29-04-2019
FCT NOVA / MARE was present at the V International Congress of Environmental Education of Portuguese-speaking Countries and Communities in the Bijagós archipelago, which took place from 14 to 18 April in Guiné-Bissau.
The team of eight members - Lia Vasconcelos, Flávia Silva, Filipa Ferreira, Renato Monteiro, Cláudio Duarte, Ricardo Resende, Paula Sobral and Mónica Mesquita - participated actively in the Congress, which had 416 participants from 9 countries. Seven communications, 1 mini-course and 1 roundtable were presented, which allowed to promote the work developed in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering in environmental education, namely the innovative approaches that have been tested in the last years, allowing a critical reflection and generated intense debates.
During the stay, the team had the opportunity to contact the local communities (Tabancas), having been beyond the island of Bubaque where the Congress took place, in the islands of Canhabaque, Formosa, Angurman, Orango and Uno, and visited 12 tabancas . The archipelago is made up of 88 islands, with three protected areas and classified by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve. This contact revealed the harmful effects of climate change on this unique ecosystem that has an ancestral culture that has allowed sustainable management of local biodiversity.
The VI Congress will be held in Cape Verde in 2021, with the High Sponsorship of the Presidency of Cape Verde, as well as with the support of the country’s Government, and will cover the theme "The Oceans".
