Sustainable Mediterranean, Issue No 79 on Ocean Literacy
This issue of Sustainable Mediterranean is dedicated to the 2021 Mediterranean Action Day (MAD 2021) campaign of MIO-ECSDE.
An annual activity of MIO-ECSDE, the Mediterranean Action Day gives the opportunity to environmental NGOs to take action in the field and tackle a frontline environmental issue of common interest in the region. There isn’t a specific day of the year to plan towards, rather each participating NGO plans its own campaign – it is their ‘Day’.
For the year 2021, marking the launch of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021 – 2030), it was dedicated to ‘Ocean Literacy for all Mediterranean people’, inviting the Mediterranean NGO community to develop initiatives that inspire ocean citizenship and formulate effective actions for the promotion of ocean literacy.
This year, 21 NGOs participated in the 2021 campaign, implementing activities in eleven Mediterranean countries: Croatia (EKO KVARNER), Cyprus (AKTI), Egypt (Arab Office for Youth and Environment – AOYE), Greece (Greek Eco Project, iSea, OIKOTOPIA), Italy (Circolo Festambiente, Posidonia Project Carloforte, DelTa), Jordan (Jordanian Society of Friends of Heritage – JSFH, Land and Human to Advocate Progress – LHAP), Lebanon (Makhzoumi Foundation, Human Environmental Association for Development – HEAD),
Morocco (Moroccan Club for Environment and Development – CMED), Spain (Asociaciόn Hippocampus, Eco-Union, Posidonia Green Project), Syria (Syrian Coast Society for Environmental Protection – SCSEP), Tunisia (AEKélibia, ASMP Kélibia), while the European Marine Science Educators Association – EMSEA implemented their activity in Croatia, Greece and Italy.
This journal is a tribute to the efforts of these NGOs and their capability and creativity in taking a small seed fund and performing actions with a significant impact. The 2021 Mediterranean Action Day was supported by the EU LIFE Programme (Operating Grant for MIO-ECSDE) and by MIO-ECSDE’s own resources.