Empowering Coastal Communities through Ocean Literacy and Biodiversity Conservation

Project Overview

Empowering Coastal Communities through Ocean Literacy and Biodiversity Conservation” is a

community-based initiative aimed at strengthening environmental stewardship among coastal

youths through hands-on training in ocean literacy, water quality management, and biodiversity conservation. The project addresses the urgent need to improve public understanding of aquatic ecosystems while equipping young people with practical skills to monitor, remediate, and protect their local water bodies.

Youth Training on Water Quality Monitoring and Pollution Assessment

At the heart of the initiative is a structured training programme that introduces youths to water

quality monitoring techniques. Participants will learn how to use portable water testing kits to

assess parameters such as pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and electrical

conductivity. The training will also explore key pollution indicators, such as nitrate and phosphate levels, and their ecological consequences. Emphasis will be placed on identifying sources of pollution—including domestic waste, industrial runoff, oil spills, and plastic debris—and understanding how these impact aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Capacity Building in Remote Sensing for Water Assessment

In addition to field testing, the programme will expose youths to the use of satellite data and remote sensing tools for large-scale water assessment. They will learn how to interpret multispectral imagery to track changes in land use, detect eutrophication, identify sediment plumes, and monitor vegetation health along riverbanks and coastal zones. These geospatial skills will empower participants to engage in participatory mapping, pollution hotspot identification, and long-term environmental monitoring using open-source platforms such as Google Earth Engine and QGIS. 

Ecological Remediation Strategies and Citizen Science

Beyond diagnostics, the project will train participants in ecological remediation techniques to

support the recovery of degraded aquatic environments. These include biofiltration using aquatic plants, microbial bioremediation, riparian buffer restoration, and the use of low-cost constructed wetlands. Through citizen science, the youths will co-design locally adapted restoration projects and engage community members in water clean-ups, awareness campaigns, and biodiversity surveys. They will also document traditional ecological knowledge that supports sustainable water and biodiversity practices.

Integrated Trophic Mimicry Aquaculture (ITMA) System for Biodiversity Conservation

A central innovation in the project is the deployment of an Integrated Trophic Mimicry

Aquaculture (ITMA) system that replicates natural food web interactions for ecosystem

remediation. This system combines native species of prawns (Macrobrachium spp.), filter-feeding fishes (e.g., Tilapia spp.), and aquatic plants such as duckweed (Lemna minor) and water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) to clean polluted waters while creating habitat niches for other organisms. Youths will be trained to construct and manage these multi-trophic units, which naturally cycle nutrients, remove suspended solids, and sequester pollutants. The ITMA serves as both a live demonstration of ecological engineering and a practical tool for restoring biodiversity in degraded wetlands, creeks, and coastal margins.

Outcome and Community Impact

By combining scientific training, indigenous knowledge, and nature-based solutions, the project will build a new generation of ocean-literate environmental champions equipped to tackle water pollution and biodiversity loss. The initiative not only improves technical capacity but also fosters a deep cultural and emotional connection between youths and their aquatic environment. The long-term goal is to replicate this model across multiple communities, scaling a grassroots-driven, knowledge-powered movement for the protection of coastal and freshwater ecosystems.