Our ‘Save our European Natural Heritage from Invasive Alien Species Attack’ project was born in the context of 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage and the publication by Europe of a list of invasive alien species as one of the targets of the ‘EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020’. The project will run for 2 years (2018-2020) with 4 partners: Belgium, Sweden, Portugal and Slovenia. It aims, through a scientific, cultural, geographical, environmental, socio-economic and historical approach, at raising people’s knowledge and awareness of both the issue of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) and the impact it has on biodiversity and landscapes and the importance of the preservation of Natural Cultural Heritage in Europe. One of the aims we pursue in this project is making people aware that IAS are not only a regional problem but a very important one all over Europe and that it has to be tackled immediately to save our Natural Cultural Heritage, both at regional and European levels. Our final result in this project is the creation of an exhibition on IAS across Europe and their effects in each partner country on our Natural Cultural Heritage (our landscapes), but also on the way European regulations against IAS are implemented, focusing on a particular type of landscape in each country: urban landscapes in Belgium, coastal landscapes in Portugal, Alpine landscapes in Slovenia and marine landscapes in Sweden. The educational panels of the exhibition will be created in English and will be translated into each national language. An internet site devoted to the project will also be created, and a photo contest will be held on the landscapes of each country. The project will involve primarily students in upper secondary school and their teachers, which in itself provides a good foundation for education and training. Through all our dissemination activities (information sessions in the partner schools, articles on websites, social media and on the eTwinning platform, the exhibition being available for other schools and in public places…), our project will reach not only school communities but also citizens, people outside schools, for the duration of the project as well as in the long-term. Through a scientific approach, multimedia technologies, developing ICT skills, mobilities and the use of the English language as a means of communication among member schools, the partnership aims at reaching a common scientific, cultural, social and human reflection not only on the importance of the preservation of Natural Cultural Heritage, but also on good environmental practices that can be applied across Europe concerning IAS. The approach adopted for this project will be learning by doing: participation in seminars with experts in the topics, roundtables, visits, field activities, workshops, cooperative work on the exhibition... Students will also be asked to write and post articles about the subject areas of Cultural Heritage and IAS, preparatory activities, reports, evaluation, etc. on eTwinning, on social media and on the internet site dedicated to our project, to take part in videoconferences, to make videos and short films, to take photos for a photo competition. By working in joint project events during the meetings (workshops, election for the logo of the logo of the project, creation of the panels for the exhibition …) and exchanging on eTwinning before and after the meetings, the participants will improve their skills in terms of, among others, teamwork, collaboration, social relations. All contacts and meetings will be opportunities for the participants to practice and improve their linguistic competences in English, which will increase their motivation towards language learning. Being in contact with peers from different parts of Europe throughout the project and posting articles and videos about themselves and about cultural aspects of each country, as well as visiting the partner countries during the mobility events and sharing the inhabitants’ daily lives will also broaden their cultural background and reinforce their sense of European citizenship, but also help eliminating linguistic, social and cultural barriers along with fighting against racism and intolerance. This methodology will increase the quality of the students’ education and promote the acquisition of skills and competences. Through collaborative work pupils will also develop awareness of and respect for the diversity of European cultures, and they will acquire life skills and competencies necessary for personal development and active European citizenship. The planned activities will take place from the beginning to the end of our project, i.e. before, during and after the mobility events, and will involve all participating students and teachers in the different phases: planning and organisation, mobility events, reports, evaluation ...
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