Ocean Literacy to Mainstream Ecosystem Services Concept in Formal and Informal Education: The Example of Coastal Ecosystems of Southern Portugal

Abstract

The concept of ecosystem services (ES) emerges as strategic to explain the influences that the ocean, and in particular coastal ecosystems, have on us and how we influence them back. Despite being a term coined several decades ago and being already widespread in the scientific community and among policy-makers, the ES concept still lacks recognition among citizens and educators. There is therefore a need to mainstream this concept in formal education and through Ocean Literacy resources. Although important developments in OL were done in the United States, particularly through the National Marine Educators Association (NMEA), this concept was only recently introduced in Europe. In Portugal, several informal OL education programs were developed in the last years, yet formal education on OL and, in particular, on ES is still very deficient. To address this limitation, the "Environmental Education Network for Ecosystem Services" (REASE), founded in 2017 in the Algarve region by a consortium of educational, environmental and scientific institutions, aims to increase OL through the dissemination of the perspective of how ES provided by coastal vegetation may contribute to the human well-being. The projects and activities implemented by REASE focus mostly on formal-education of school children and include: (1) capacity building for K-12 teachers, (2) educational programs to support and develop ES projects in schools, including a citizen science project to evaluate blue carbon stocks in the Algarve, (3) the publication of a children's book about the ES provided by the local Ria Formosa coastal lagoon, with a community-based participatory design (illustrations made by schoolchildren) and (4) a diverse array of informal education activities to raise awareness on the importance of coastal ecosystems on human well-being. REASE challenges are being successfully addressed by identifying threats to local coastal ecosystems that people worry about, and highlighting solutions to improve and maintain their health.

Promoting Ocean Literacy in Elementary School Students Through Investigation Activities and Citizen Science

“…55/2018) allowed schools to integrate innovative methodologies and practices representing an opportunity to explore the Ocean Literacy in Portuguese schools. Ultimately, "ocean-literate individuals take action, and through active participation in OL experiences, attach emotion and values to the ocean and its resources" (Barracosa et al, 2019).…”

Nature’s Services and Contributions: The Relational Value of Childhood Nature Experience and the Importance of Reciprocity

“…Nonetheless, we are encouraged to see ecosystem services increasingly emerge in the literature of environmental education and environmental education appearing in the literature of ES-NCP. For example, recent studies include the study of Hutcheson et al (2018) on the environmental education as a cultural ecosystem service, the study of Barracosa et al (2019) on the use of ocean literacy to mainstream the ES concept in both formal and informal education settings, the study of Goodwin et al (2019) on the exploration of values held by primary school students, and the study of Almers et al (2020) on the functional meaning that preschool-aged children assign to different material aspects of their schoolyards. We are hopeful that this important research direction will continue.…”

Tell a Story to Save a River: Assessing the Impact of Using a Children’s Book in the Classroom as a Tool to Promote Environmental Awareness

“…Promoting environmental activities related to local ecosystems may contribute to promote OL, helping students to feel connected to the ocean. In a project developed to promote OL and the importance of coastal ecosystems, Barracosa et al (2019) also used a story written by one of the project researchers as a tool for educating on ecosystem services, adopting a local example (estuarine seagrass meadows).…”