Future generations leading charge to protect NSW marine environment

By EducationHQ News Team
Published April 11, 2024

Primary school students are set to become champions of the NSW marine estate, with a new education program produced by the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Fisheries.

The Education Strategy aims to build a sense of custodianship while shifting attitudes away from behaviours that contribute to priority threats, and instead encourage sustainable use of the marine estate via participation. PHOTO: Ben Mack

DPI Director of Marine Estate Management, Heath Folpp said the program will provide children with tools to increase their awareness of threats to coastal waterways and become ‘agents of change’.

“The lessons and learning resources are tailored for Years 1 to 6 and have been created to assist teachers to easily integrate the program into the classroom, offering teaching materials aligned with the NSW curriculum,” Folpp said.

“The program includes resources that will take students on a journey through a range of coastal environments, while addressing a variety of topics including threatened species, responsible fishing, catchment management and traditional use of Sea Country.”

Folpp said the program is accessible to all NSW primary schools, regardless of coastal location, with the teaching resources now available to download for free from the NSW Marine Estate website.

“We acknowledge the valuable and varied roles that NSW educational partners play in the success of educational initiatives around the marine estate and look forward to supporting teachers in the adoption of the Marine Estate Agents program within their school,” he said.

Folpp explained that the Marine Estate Agents program is a key output of the NSW Marine Estate Education Strategy, which will help ensure positive behavioural changes for generations to come.

"Eighty-five per cent of NSW residents live within 50 kilometres of the coast, and our marine estate supports a $15 billion ocean economy – a healthy marine estate shapes the success of coastal communities,” he said.

“The Education Strategy ... will coordinate, develop and deliver education programs to promote a healthy marine estate.

“Educating younger generations about the importance of a healthy marine estate will further safeguard it now and into the future.”

Partnerships among marine estate agencies, communities, schools, Aboriginal people, local government and other stakeholders are also critical to implementing the Education Strategy.

To learn more about the Marine Estate Agents program, click here.