Triton Research will participate in the annual conference of the European Marine Science Educators Association (EMSEA), which will be held in Zadar in Croatia, from September 23 to 26, 2024, with two scientific contributions. The event, hosted by the University of Zadar in celebration of the twentieth anniversary of Ocean Literacy, will provide an important platform to discuss innovative strategies for marine education.
During the conference, Triton Research will present a poster titled: “Photography Contests as Tools to Increase Engagement and Raise Awareness Among the General Public About European LIFE Projects and Mediterranean Species Conservation”. A work that explores how thematic photography contests, organized within the framework of the projects LIFE Pinna, LIFE A-MAR NATURA2000 and LIFE CONCEPTU MARIS, have stimulated such active public engagement. Thanks to these initiatives, Triton has collected over 1,200 images from 450 participants, promoting the conservation of Mediterranean species and raising public awareness about environmental issues. The LIFE Pinna contest contributed to the “Report Pinna” Citizen Science campaign, aimed at identifying surviving specimens of Pinna nobilis. Similarly, the LIFE Conceptu Maris contest facilitated the recruitment of volunteers for collecting data on large cetaceans in our seas. Through a targeted communication campaign, the contest content reached approximately 200,000 people on social media, demonstrating the effectiveness of these tools in fostering public participation and scientific awareness.
The second contribution will focus on the LIFE A-MAR NATURA2000 project, with an oral presentation titled: “The LIFE A-MAR NATURA2000 Sailing Campaign as a Tool for Ocean Literacy”. This presentation will showcase the sailing campaign launched by Triton in the spring of 2023, an innovative initiative aimed at promoting awareness and protection of the marine environment. Over six weeks of navigation, the campaign visited 50 marine sites within Italy’s Natura 2000 network, combining water sports, marine education, and social inclusion. Public events and guided tours were offered to highlight the ecological diversity of Natura 2000 marine sites. Coordinated by Federparchi, the campaign included 12 participatory meetings with experts, scientists, and local administrators, as well as excursions in Liguria, Sicily, Tuscany, Sardinia, and Lazio, involving around 200 participants who learned best practices for marine conservation from marine biologists. Supported by the smartphone and tablet application “AMAR Sea LIFE” and amplified through traditional and digital media, the initiative reached over 5,000 people. The inclusive approach of the campaign allowed for diverse public participation, aiming to foster a sense of responsibility and protection for valuable marine ecosystems.