Climate and Marine–Coastal Biodiversity Academy
Youth training and action for the conservation of Ecuador’s coastal and insular ecosystems
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Sixty-three adolescents and young people from different provinces across the country participated in the Third Edition of the Climate Academy, a process that combined virtual theoretical training sessions with a field experience in Santa Elena to deepen learning through in-person workshops and site visits. The initiative brought together scientific knowledge, youth leadership, and territory-based environmental education.
A training and action process for conservation
In 2025, adolescents and young people from various provinces of Ecuador engaged in a training process that included 18 virtual learning sessions and three key in-territory components: an in-person workshop alongside the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MAE), UNICEF, and the Marine and Aquaculture Research Center (CENAIM) of the Escuela Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL); a field visit; and a planning space for community replication activities.
This experience enabled participants to strengthen their knowledge, discuss solutions, and take action in response to the challenges facing the country’s biodiversity.
The first two editions of the Academy were held in the Amazon region, focusing on advocacy, climate negotiations, conservation, and bio-entrepreneurship. In 2025, the focus shifted to marine–coastal and insular ecosystems—areas where the impacts of climate change are increasingly visible and urgent.
Aligned with the objectives of Ecuador’s national biodiversity agenda and strategy, the Academy strengthened youth leadership as a driver of change, connecting scientific knowledge with community participation to promote conservation from within the territories.
Virtual Climate Academy: learning, connection, and community projects
Between May and July 2025, participants took part in the Virtual Climate Academy to strengthen their capacities in biodiversity, marine conservation, ecosystem restoration, and environmental governance.
Over the course of three months, specialists from universities and environmental organizations facilitated the online sessions, creating spaces for dialogue about the challenges facing Ecuador’s marine–coastal ecosystems. Each session concluded with questions and collective reflections.
The process combined theory and practice: participants recorded biodiversity observations on the iNaturalist platform, completed assessments, and developed community replication activities—either virtual or in-person—where they applied their learning within their own territories.
Watch the sessions here:
Virtual training with local impact
As a result of the Academy, 61 community projects were implemented, reaching more than 20,600 people, including 15,300 women and 5,300 men, among them 9,958 adolescents and 5,658 children.
61
Community youth-lead projects
20.600
people reach
Through their community projects, participants promoted biodiversity conservation through workshops, talks, and local campaigns on environmental education, responsible waste management, and climate action. These initiatives strengthened civic engagement in protecting Ecuador’s ecosystems.
Experiencing conservation in the territory
To complement the virtual training, 24 young participants took part in an in-person experience in Santa Elena at the National Center for Aquaculture and Marine Research (CENAIM) of ESPOL.
Over several days, they explored algae and coral laboratories and attended sessions led by specialists from UNICEF, the Ministry of Environment and Energy, and CENAIM. The experience also included hands-on activities: a snorkeling immersion at Islote Sucre, visits to mangroves to learn about sustainable cultivation practices, and a beach clean-up to observe firsthand the impacts of marine pollution.
The gathering concluded with a planning session in which participants defined concrete actions to replicate their learning in their communities—demonstrating that knowledge gains true meaning when it is transformed into action.
