THE OCEAN EDUCATION PROJECT
To Inform And Inspire
WHY THE OCEAN EDUCATION PROJECT?
A variety of environmental groups and scientific research and educational organizations are working diligently on different aspects of ocean issues. All of their work is vital. But the Ocean Education Project (OEP) is specifically focused on the goal of bringing the compelling story about the need for MPAs to students and the general public in an informative and engaging way through a broadly collaborative and coordinated media effort. The OEP is primarily about solutions. The concept of marine reserves is a story that is simple for people to understand and support when presented in a clear and accessible way. Since almost everyone has first-hand experience with our national parks, most of us can readily understand the value of preserving our natural resources and managing them sustainably.
But the complexity of the regulatory issues and stakeholder interests involved has the potential to confuse the average person, or worse, turn them off completely before they've had a chance to learn about the positive solutions that are available. The OEP's approach will be to take the complex issue of sustainable ocean ecosystem management and present it in way that can point people of all ages toward specific things they can do right now to effect change.
The Ocean Education Project will accomplish this through the clarity of its approach and the breadth of its outreach network. Coordinated efforts will include grassroots community organizations, schools and colleges, industry stakeholders, NGOs, public institutions and various forma of media to increase the depth and effectiveness of this campaign (see the Structure of Proposal below).
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
The primary goals of the Ocean Education Project are:
- To broaden our general understanding about ocean environmental issues and the value of marine reserves, and inform the general public about the critical issues facing our oceans and fisheries, and the need to employ ecosystem-based management solutions;
- To promote and further the dialogue between the general public, government officials and agencies, and fisheries and industry stakeholders, and point it toward sustainable outcomes;
- To reach the decision makers of tomorrow by educating and inspiring young people through the use an inquiry-based approach to learning and teaching tools that promote critical thinking skills and a better understanding of the natural sciences;
- To highlight the importance of preserving the oceans biodiversity and its relationship to global food security and seafood safety and to educate people about the impact of the choices they make in their daily lives, and at the supermarket when deciding which products to buy, and how it directly affects our oceans and fisheries management;
- To accomplish these goals through a collaboration of organizations, representing diverse points of view, to implement effective grassroots educational programs about marine reserves and ocean ecology, and
- To inspire people of all ages to become involved to help save our oceans.