Awareness workshop
The project foresees the organisation of workshops to raise awareness among coastal stakeholders of the partner territories (managers). Events for the general public will also be carried out (conference, field visits with local associations). Finally, within the project, the transfer of skills between the partners on the different themes of coastal risks (anticipation tools, monitoring tools, management tools) will be organised in the form of working groups.
Knowledge transfer
SPAW-RAC co-financed a regional mangrove restoration workshop in Bonaire (October 2021) gathering over 60 nature resources managers and mangrove practitioners from 12 different Caribbean countries and territories. The workshop consisted in theoretical sessions indoor followed by on the field sessions to implement mangrove restoration work. It allowed to strengthen the mangrove conservation network across the Caribbean and enabled knowledge sharing on mangrove restoration practices as well as transversal topics such as blue carbon, restoration using innovative techniques, sargassum impact in order to maximize conservation efforts. More information here
Mangrove restoration workshop in Bonaire (Copyright : Sabine Engel)
BRGM along with other project partners organised a webinar on hydrodynamics observation and modelling in the Caribbean (September 2022). This online workshop focused on the current knowledge and state of the art methods in terms of modelling of extreme weather events such as hurricanes and tsunamis affecting coastal erosion, with a focus on the Caribbean. This was an opportunity to showcase outcomes of WP2 of the Carib-Coast Project to over 100 participants participating from different Caribbean countries. [CB1] Check out the video of the webinar here.
Awareness events
Between 2021 and 2022, ONF organised and participated to various awareness and communication events to promote the protection of beach vegetation and involve local population (mainly school children) in beach restauration activities.
Within the framework of the implementation of Carib-Coast pilot sites in Guadeloupe by the ONF, several events involving the participation of civil society (volunteers, schoolchildren, young people in social integration, etc.) have raised awareness of the role of upper beach vegetation to reduce coastal erosion.
ONF implemented a participatory plantation day in Anse Maurice pilot site (first quarter of 2021) to involve local partners (Clean My Island), civilians and kids in plantation of local coastal species as well as waste collection on the beach. This initiative involved around 40 participants and was relayed on various articles of local newspapers to promote restoration actions towards coastal erosion reduction
On Clugny beach in Sainte-Rose, pupils from the local schools and colleges have been involved since the beginning of the work on the site. Each school sponsored a regeneration enclosure. The children produced a collective drawing which they themselves hung on their enclosures during an awareness-raising day organised with the To-Ti-Jon association, which brought together more than a hundred participants. This initiative led to the creation of two marine educational areas (MEAs) around the perimeter of the school-sponsored enclosure. A year later, the children were able to return to plant Caribbean coastal forest trees in their enclosure. The seedlings were numbered and will be monitored by the students as part of a participatory science project.
With the same objective of raising awareness among young people of the fragility of the barrier beach, the regeneration enclosures of the Anse à la Gourde site were installed with the help of young people from the RSMA, young people on reintegration programmes. About 30 young people were present. Students from the Pointe des Châteaux school, which has an AME on the site in partnership with the commune of Saint-François, came to see the work site where the enclosures were installed: 20 children of about ten years old were able to ask their questions about the role of the upper beach vegetation. These children will come and plant their own seedlings, which they themselves have nursed, in October 2022. Some of them will be placed in the enclosures.
The young people from the RSMA also came as reinforcements to the Anse des Salines site at Pointe des Châteaux, a BRGM pilot site. They accompanied the ONF workers in the installation of a bamboo barrier aimed at preventing the trampling of herbaceous and shrubby vegetation holding the sand.
School children involved in the Clugny Beach Operation (left) and youth helping the restoration of upper beach vegetation in Saint- François (right) (Copyright :ONF
ONF’s work led to the publication an article in local Newspaper as well as interview on national radio (program Yale Climate Connections (New York City)) to promote the Clugny Beach Operation and Anse Maurice Pilot Site.
Finally, on Petit-Havre beach in the commune of Gosier, a participatory planting was also organised by the ONF in partnership with the associations Earthforce Fight Squad Caraïbes and Surf Rider Guadeloupe, which are very involved locally. A class of 4ème from the commune’s secondary school came to plant 85 seedlings of local species.
In Marc 2022, ONF participated in the Life ARTISAN Forum in Lille (France) on nature-based solutions and won a prize at the LIFE ARTISAN Trophies for its promotional video on the actions implemented in pilot sites projects of Anse Maurice and Clugny Beach Operation. The aim is this ceremony is to reward exemplary and replicable climate change adaptation actions based on solutions aimed at developing ecosystem services that promote the adaptive capacity of territories, while preserving biodiversity. Check out the link to the video
Communication
The setting up of the ONF’s pilot sites and the awareness-raising actions have led to several press articles or television interviews in the local media.
The operation in Anse Maurice was covered by the media:
- Guadeloupe la 1ère
- Karibinfo
- RCI
- France Antilles (see photos)
- News Weeks (see photos)
Presentation of the work realized on one of the pilot sites of the project: Anse-Maurice in Petit-Canal
On the Clugny site, the installation of the enclosures with the children had also aroused the interest of the media: a live interview on Guadeloupe 1ère took place.
Finally, in Petit-Havre, the event was covered by another local channel, Canal 10: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1845030595836408
The fame of the Anse Maurice pilot site also led to an international interview on Climate Connections radio from Yale University, New York City, about coastal forest restoration and the effectiveness of regeneration enclosures.
ONF work in Carib-Coast was rewarded with an award at the LIFE ARTISAN Trophies, whose objective was to highlight exemplary and replicable climate change adaptation actions based on solutions aimed at developing ecosystem services that promote the adaptive capacity of territories, while preserving biodiversity. As a winner, ONF was invited to participate in March 2022 in the Life ARTISAN Forum in Lille (France) on nature-based solutions.
This provided an opportunity to link with other non-Caribbean projects, such as the Life ARTISAN project or the ADAPTOM project.
On this occasion, a video presenting the actions implemented on the pilot sites was produced.
Watch the video HERE
