Between 2024 and 2026, the Istituto per lo studio degli impatti Antropici e Sostenibilità in ambiente marino del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-IAS) through the Detached Unit of Capo Granitola, has implemented an articulated education and training pathway in close collaboration with the Istituto Comprensivo “Luigi Pirandello – S. G. Bosco” of Campobello di Mazara. These activities were developed within the framework of the PNRR National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Spoke 7 “Biodiversity and Society: communication, education and social impact”.
The initiative aimed to foster biodiversity awareness among younger generations and local educational communities, strengthening the link between scientific research, territory and sustainable development. Over 300 students from primary and lower secondary schools were actively involved through open days, hands‑on laboratories, immersive learning experiences and school‑based training modules. Key activities included the Open Day “A school with Science: Biodiversity and STEM disciplines”, four training sessions entitled “At School of Biodiversity”, and the Biodiversity Festival, conceived as a moment of synthesis and restitution of the educational path.
Innovative learning approaches—such as learning‑by‑doing, edutainment, and the use of storytelling, 3D technologies, scientific comics, and educational games—enabled students to explore marine and terrestrial biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, monitoring techniques, and the impacts of human activities. Special attention was devoted to biodiversity as a driver of sustainable development, highlighting its connections with local production systems, cultural heritage, environmental restoration and nature‑based solutions.
The initiative also included teacher training and stakeholder engagement, notably through a seminar on knowledge‑based Maritime Spatial Planning, reinforcing the role of education as a bridge between research and territorial governance. Overall, the CNR‑IAS–school partnership represents a replicable model of biodiversity education rooted in local contexts, capable of nurturing environmental responsibility, scientific literacy and future‑oriented skills, in line with national strategies for biodiversity conservation and sustainable, nature‑positive development.