of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Europe wrote five dissemination articles targeting children older than 8 years old. Some articles explore how marine animals adapt to their habitats and human activities can often harm these habitats, how some species can create ocean habitats for other species to live in, and how seagrasses, the meadows of the sea, are not only important as habitats for other species but also for protecting coastlines. Another article explains how scientists are assessing and predicting marine species distributions, bearing in mind current and future climate pressures, and how these distributions can be used to establish MPAs. What protection means in MPA is the subject of another article, which elaborates on the different levels of protection and how MPA benefit marine life and the society.
The articles were written in the native language of each partner and presented to at least one class in a local school to be reviewed by the target audience, with the help of teachers. The children, guided by their teachers, helped improve the articles to ensure they are clear, educational, and easy to understand. All articles were then illustrated by Science Crunchers and translated to Danish, Dutch, English, French, Greek, Norwegian, and Portuguese. Each set of articles in each language was compiled into a book, aimed at inspiring younger generations to learn about and protect Our Big Blue Home!
Each book is available for reading and download directly on the MPA website. We invite you to read it to find out more about the value of marine organisms, habitats, and MPA and how you may contribute to actively support the protection of our oceans.
Article originally published on the Marine Protected Areas webpage
