La Plata Estuary Project: A binational science education and public outreach initiative

Even though Argentina's coastal line extends for 5.000 km and other 940.000 km2 of Continental Shelf provide a variety of marine resources, the country has historically ignored its overall importance. This has been reflected in education, therefore preventing any further change in the general society's attitude. As an additional complication, science and K-12 educational communities seldom worked together, making it difficult for both students and teachers to achieve scientific literacy as well as isolating scientific production.

As a way to cope with this reality, a group of scientists and teachers joined in what is now “Proyecto Estuario del Plata” (PEP). This educational initiative aims at teacher training, science outreach and hands-on, real data, activities in order to reverse our national indifference towards the sea in the long term. Scientific Institutions tutoring the project are Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO, Bahía Blanca), Servicio de Hidrografía Naval (Hydrographic Office of the Navy), Servicio de Oceanografía, Hidrografía y Meteorología de la Armada de Uruguay (SOHMA) and Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero (INIDEP, Mar del Plata). Schools involved at present are: Santa Teresa de Jesús (Montevideo, Uruguay), San Marcos, Mallinckrodt, San Lucas, Jesus en el Huerto de los Olivos, Belgrano Day School, Edmundo de Amicis, San Felipe Neri and Greenfield (Buenos Aires, Argentina). The project's general coordinator working together with schools' coordinators plan annual activities involving both educational and scientific institutions. Some 350 - 400 students are currently working in the project.

La Plata River estuary was chosen as a starting point because of its large size representing 35. 000 km2 (6th largest estuary in the world), extensive drainage basin (3.200.000 km2), huge human population (16 million people), economic and natural importance. Seven strategic monitoring stations were placed along both north and south estuary coastlines, measuring and recording water and air temperature. Stations are visited by students and teachers on a monthly basis to download the information which is then analyzed at school, together with additional environmental information. Temperature information is uploaded in the web site (www.estuariodelplata.com.ar ) to be shared with whoever might need it. Additional activities involve lectures, field trips, conferences and workshops for both students and teachers. As a further achievement participating schools have incorporated as new topics the estuary and adjacent coastline in their curricula thus adopting an active role in environmental monitoring and public awareness.

A similar project has already started in Bahía Blanca involving schools in the local estuary promoted by IADO. This is the beginning. We expect further projects to join us along the Argentinean and Uruguayan coastlines to enhance educational and scientific approach to the subject.