Large seaside cities such as Genoa hold precious natural heritage along their coasts: beaches, seabeds rich in biodiversity, unique marine habitats. Yet urban development, port infrastructure and coastal defence works have often distanced people, especially younger generations, from these natural environments. The loss of direct contact with the sea makes it hard to understand the value of marine biodiversity and the importance of protecting it.
The SUNRISE project, supported as major contributor by Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo and backed by many partners including the DAFNE cooperative and the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (project lead), was created precisely to meet this challenge, promoting ocean literacy as an educational lever to raise environmental awareness in urban settings.
Environmental education between school and territory
During the project, DAFNE ran a three-year educational programme for 14 secondary school classes in Genoa, involving more than 250 students aged 11 to 17. Activities included classroom lessons, field trips, direct observation of marine environments and the production of multimedia content – such as educational video clips – to tell the story of and give value to urban marine nature, particularly on the beaches and in the neighbouring Marine Protected Areas.
The project’s findings highlighted significant gaps in knowledge. Only 14% of students, for example, knew that Posidonia oceanica is a marine plant, and more than 75% were unaware of the ecological importance of beached seagrass banks. Similar uncertainty emerged about the role and functions of Marine Protected Areas.
Questionnaires and discussions with teachers made clear how far Ocean Literacy can be a strategic tool for strengthening the bond between young people and the marine environment around them every day.
A bridge between generations
One of the most original aspects of the project was the active involvement of older generations, through interviews and the collection of memories linked to the Genoese coastline and to the historical presence of Posidonia oceanica. Their accounts revealed a strong emotional bond with the sea and vivid memories of the places they used to visit, helping to build a bridge of knowledge and memory between generations.
Educating for the future of the sea
The SUNRISE experience showed the need to integrate marine biodiversity education into school curricula and to encourage greater dialogue between school, community and territory. Protecting the sea and its ecosystems starts with knowledge, with recognising the ecosystem services the sea provides every day, and with the will to build sustainable development in which people and nature can coexist in balance.
DAFNE is proud to have contributed to this journey as an operational partner, carrying forward its commitment to environmental education that is concrete, participatory and capable of generating change.
