3 December 2010: The Sandwatch Foundation, in association with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, has launched a new, revised edition of the “Sandwatch Manual: Adapting to Climate Change and Educating for Sustainable Development.”

The manual provides information on beach monitoring and climate change for enhancing beach resilience. The revised edition integrates the issue of climate change into all chapters and activities presented in the first edition, and adds a number of new activities, including a guide to documenting and sharing Sandwatch results through the use of social networking websites and other online resources. Since many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) comprise small, low-lying islands with limited land and freshwater resources, they are likely to be severely impacted by the projected rise in sea levels and increased extreme weather events related to climate change. The manual aims to provide these communities with educational material on climate change to help them cope with its effects.

Sandwatch is an example of Education for Sustainable Development in action, and is being targeted as one of the flagship projects for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). [The Sandwatch Manual]