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Paper short abstract:

In this paper, we will discuss the case of the marine educational areas established in the Reunion Island asking the following question : In which way the establishment of marine educational areas changed the relationship that children have with the marine environement ?

Paper long abstract:

Born in the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, the "marine educational areas" represent a concept that aim at the participative management of a coastal marine area by primary school pupils under the supervision of their teacher and a scientific referent. As a reminder, it were the pupils of the Vaitahu primary school (Tahuata Island), during exchanges with scientists from the Pakaihi i te moana oceanographic campaign, who expressed their desire to be responsible for a marine area located near their school, which led to the establishment of the first educational marine area in 2012. Three years later, during the 2015 Paris Conference on Climate Change (COP 21), a partnership was signed by Ségolène Royal, Minister in charge of the environment, and Edouard Fritch, President of the French Polynesian government. This partnership has led to the development of marine educational areas with 8 pilot schools in 2016 in mainland France and overseas. Presently, there are more than 200 marine educational areas projects. In this context, the main actors are children who actively participate in educational projects set up locally by teachers in line with national programmes with the aim of educating them about the marine environment and making them responsible for their future actions to preserve nature. In this paper, we will discuss the case of the marine educational areas established in the Reunion island asking the following questions : In which way the establishment of marine educational areas changed the relationship that children have with the marine environement ?