Lead institution:
Gaia First – France
Guardians of Gaia – Mare Nostrum is a transdisciplinary and community-driven initiative aligned with the Ocean Decade and the Barcelona Convention. It bridges Indigenous knowledge, marine science, and youth education to regenerate coastal and marine ecosystems, starting in the Mediterranean basin in the first year and expanding globally the following years.
Aboard a mobile school-ship, the project conducts sailing expeditions that activate intercultural learning, participatory science (eDNA, TEK), and local stewardship. Each journey includes locally co-designed restoration projects, traditional knowledge sharing encounters, and policy dialogues, ensuring alignment with Decade Challenge 10 and SDG 14. Guardians of Gaia fosters equitable ocean literacy and intergenerational knowledge exchange, contributing to resilient coastal governance, the goals of the Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean, and a renewed ocean-human relationship.
Start Date: 01/01/2026
End Date: 30/12/2030
Lead Contact: Gianni Valenti (president@gaiafirst.org)