About
Our Activities
Mangrove Education was created to educate people on the importance of mangrove and other key environmental ecosystems. Our targeted activities include, but are not limited to, creating and implementing the usage of environmental science curricula, preserving undeveloped or restoring natural ecosystems, sponsoring contests and activities that involve environmental education, and creating programs that encourage people to become good stewards of the environment (such as ME’s My Environmental Medallion campaign)
How Mangrove Education Started
Mangrove Education’s roots were established by our current Program Director, Martin Keeley, through his passion for environmental education and youth. His involvement in wetlands education started in the late 1980s when he founded and ran a youth education and conservation program in British Columbia and Northwest Washington State to protect freshwater wetlands and estuaries.
Mission
The core philosophy of Mangrove Education is to incorporate environmental science into a formal school curriculum within mangrove-centered and other communities around the World. Covering in-depth the coastal lagoon ecosystem—from mangroves to coral reefs — Mangrove Education brings excitement to the classroom through hands-on science activities and field explorations.
Vision
With environmental degradation at the forefront of issues challenging our Planet today, Mangrove Education aims to help protect and preserve the ecosystems, and in turn communities, that live within and near mangrove forests.
Our Priorities
Build Relationships within Communities
The core curriculum Mangrove Education uses has impacted hundreds of thousands of students worldwide with programs past and ongoing in 17 communities. Our success gives us a foundation for connecting with key officials, including educational program directors to break into new communities.
Prepare Science-Based Educational Curricula
Working with teachers, Ph.D’s', and community leaders, we have developed a science-based curriculum to be taught in primary and secondary school. We regularly update and improve the program to stay relevant, current and effective.
Student + Teacher Education
Collaborating with teachers and helping with understanding and building the curriculum into lesson plans is a priority. Ensuring that teachers can teach the program is key. Each curriculum is adapted to the local flora and fauna, and translated, if needed, into the local language
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Our Approach
Building Relationships and Trust with Local Governments
Many of the regional schools we aim to impact with our educational curricula are intertwined with local government. By building relationships with local leaders, we are effective at raising the level of significance of mangrove protection and finding advocates for our mission—as it relates to education and eco-tourism.
Rolling Out Mangrove Education Programs with Teachers
Mangrove forests contribute to healthy communities and environments. Starting with school-aged children, our science-based program informs, inspires and connects the future generation of mangrove communities with respect and understanding of these essential trees.
Establishing Incentive for Protection of Mangrove Forests
Mangrove forests are critical to stabilizing shorelines, protecting coral reefs, and sinking carbon. They are at high risk due to commercial interests that threaten their existence and climate change. Ecotourism and education are clear paths to establishing awareness of the mangrove forests as a means to protect them from future harm.
Checking Up, Evaluating Results and Improving Where Needed
Once a program is in place, we check-in, evaluate and adjust as necessary. Working with local teachers we modify curriculums to meet their needs and help create programs that impart positive experiences for students and classrooms.