#EMDInMyCountry is On and MARE is with him

"European Maritime Day in My Country" is happening again, and MARE (Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre) is participating with 34 initiatives from April to September. Researchers from different institutions, including UCoimbra, Politécnico de Leiria, NOVA, ISPA, UÉvora and Madeira, are organizing various activities related to marine biodiversity, aquaculture, and conservation. And this year, three researchers from MARE, Silvia Lourenço, Ana Pombo, and David Jacinto, will even attend the European Maritime Day in Brest, France on May 24th and 25th, to present a workshop "Invertebrates' Aquaculture: Towards a Circular Model" on May 24th at 2:30 PM.

The MARE-Madeira unit is collaborating with schools to organize activities such as "Mar: Importance and Threats," "Diving with Sperm Whales," and "Searching for Microplastics." Meanwhile, MARE-UÉvora is planning trips to coastal areas and river basins in Alentejo to introduce the biodiversity and ecology of marine platforms and migratory fish species.

MARE-NOVA is preparing the "Tejo Escondido" and "Ocean Parliament" activities, which aim to promote dialogue about the ocean and create an "Ocean Charter."

MARE-ISPA is hosting "Kids Dive - Discovering the Ocean" at the Municipal Pools of Sintra to introduce children to the underwater world.

MARE-Politécnico de Leiria is focusing on marine biotechnology, sustainability, and seafood, with activities such as "Marine Algae: The Colors of Algae/Algae as the Ancient Food of the Future" and "How the Sea can Contribute to Sustainable and Healthy Food." The #EMDInMyCountry initiative aims to raise awareness about the importance of the ocean, and has attracted more than 25,000 participants annually through local activities, maritime literacy actions, ecological walks, visits to maritime museums, ships, aquariums, and shipyards, all aimed at engaging a younger audience in a fun way.

MARE-UCoimbra will have activities distributed across the cities of Coimbra, Figueira da Foz, and Ansião for the school community. It will start on the beach with a Citizen Science activity - "Ocean Travelers," then move on to the Municipal Market Engineer Silva with "Look at the Fresh Fish!" It will also introduce the relationship between the Ocean and Marine Litter, Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Conservation of resources. It will end with two walks along the rocky platforms of Praia da Tamargueira for students and teachers in the context of the bLueTIDE project, to discover the intertidal biodiversity, the most common threats, and the methodologies used to collect samples in these spaces.

#EMDInMyCountry is an initiative conceived in 2018, which extends the reach of awareness of the European Maritime Day to all European Union countries beyond the one that officially hosts this annual celebration. It has become increasingly notable by bringing together the European maritime community to discuss, create, and articulate joint solutions for the oceans. Launching the challenge for businesses, governments, public institutions, NGOs, and universities to participate in this challenge between April and October was an idea of the European Commission. And it was very well received. The event has attracted more than 25,000 participants every year through local activities, maritime literacy actions, ecological walks, visits to maritime museums, ships, aquariums, and shipyards. All of this with a playful "style" to also attract younger audiences.