As every year, te mana o te moana has celebrated the Days of the Sea (Journées de la Mer et de l’Environnement) initiated in France by the Ministry of ecology, and localy adapted by the polynesian Ministry of environment.
Te mana o te moana, as a member of the World Ocean Network, also celebrates World Ocean Day.
This initiative, firstly proposed at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, has become an international celebration of the sea and its resources, in order to raise awareness about the oceans’ vital role, and the necessity to protect them.
>> Check this amazing representation of scarse water resources on the Earth
Each year, more and more people unite to celebrate the world ocean and the ocean life in all its diversity. Simultaneously on the 5 continents, more than 100 organisms propose various activities, actions and festivities to the public.
In 2012, French Polynesia welcomed the 8th edition of World Ocean Day, with many activities towards the public and the schools.
World Oceans Day…
on Moorea
At the beginning of the 2011-2012 schoolyear, te mana o te moana created a Book on coral reefs for the French overseas territories, thanks to a funding provided by WWF and Ifrecor Polynesia. A pilot class has been chosen to study the booklet in Science course during the schoolyear. Each student of the 4e 3 class in the College de Paopao was given a copy of the book.
On June the 8th, 2012, in te mana o te moana education room within the hôtel InterContinental Resort and Spa Moorea, the class presented what had been learnt on coral reefs… After that, they visited the underwater trail created by te mana o te moana, guided by Matthieu Petit and Vie Jourdan (te mana o te moana).
Thanks to the support of the Moorea Dolphin Center, the students then visited the dolphin’s lagoon, and then the Sea Turtles Clinic where Noël Pahio (te mana o te moana) showed them the turtles currently present at the Clinic.
For this special occasion, and thanks to the generosity of Mahana Tours, the class participated to the release of three Green Turtles, aged 16 months, and ready to get back to the ocean: Magali (1,9kg, 24cm lenght, tag FP0200TM on the flipper), Keali (1,2kg, 22,9cm, tag FP0197TM) and the turtle 403 (1,9kg, 26,6cm, tag FP0198TM).
To end this unforgettable day, each student was given a Citizen of the Ocean passport, to confirm their commitment to coral reefs conservation in French Polynesia.
This celebration was also the occasion to present te mana o te moana’s new projects:
Teaching Kit on water with the Maud Fontenoy Foundation
The Maud Fontenoy Foundation has created a teaching kit in partnership with te mana o te moana, helping to understand why “it is essential to preserve water, freshwater as well as sea water”.
>> More information about the Teaching Kit on water
Educational booklet on Humpback whale in French Polynesia
A new educational tool will be distributed at the start of the next schoolyear in all primary schools of French Polynesia: a booklet on Humpback whale, created to raise awareness about whale protection in Polynesia, in the continuity of the Cetacean Observatory.
Funded by Total Polynesia, the booklet on Humpback Whale will help to better understand cetaceans and better act for the conservation of emblematic species in Polynesian waters.
>> More information about our other educational resources
World Oceans Day…
between Moorea and Tahiti
World Ocean Day was also celebrated ON the ocean, aboard the ferry between Moorea and Tahiti, with Planete Eco Tours. Many educational games have been proposed to the passengers of the Aremiti Ferry during the morning.
Tanks to Planete eco Tours, tickets offered to disadvantaged young people enabled them to better understand the importance of ocean conservation.
Clementine Marcq (te mana o te moana) also distributed on this occasion the Citizen of the Ocean Passport to all motivated people, to help them act, and presented some daily eco-habits. She also showed a video called “Honu here”, about sea turtles and about te mana o te moana’s conservation actions.
World Oceans Day…
on Tahiti
Localy organised by the Polynesian Ministry of Environment, the Days of the Sea were celebrated on June 8th in Papeete’s harbour, on the Quai Temarii – Quai des paquebots.
An information booth was held by Magali Soria and Manutea Tevero (te mana o te moana), to raise awareness towards adults and children about marine environment protection (cetaceans, sea turtles, coral reefs, etc.).
World Ocean Day…
on Bora-Bora
As an Ocean Ambassy in French Polynesia for the World Ocean Network, te mana o te moana has handed many Citizen of the Ocean Passports to the Hotel Maitai, Bora-Bora, in order to raise visitors’ awareness about oceans’ conservation.
On the evening of the 8th, the diner honoured sea products and was accompanied by information on sustainable practices.
