To create greater awareness of the need to protect the sea resource and its biodiversity, and above all to spread the message. It is on this track that the educational path, organised by Legambiente, was developed, dedicated to the 4th and 5th classes of primary and 1st grade secondary schools in various regions, including Campania. At the end of the educational pathway, students had the opportunity to participate in the ‘Dolphin as a friend’ contest, which was won by the ‘Mozzillo’ institute in Afragola (Naples) and the ‘San Giuseppe’ primary school in Pozzuoli (Naples).Within the framework of the European Life Delfi project, coordinated by Irbim-CNR, Legambiente has developed an educational path to inform and raise awareness among young people on the protection of sea biodiversity and, in particular, on the work carried out by the Life Delfi project to reduce interactions between dolphins and fishing. Life Delfi, co-funded by the European Union’s LIFE Programme, aims to disseminate acoustic deterrents with the objective of safeguarding dolphins from bycatch and protecting fisheries from damage caused by the bycatch phenomenon.
The educational path was developed in didactic workshops attended by about 200 pupils throughout Campania.
The activities carried out in the classroom, also thanks to an Edukit and a cooperative card game, then materialised in the participation in the second edition of the ‘Dolphin as a friend’ contest. The winners were the I G of the ‘Angelo Mozzillo’ institute in Afragola (Naples) and the IV B of the San Giuseppe secondary school in Pozzuoli (Naples). At the Afragola institute, with which Giusiana Russo, president of Legambiente Afragola, and teachers Rosaria Valentino and Rossella Esposito collaborated, and at the ‘San Giuseppe’ primary school in Pozzuoli, supported by Alessandra Fragale of Legambiente Città Flegrea, the moment of the prize-giving came with the presentation of certificates, t-shirts and project gadgets.
The activities carried out in the classroom, also thanks to an Edukit and a cooperative card game, resulted in the participation in the second edition of the ‘Dolphin as a friend’ contest. The winners were the I G of the ‘Angelo Mozzillo’ institute in Afragola (Naples) and the IV B of the San Giuseppe secondary school in Pozzuoli (Naples). At the Afragola institute, with which Giusiana Russo, president of Legambiente Afragola, and teachers Rosaria Valentino and Rossella Esposito collaborated, and at the ‘San Giuseppe’ primary school in Pozzuoli, supported by Alessandra Fragale of Legambiente Città Flegrea, the moment of the prize-giving came with the presentation of certificates, t-shirts and project gadgets. In Sardinia, class III A of the Istituto Comprensivo Loiri Porto San Paolo with an entry entitled ‘United to help fishermen and save dolphins! ‘ was awarded certificates, gadgets and t-shirts by the second edition of the contest 𝐷𝑜𝑙𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑 within the framework of the LIFE Delfi project, dedicated to the conservation of cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea, in which the Tavolara-Punta Coda Cavallo Marine Area is a partner. The Marine Area, in collaboration with the SEAME Sardinia association, held a series of meetings in schools in the Olbia and Porto San Paolo area, where students were able to learn about cetacean species living in the Mediterranean, their ecological role and the threats they face, as well as to learn about the problem of the interaction of professional fishing with dolphins and the solutions proposed and tested by the LIFE-Delfi project to reduce the damage of dolphins to nets and incidental catches of dolphins.
‘We are very satisfied with the participation of the schools in the area in this educational path included in a very ambitious European project,’ says Cristina Vecchi of Legambiente Scuola e Formazione. Life Delfi wants to create a possible coexistence in the sea between dolphins and fishermen, unfortunately the bycatch phenomenon harms both actors. Thanks to the support of volunteers from Legambiente clubs, for the second year, we managed to get the important message across: protecting the sea and its biodiversity concerns everyone, starting with the youngest. And so informing them and making them aware of these issues means passing on respect for the sea, and for the environment in general’.