SANDWATCH – Adapting to Climate Change and Educating for Sustainable Development

Submitted by katharina on 28 October 2011 - 10:51am

Sandwatch seeks to modify the attitudes and lifestyles of children, youth and adults on a community-wide basis by developing awareness of the fragile nature of the marine and coastal environment and the need to use it wisely. It is an educational process through which school students and community members work together to monitor their beach environments, critically evaluate the problems and conflicts, and address those issues in a sustainable manner. With a strong field monitoring component, the Sandwatch program provides an environment of learning applications ranging from biology and mathematics to woodwork and poetry.Sandwatch is a volunteer network of schools, students, teachers and principals, youth groups, and non-governmental and community-based organization, all working together to monitor and enhance their beach environments. It is a UNESCO initiative that was started in the Caribbean in 1999 on the Coastal Regions and Small Islands Platform and spread through the UNESCO Associated Schools network (ASPnet). Since then it has been successful in becoming an inter-regional SIDS-focused activity involving islands as far apart as Cook Islands in the Pacific, Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, and the Bahamas in the Caribbean; as well as countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. Sandwatch is now coordinated by the non-profit Sandwatch Foundation, with support from UNESCO’s education and science sectors, and has received contributions from national governments as well as from many national and international organizations, both governmental and non-governmental. The main objectives of Sandwatch are to:• enable children, youth and adults to adopt a scientific approach to the enhancement and management of their beach/coastal environments in a sustainable manner, in cooperation with the community
• integrate the Sandwatch approach into school curricula as a contribution to Education for Sustainable Development
• contribute to climate change adaptation by building ecosystem resilience

Key Information
28 October 2011
Timeframe: 
Ongoing since 1999
Case Study
Background: 

What makes the Cook Islands so unique? This is found in their white sandy beaches, which remain a key tourist attraction for the country. However, there are numerous problems and conflicts facing the beach environments such as erosion and pollution that are negatively affecting the ecosystem. Many trees have been destroyed by natural disasters or are cut down due to new construction. Rocks and sand have been shifted further inland or have been removed for building purposes. Waste has been deposited in the lagoons, which pollutes the area. Hence there was an urgent need to develop an educational approach that mobilizes the interest of young people to safeguard their beach environments and help in appropriate restoration activities. The Sandwatch Project offered an opportunity for the community to make a successful impact and spread the knowledge to other places facing similar issues.

Project objectives
• To take beach measurements and work together with the local community to evaluate beach-related problems
• To develop sustainable approaches to address these problems
• To instil a sense of caring for beaches in students and in community members

Results Achieved: 

• Student involvement in the management of the coastal environment
• Student proposals for decision-makers on the sustainable development of coastal areas
• Team work with local communities and Government officials
• Shared ideas and views on beach environments and sustainable development

Being part of a wide range of activities that includes measuring sand erosion, interviewing community members, and recycling rubbish to make new forms of art work; the students learnt about the serious threats facing their coastal landscapes. This also enabled them to remain committed for assuming future responsibilities to help and protect their threatened natural and beautiful beaches. Other such actions including signage on ‘Not to litter the beach’ brought a positive change in many other people visiting the beaches. Students also gained a sense of empowerment through the recognition provided by the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, the Secretary of Education, the President of the House of Traditional Chiefs and UNESCO.

Main Activities: 

The Sandwatch project was first introduced to schools on Rarotonga in 2003 and slowly extended to the outer islands. By 2009 all twenty schools in the Southern Group and four in the Northern Group have been introduced to the project. The Sandwatch methodology and approach has been incorporated into the national science and social science curriculum. Each school selected one or two beaches on their respective islands. A monthly monitoring of beach changes was conducted. They looked at the physical transformations caused by waves, currents and tides as well as the impact made by people on their beach environment. Students examined the beach composition to see if there were any patterns in sediment characteristics. The project mainly focused on the landscape of the beach and its major threats i.e. erosion, pollution and developments. Students were involved in planting new trees close to the beach. To slow down the rapid erosion of the beach. However, some schools extended their project towards the history of their beaches – and the meaning of their names. Others looked at the biodiversity of the coastal areas and interviewed local communities on the impacts of new development around the beach areas. Local communities supported the project, as did government bodies. The project culminated at a Students National Conference held from 26 to 29 June 2007 in Rarotonga. Thirteen schools sent some 120 student representatives to attend the Conference. During the first two days the young people reported on their research and findings through power point presentations, drama, poetry and art work. The other two days enabled students to visit various Government Ministries (e.g. Environment, Agriculture, Marine, Waste Management, etc.) to learn more about their respective roles in protecting the environment.

Future Replicability
Lessons Learned: 

In designing a low-cost and highly adaptable activity, Sandwatch does require the commitment and time of dedicated educators and students in the participating institutions. A close relationship between the participating schools themselves and the education authorities in the member countries can be a significant factor in ensuring long-term benefits from Sandwatch – ideally through the integration of the Sandwatch methodology into the formal curriculum. This was achieved in the Cook Islands – an experience that is now being shared with other SIDS.

Key to Success for Future Replicability: 

A key achievement of the Cook Islands Sandwatch project was without a doubt the integration of the programme into the formal school curriculum. This formal linkage with national educational planning ensured a continuing focus on and further development of the Sandwatch methodology adapted to the local context. Since implementation of the project, Cook Islands education specialists have assisted other SIDS with advice on how to approach integration of Sandwatch methodologies into the school curriculum. In May 2010, the Grenada Ministry of Education conducted a workshop on how to integrate Sandwatch into the curriculum. It is expected that a series of Sandwatch pilots will be established in Grenada to test its use in the curriculum starting next year.Later this year, Kiribati will arrange discussions and a training event to pave the way for the integration of Sandwatch into the national curriculum, taking the number of SIDS where this process has been initiated to three.Other islands are adopting a different approach, e.g. the Dominican Republic is incorporating Sandwatch projects into community work projects that are a requirement for all high school graduates.

Contacts: 

Focal point(s) in lead country/organization
• Gillian Cambers, Co-Director, Sandwatch Foundation (based in Melbourne, Australia) g_cambers@hotmail.com
• Paul Diamond, Co-Director, Sandwatch Foundation (based in Nevis, St. Kitts & Nevis) pdiamond@surfbvi.com

Focal point(s) in other participating countries
See www.sandwatch.org for additional information on focal points and other contacts

Supporting UN agency focal point
Hans Dencker THULSTRUP
Programme Specialist
Section for Small Islands and Indigenous Knowledge
Division of Science Policy and Sustainable Development
Paris
FRANCE
E-mail: h.thulstrup@unesco.org