Ocean Conservation Trust

STEMFest 2024 was an incredible success! 🎉 After building on the momentum from last year, this year’s event focused on the groundbreaking Darwin200 expedition, and we were thrilled to see so many young minds engaging with the world of science and conservation! 📊 A total of 18 schools and 916 students visited and explored real-world conservation techniques through ecological surveys, scientific drawing, and virtual reality. 🌍 For those who couldn’t attend in person, our Virtual STEMFest session allowed 3,097 students to participate from anywhere in the world! Did you miss out on all the excitement? Then don’t forget to join our mailing list to be the first to hear about STEMFest 2025! 👇 bit.ly/4bgLcFO

We are hosting a Seagrass Celebration in Falmouth this half-term! 🌱 Come on down to Princess Pavillion on Wednesday the 30th of October to celebrate seagrass with Falmouth's Seagrass heroes. Find out about the conservation work going on locally, learn all about the importance of seagrass and of course, have fun! We will be hosting activities, workshops and a Blue Meadows talk at 2pm! Wednesday 30th October 2024 10:30 AM - 3:30 PM Princess Pavilion, 41 Melvill Rd, Falmouth TR11 4AR Sea you there!

Today's dose of #OceanOptimism! Record numbers of Sea Turtle nests and surviving hatchlings have been recorded on the island of Zakynthos, Greece! From an average of 5,000 - 7,000 nests per year, since 2023 over 10,000 nests have been recorded annually in Greece. The dramatic increase in nest numbers is the result of decades of conservation efforts on the island. Find out more: bit.ly/3YwQA3y

Young people are the future of conservation, and there are plenty of opportunities for them to get stuck in! Join us for our next 'Ocean Conversations' event this month as we celebrate young people in Ocean conservation! We will be highlighting opportunities for young people to get involved with, as well as running hands-on workshops and immersive experiences. Don’t miss this chance to network, learn, and be inspired by like minded 11-20 year olds! 🗓️ 23rd October ⏰ 17:30-20:30 🎟️ £5 https://bit.ly/3A3rP5x

Only one week left until Virtual STEMFest with the Eden Project! 🪴🐟 Get ready to explore tropical and Ocean biomes from the comfort of your classroom. ⛵ Inspired by Darwin200, students will trace Charles Darwin’s legendary voyage through hands-on conservation techniques and an interactive live workshop from the OCT Learning Centre. Sign up below, it's FREE! https://bit.ly/47BQSJk

Mapping and monitoring of sensitive habitats, like seagrass, is challenging. But all that is about to change, as we are excited to reveal our new specialised Remote Operated Vehicle! This exciting tool will enable us to map seagrass in unprecedented detail. A key element to our seagrass protection and restoration efforts is monitoring the meadows, to make sure our work is impactful! Using the ROV’S underwater positioning technology, alongside other exciting acoustic technologies, we are aiming to demonstrate a more comprehensive way of mapping and monitoring seagrass. Thanks to Sonardyne International Ltd, MarineSee Underwater Filming, Voyis and Blue Robotics for working in partnership with us to develop this ROV! Find out more 👉 bit.ly/4eGdk6K

This World Mental Health Day we are reflecting on the incredible power of the Ocean to help us with our wellbeing. Being in, on or around the Ocean can have restorative benefits for our mental health. We call this Blue Mind, and it describes the relationship between the Ocean and humans’ health. All sensory aspects of the Ocean induce positive effects for people, from the colour blue to the sound of the waves and even sea air. Our Ocean can help us feel both peaceful and invigorated. There is a growing need for a holistic approach to mental health care, as services are stretched and underfunded. Social prescribing is a growing sector that uses community-based services and people-focused approaches to support mental wellbeing. Our Blue Mind Hub in Plymouth is an Ocean-based wellbeing project which aims to help people in our community access the health benefits of the Ocean. The project has been specifically curated for people who are experiencing poor mental health. Our Blue Mind Hub offers three different sessions. 🤿 Step into Snorkelling - A beginners level snorkelling programme which gradually builds participant’s confidence. 💙 Blue Views - A coastal land-based project offering Ocean activities without having to get in the water. 🐟 Accessible Ocean - This is an aquarium-based activity designed for those with mobility issues. It offers a connection with Ocean wonders through virtual reality sessions, art workshops and tours of the National Marine Aquarium. Each of our sessions create a safe and welcoming environment for participants to start exploring blue spaces and learn about the positive effects on their wellbeing. “The blue mind activities are an amazing asset for people struggling with their mental health. People have reported how calming and mindful they have found it just to be near the water and in the aquarium environment. To be able to offer activities like these alongside NHS treatment has meant we have a far richer and more holistic offer to patients. Seeing someone’s face full of excitement about their experience has to be one of the best parts of my job.” Dr Alison Battersby, Consultant General Adult Psychiatrist People can join our Blue Mind Hub activities through nominated link workers from services across Plymouth, including Livewell Southwest, The Zone, Improving Lives Plymouth and The Wolseley Trust. If someone you know may benefit from this programme here in Plymouth, please ask them to get in touch with their GP or nominated social prescribing service.

We’re excited to unveil HMS OCToPUS, our innovative purpose-built deployment device for seagrass restoration! 🌱 Inspired by land-based hydroseeding, we’ve sought to develop Hydro Marine Seeding (HMS) as a technique to inject seagrass seeds directly into the seabed. We have commissioned a product based on a caulking gun, named OCToPUS (Ocean Conservation Trust o Pressurised Underwater Seeder). This handheld device is for divers to use on the seabed, allowing them to inject 2,000 seagrass seeds in under 20 minutes, making large-scale seagrass restoration faster and more efficient! Find out what we have achieved so far and what this means for the future of seagrass restoration on our blog: bit.ly/HMS-OCT Thank you to Ørsted and Absolute Product Design Limited for their support. #Seagrass #HabitatRestoration #BlueMeadows

We were thrilled to host the end of project conference for the four year Life Recreation ReMEDIES project this week. Seagrass experts and project partners from around the country came together to celebrate the successes of the project & to hear about what comes next! Thanks to the EU Life programme for funding ReMEDIES, and to each of the project partners for a collaborative effort in saving our seabed! Natural England Marine Conservation Society Plymouth City Council Tamar Estuaries Consultative Forum Royal Yachting Association (RYA) #LifeRecreationReMEDIES #EUlife #SaveOurSeabed

The countdown to STEMFest is on! ⏰ Teachers, just under 1 week to go! Starting October 7th at the National Marine Aquarium, students will dive into evolution, conservation, and hands-on activities inspired by the Darwin200 expedition! 🖥️ Can’t attend in person? Join us online from anywhere in the world for Virtual STEMFest on October 22nd—book your space below! 👇 https://lnkd.in/ed8cSeui