Education

Caribbean Education Programme

Live Free in the Sea

WDCS has developed a focused educational initiative for the Caribbean in partnership with the Eastern Caribbean Cetacean Network (ECCN).  This initiative has recently been implemented on St Vincent/Grenadines, Tobago, Saint Lucia and Grenada and future programs are being developed to enlist the entire wider Caribbean region. ECCN island coordinators work with schools to conduct activities under this theme.  The program on each island consists of environmental education, environmental action and an artistic component; such as, music, performing arts or functional/aesthetic art.  Children participate in lectures, discussions and activities on the coastal and marine environment, their inhabitants and how human actions impact upon them.  A whale and dolphin watching tour and beach clean is a fundamental part of every programme.

In Tobago, children took part in a beach clean-up where the litter collected was recycled to make functional art.  In Saint Lucia, children participated in a whale and dolphin watching tour, glass bottom boat coral reef tour, and researched and wrote a childrens book for the school library on whales and dolphins that migrate through their waters.  In Grenada, participants in the program produced a video that was distributed to the local cable channel and posted on YouTube.

In Bequia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, children took part in a beach cleanup, where collected bottle caps (in coordination with local businesses) were used to create a large sea mural for display in the community. WDCS has also initiated outreach on the Turks and Caicos as part of its Humpback Research Program, with a series of classroom presentations in conjunction with the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR). Outreach continues within the Region, and the program has recently included Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Pier2Pier

Part of thePier2Pier initiative that WDCS is involved in is working to raise funds for marine stranding networks in Florida, purchase recycling bins where old fishing lines can be collected to reduce marine debris and entanglement of dolphins in discarded gear and assist with the development of a marine mammal research and education program in Haiti, including the development of a marine sciences center there.

This developing Project in Haiti is workingto unite the island of Hispaniola under the common aim of conserving andprotecting its shared marine mammals, through educational and scientific outreach.  Initial field surveys under this project have identified sperm whales, dwarf sperm whales and spotted dolphins near the participating village of Petite Riviere de Nippes south west of Port Au Prince. 

A pilot project is being developed that will explore the potential for whale and dolphin watching from this location, involving local fishermen and students who will betrained as naturalists for this programme.

Find out more on Pier2Pier.

Keep up to date on our Caribbean work on our blog.