The Nautilus Project
Discovering the world underwater
Gibraltar sits at a natural underwater crossroads, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea. The location makes for rich and abundant marine life, including seven different species of whale and dolphin. It’s the perfect place to study the underwater world and for students to gain work experience in this area. That’s why we wanted to support The Nautilus Project, an initiative that teaches local people about the underwater world and provides practical fieldwork experience for those studying marine and environmental science.
Our grant of £50,000 will help provide Gibraltar’s secondary school students with the facilities, equipment and local expertise to explore marine biology and oceanography in the region. This includes laboratory equipment such as a spectrophotometer, to analyse water chemistry, specialist computers and software, as well as laboratory furniture.
- The Nautilus Project’s citizen science platform helps record important marine sightings along Gibraltar’s coastline and beyond, monitoring invasive, endangered and species of interest.
- The charity has run more than 60 beach cleans since 2017, removing over 3 tonnes of plastic debris from the Gibraltar coastline.
- The Nautilus Project course topics include: Dangers of Plastic Pollution; Climate Change in our Oceans; and Sharks vs Dolphins.
Equipped for studying
With fieldwork and lab skills under their belts, students who take part in The Nautilus Project’s courses will have the experience they need for university applications, at home and abroad. The aim is to increase the number of students going abroad to study marine biology, oceanography and climatology.
Increasing the number of local marine experts means there’s more minds to come up with ideas on how Gibraltar deals with future environmental challenges and climate change.
“We aim to nurture knowledge and understanding to promote best environmentally friendly practices for a healthier Gibraltar and to provide Gibraltar’s students with the facilities, equipment and local expertise to explore marine biodiversity in the region. The charity is extremely grateful to the Kusuma Trust for the grant to help achieve these goals.”
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