Schools, children and educational marine areas (EMAs) in the Indian Ocean. A new way of thinking with the ocean?

The first Educational Marine Areas (EMAs) were created in 2012 in the Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia). Since then, they have been developed mainly in mainland France, but also in the French overseas territories. Developed in schools as part of an educational project, EMAs involve the participatory management of a coastal marine area by primary and secondary school pupils. EMAs also aim to strengthen the link between science and society by empowering children to make more informed decisions and ‘think with the ocean” on issues relating to the protection of the marine environment.

In the context of the diffusion of this educational initiative in mainland France and overseas French territories, an analytical reflection on participatory management in marine educational areas is proposed. This analysis is based on a qualitative study that explores: (a) the active involvement of pupils and teachers in managing their EMA, as well as their representations of the marine environment (case study of Reunion and Mayotte islands) ; (b) the development of similar educational projects out of France, on islands such as Seychelles, Comoros and Madagascar ; and c) the importance of local context for the development of EMAs.

This presentation is based on the research data and activities of the interdisciplinary research projects AQUAMARINE and PAREO/DIDEM, implemented in the Indian Ocean. Using participant observation, in-depth interviews, field notes, and photographs, the research team collected scientific data across various sites from 2020 to 2024.  Preliminary results show that the development of EMAs and the educational activities associated have an impact on pupils’ daily lives, on their choice of future careers and foster improved dialogue between policymakers and future generations of eco-citizens. Just to give an example, on Reunion island, we are already talking about the "génération aire marine éducative" (generation educated in the context of educational marine areas) and tangible results have been achieved locally, such as the ban on smoking within the marine area managed by the pupils of Saint Leu EMA.