Little explorers promoting climate action through a transformative learning programme on marine life and fisheries – A SeyCCAT Project

The need for this project arose due to the recognition that a lack of awareness and the need for sensitization on various aspects of fisheries, the marine environment and climate change impacts are key hindrance to the development of the Blue Economy, sustainable fisheries and marine conservation. ‘You cannot preserve and sustainably manage what you don’t know’. But climate change can also create new adaptation opportunities for fishing etc. This know how needs to start with the young generation whereby older experienced generations can share and pass on their knowledge and skills to the young ones. There is also a need to increase interest of the youths plus skills development in local fisheries as a career choice.

The programme will be done on a monthly basis over 18 months targeting kids of 4 – 12 years old from the Little Explorers club at Bel-Ombre (20 kids) and Praslin (50 kids), plus 50 additional kids who are on the waiting list of the Little Explorers club. This will give a total of 120 kids.

The Little Explorers will learn and be exposed to:

• Marine life
• Threats to marine and coastal ecosystems in the face of climate change
• The adaptation to the effects of climate change
• How climate change is affecting marine life, fisheries and livelihood
• How climate change offers new adaptive opportunities for fishing
• How to adapt to the changing climate and be resilience to environmental changes
• Traditional fishing techniques e.g., the making of fish trap, line fishing etc.
• Actions to manage and conserve coastal and marine ecosystems through adoption of a site

Overall goal and outcome

The overall goal is to support the sensitization of the Little Explorers and other youths on the values of coastal and marine ecosystems, fisheries and impact of climate change, and develop interests of youths and the general Seychellois public towards the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources. That by the end of the project, 80% of children have enhanced their knowledge about coastal and marine related issues and impact of climate change. This is to achieved by the following activities:

1. Establish of the programme sustainability plan and communication plan to target the desired demographics.
2. Promote partnerships between the private sector for the future sustainability of the Little Explorer programme and the maintenance of the adopted site.
3. Develop the knowledge of the Little Explorers and young children on coastal and marine issues through experiential exposures, by understanding the impacts of climate change on the environment.
4. Development of the skills of the Little Explorers and young children on coastal and marine techniques for livelihood through hands-on activities, so that they can adapt and become resilience to the changing climate.
5. Adopt, restore and manage a key site that serves as linkages between mangroves and fisheries, and serves as a mean to sensitize community on how to adapt to climate change.
6. Enhance behavioral change in the Little Explorers and young children using nature as a basis for learning and change, so that the next future generation becomes resilience and find solutions to reduce exposure and vulnerability to the changing climate.