Marine education reaches Barcelona high schools through the European project NauticInblu Europe
Anèl·lides – Marine Environmental Services, an organisation specialising in marine environmental education and citizen science, has played an active role in the European project NauticInblu Europe, led by Marevivo ETS and the MSC Foundation, to promote ocean literacy. The initiative has been delivered with support from leading institutions such as the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), the Catalan Federation of Underwater Activities (FECDAS) and several departments of Barcelona City Council, including La Fàbrica del Sol and the Barceloneta Community Plan.
The project engaged 118 students from three Barcelona schools —Institut de Nàutica de Barcelona, Institut d’Indústria Sostenible and Institut Voramón. Through classroom sessions, citizen-science snorkelling outings and hands-on sustainability workshops, students explored marine biodiversity, learned about ocean environmental challenges and took part in their conservation.
A cornerstone of the programme was the snorkelling sessions along Barcelona’s coastline, paired with species identification and uploading observations to the scientific platform MINKA, developed by ICM-CSIC. Students also attended workshops at La Fàbrica del Sol Fab Lab, where they learned to distinguish different types of plastics and created new objects from recycled materials.
The project culminated in a showcase event where each group presented the materials they had produced—infographics, games and awareness-raising videos—and received a participation certificate and a sustainably crafted trophy made in the Fab Lab.
NauticInblu Europe illustrates a transformative educational model that blends scientific knowledge, local action and citizen participation, aiming to nurture young people who are informed and committed to the ocean. Anèl·lides plans to expand this kind of initiative to reach more schools and neighbourhoods across the city.
Project conclusions (by Andrea Comaposada, founder and director of Anèl·lides)
The most valuable thing about this project has been seeing how students —with very diverse contexts and interests— have discovered the value of the coastline, the biodiversity that inhabits it and the great challenges that threaten it. The snorkeling activity, the identification sessions and the collective reflections have generated a real link between the students and the marine ecosystem, awakening questions, commitment and even future vocations.
I also want to highlight the great work of the teachers involved, the collaboration between entities and institutions, and the fundamental role of spaces such as La Fàbrica del Sol or the MINKA platform of the Institute of Marine Sciences, which have made possible a practical and critical approach to environmental problems.
Project results and student observations are available at:
🔗 https://minka-sdg.org/projects/biodiversitat-nauticinblu-2025
Further information about Anèl·lides and its work:
🌐 https://anellides.com
