Guardarenas: Working for a

sustainable development in
Puerto Rico

Jorge I. Casillas Maldonado & Francisco J.

Soto Santiago
Sea Grant Program
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
 Outline
• What is the Guardarenas (Sandwatch)
project?
– What is the history of Guardarenas?
– What is the importance of the project?
• Guardarenas in Puerto Rico
– Importance of the project
– Activities
– Targeted groups
– What is needed to improve Guardarenas?
• Conclusions
 What is Guardarenas?
• Launched by UNESCO in
1999, started in 2001
– 38 countries within 5
regions
– Seeks to develop
awareness of the marine
and coastal environment
– Integrates different
community groups
– Evaluates problems
– Develop sustainable
approaches
 Importance of Guardarenas
• Program of Action
– Sustainable
Development of Small
Island Developing
States
– United Nations
Decade of Education
for Sustainable
Development (2005-
2014)
 Objectives
• Involve school
students in hands-on
experience
• Enhance cooperation
between targeted
groups
– Applying in
management
• Integrate approach
into school curricula
• Climate change
adaptation
 Guardarenas in Puerto Rico
• Adopted by Sea Grant- • Foto del blog
Puerto Rico in 2006
• Foto de la portada
– Manual translated to
Spanish del manual en
• 15 groups espanol
– Workshops
– Materials
– Blog
 Importance in Puerto Rico
• Fundamental aspects of
marine and coastal
resources
– Dynamics processes in
beaches
• Recognition of problems in
the coastal areas
• Provides data that
government agencies lack
• Promotes analysis and
proposes solutions

TAKE ACTION!!!!
 Activities
• Beach profiling
• Beach erosion and
deposition
• Sand composition
• Measurements
– Currents
– Waves
– Wind
**Integration of data in
the classroom**
Activities
 Targeted groups
• Schools
– K-12 Teachers
– K-12 Students
• Environmental groups
• Non-governmental
organizations (NGO’s)
• Non-profit organizations
(NPO’s)
• General public
Foto del CEN de marejada
 What is needed?
• More funding
• Improve promotion and
participation
• Improve basic knowledge
about marine and coastal
ecosystems
• Develop better scientific
skills to collect and
analyze data
 Conclusions
• Guardarenas is a great tool to integrate coastal and
marine ecosystem knowledge to the school curricula
and communities.
• The program provides necessary data to improve
coastal management and sustainable development.
• It empowers communities to take action in their local
issues.
• Acts as a bridge between scientific data and local
ecological knowledge.
• Promotes interdisciplinary activities
Before Questions?

After