The UNDINE project is one component of the German-Danish EU INTERREG 4A programme “Fehmarn Belt Region”. Between 2012 and 2015, several initiatives in the fields of media design, tourism, water sports and environmental education will be launched under UNDINE’s umbrella, thereby raising awareness for the Fehmarn Belt’s special underwater features amongst both locals and guests as well as divers and sailors. UNDINE’s primary goal is to promote our appreciation for and the protection of the Baltic Sea. The production of short films using authentic underwater footage of local brackish-water habitats and organisms will constitute one of UNDINE’s essential outputs. These films will be shown in tourist facilities such as cafés and restaurants and in dive centres, linked to sailing maps and used in environmental education programmes within the project region. They will be made available for use free of charge. Waterproof identification guides will be developed to help especially scuba divers explore and better appreciate their natural surroundings and, as such, common or outstanding Baltic ecosystem components. Two dive sites along the German coastline, in Scharbeutz and Neustadt, are planned to be precisely mapped, described and illustrated - and will be highlighted in prominent places to make as many visitors as possible curious about them. In order to offer non-divers a proper look at the beauty and uniqueness of the local marine environment, trained and experienced guides such as dive masters or instructors will provide snorkelling lessons and trips in shallow-water regions along the Baltic shore. Two mobile trailers equipped with all the snorkelling gear and information material needed for interested groups will facilitate these snorkelling activities and allow their flexible organisation in the project region. Exploring the wet realm of the Baltic on dry ground will be made possible, too. The installation of information boards along seafronts, discovery stations on busy piers, interactive sailing maps, various print media as well as information linked to this homepage via apps and QR codes are all aimed to increase people’s awareness for our local Baltic sea life. Several marine education programmes for different age groups are already offered in the Fehmarn Belt project region, for example at BUND Umwelthaus Neustädter Bucht, at Avnø Naturcenter and at GeoCenter Møns Klint. These existing programmes will be supplemented with topics emphasising the Baltic’s special underwater features. Additionally, new tools and concepts for marine environmental awareness classes will be developed, which will also comprise the use of our short underwater movies. The newly developed material will be widely applicable and available free of charge to all interested persons and institutions. Press articles, public talks and various informative events about the beauty, ecology and conservation of the Baltic Sea will constitute an important part of UNDINE’s public relations work. In this way, we hope to be continuously present to increase people’s awareness for the marine environment at our doorstep. |