Browsing by Author "Mahu, Edem"
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- Impact of the citizen science project COLLECT on ocean literacy and well-being within a north/west African and south-east Asian contextPublication . Severin, Marine I.; Akpetou, Lazare Kouame; Annasawmy, Pavanee; Asuquo, Francis Emile; Beckman, Fiona; Benomar, Mostapha; Jaya-Ram, Annette; Malouli, Mohammed; Mees, Jan; Monteiro, Ivanice; Ndwiga, Joey; Neves Silva, Péricles; Nubi, Olubunmi Ayoola; Sim, Yee Kwang; Sohou, Zacharie; Shau-Hwai, Aileen Tan; Woo, Sau Pinn; Zizah, Soukaina; Buysse, Ann; Raes, Filip; Krug, Lilian; Seeyave, Sophie; Everaert, Gert; Mahu, Edem; Catarino, Ana I.Plastic pollution is both a societal and environmental problem and citizen science has shown to be a useful tool to engage both the public and professionals in addressing it. However, knowledge on the educational and behavioral impacts of citizen science projects focusing on marine litter remains limited. Our preregistered study investigates the impact of the citizen science project Citizen Observation of Local Litter in coastal ECosysTems (COLLECT) on the participants' ocean literacy, pro-environmental intentions and attitudes, well-being, and nature connectedness, using a pretest-posttest design. A total of 410 secondary school students from seven countries, in Africa (Benin, Cabo Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria) and Asia (Malaysia) were trained to sample plastics on sandy beaches and to analyze their collection in the classroom. Non-parametric statistical tests (n = 239 matched participants) demonstrate that the COLLECT project positively impacted ocean literacy (i.e., awareness and knowledge of marine litter, self-reported litter-reducing behaviors, attitudes towards beach litter removal). The COLLECT project also led to higher pro-environmental behavioral intentions for students in Benin and Ghana (implying a positive spillover effect) and higher well-being and nature connectedness for students in Benin. Results are interpreted in consideration of a high baseline in awareness and attitudes towards marine litter, a low internal consistency of pro-environmental attitudes, the cultural context of the participating countries, and the unique settings of the project's implementation. Our study highlights the benefits and challenges of understanding how citizen science impacts the perceptions and behaviors towards marine litter in youth from the respective regions.
- Putting training into practice: an alumni network global monitoring programPublication . Krug, Lilian; Sarker, Subrata; Huda, Samiul; Gonzalez-Silvera, Adriana; Edward, Akinnigbagbe; Berghoff, Carla; Naranjo, Christian; Mahu, Edem; López-Calderón, Jorge; Escudero, Luís; Tapia, Maria; Noernberg, Mauricio; Ahmed, Mohamed; Menon, Nandini; Betancur, StellaThe ocean benefits humankind by producing half of the global oxygen supply, absorbing a significant portion of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and providing us with food, transportation, and a means of livelihood. Nevertheless, human activities have been making the global ocean more acidic, warmer, and lower in oxygen (IPCC, 2021). Such changes and their impacts on ecosystems are highly variable, particularly in coastal areas where exchanges with the atmosphere and the land are more pronounced. The capacity to collect ocean observations is insufficient in many parts of the world, particularly in developing countries (IOC-UNESCO, 2020). This is linked not only to a dearth of funding and instrumentation but also to a lack of scientific personnel with the capacity to collect, analyze, and interpret oceanographic data. The Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO) runs capacity development programs whose objectives are to develop key skills, capabilities, and capacities needed for worldwide ocean observations, and to nurture new generations of experts and leaders in ocean affairs (see Urban and Seeyave, 2021). Since 2004, the partnership between POGO and the Nippon Foundation (NF) has offered an extensive array of training programs to nearly 500 early career scientists from 74 countries, mainly with emerging economies. The NF-POGO Alumni Network for the Ocean (NANO) was created in 2010 as a means to keep track of trainees’ career progressions, maximize the benefits from the training received, and provide further opportunities for networking and collaboration. One of NANO’s major goals is to promote joint research activities among its members, ultimately applying ocean observations for societal benefit.