PAREO : The Coral Reef Heritage of the Indian Ocean in our hand

Card game MARECO@Stéphanie Carrière

Work with educational actors and raise awareness among children about coral reef protection

Objectives

  • Raise awareness among children and local communities about the protection of coral reefs
  • Moving from knowledge to action
  • Make children ambassadors for reef protection

Comoros, Mauritius, La Réunion, Seychelles

Tools and approaches

Educational tool MARECO

Educatives protected marine areas (EMPA)

Schools projets « Arts and Science »

Discovering life underwater in St Leu EMPA, La Réunion ©GIP-RNMR

Planned actions 

Transmit scientific knowledge to civil society

  • via innovative and entertaining educational tools (MARECO)
  • to children and fishermen/women communities
  • training of trainers

Connect to your environment to better understand it

  • Observe biodiversity in the field and without getting wet
  • Understand the links between Man/Reef/Watershed

Valuing the local natural and cultural heritage

  • Productions with local artists

Moving from knowledge to action

  • School project/ Marine Educational Areas

Share experiences with other WIO islands

Promote the actions of the project to local decision makers

What's new for PAREO ? 

May 2023

Coral reef party : restitution of the PAREO project in Mohéli, Tuesday May 30th in Nioumachoi

  • reef games led by project students
  • official opening, presentation of the project, Boléro children's show and prize-giving ceremony

The event will be broadcast live on the PAREO project FB page: https://www.facebook.com/PareoProject

May 2023

Children of Ndrondroni, Mohéli, get into the water as part of the PAREO project

Children from Ndrondroni elementary public school visited the islet of Wenefou, Moheli National Park, for the second time, to observe the coral reef.

Discover this morning in pictures!

March 2023

PAREO in Moheli, here we go!

Moheli is now hosting the PAREO project under Component C of the DIDEM program with the close collaboration of the Moheli National Park. Three schools are involved in this first phase of the project and will work on the establishment of an Educational Marine Area in the commune of Nioumachoi.

Know more

Wednesday October 12th 2022, the PAREO team will make an oral presentation during the 12th WIOMSA symposium, in Port Elizabeth.

Empowering children to make informed decisions in the SW Indian Ocean: analysis of the Educational Marine Areas program

Auteurs : Georgeta Stoica (CUFR Mayotte); Philippe Charpentier (CUFR Mayotte); Lola Massé (IRD UMR Espace-Dev); Christelle Morel (Réserve Naturelle Marine de la Réunion); Karine Pothin (Réserve Naturelle Marine de la Réunion); Allen Cedras (Seychelles Parks and Garden Authority); Pascale Chabanet (IRD, UMR Entropie)

  > Click here to read the abstract

Snorkelling session, Curieuse Marine park, Seychelles@IRD-Lola Massé

June 2022

A new Marine Educative Area in Pralin, Seychelles. 

The creation of the Marine Educative Area is being implemented in Pralin, Seychelles, in partnership with the Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority (SPGA). In this context, the MARECO poster has been translated into Seychellois Creole

A poster to learn the names of the fishes and to promote the linguistic heritage of the Indian Ocean islands

Fish = pwason in Seychellois Creole

A new version of the poster "the garden under the sea" from the MARECO kit has been produced with the names of the fish translated into Seychellois Creole.

August 2021

Restitution of the PAREO activities, in la Réunion, Mauritius and in Seychelles 

For one year, pupils in Reunion, Seychelles and Mauritius worked hard while having fun and learning about protection of coastal and marine environments. They then participated in an exhibition to show their work.

 > Read the full article

What is next?

In 2023, the PAREO program will be implemented in Mohéli Island, Comoros, in partnership with the Mohéli National Park.

La Réunion Natural Marine Reserve @IRD-Pascale Chabanet

Context

The PAREO project is an innovative environmental education project that combines the transmission of scientific knowledge, discovery of the environment from the perspective of new technologies and concrete conservation actions.

It will be implemented in four islands of the Indian Ocean, Reunion, Mauritius, Seychelles and Mohéli in the Comoros. A common feature in all these islands is an exceptional reef heritage which unfortunately is degrading under human pressure. However, this ecosystem is a source of many benefits for local fisheries, coastline protection and the development of leisure and tourism. Coral reefs require enhanced protection which can be achieved through awareness programs for the benefit of all.

By working with the children of the islands during the school year, the project aims to implement conservation activities in order to forge links between science and society.

The PAREO program will be implemented primarily in Reunion Island, Mauritius and Seychelles from September 2020 to the end of 2022. DiDEM will extend this program to Comoros from mid-2022.

IRD team

Pascale Chabanet (DR), marine biologist, coordinator of PAREO

Lola Massé (IR), marine biologist

Know more about PAREO

The website

The Facebook page


Partners

Roger Foundation

Mauritius 

PAREO will also work with many local service providers such as educators, artists, divers, and videographers...