Philippe Cousteau Jr’s EarthEcho International Launches OurEcho Challenge for UK Schools & Young People To Help Reduce Biodiversity Loss

STEM contest for pupils, Years 6-10, with top UK project grant of £5,000

London, UK (2 February 2023) – Phillippe Cousteau Jr’s EarthEcho International is launching the inaugural OurEcho Challenge competition in the United Kingdom, challenging teams of students, years 6-10, to help tackle the global decline in biodiversity. Teams are invited to get hands-on by identifying threats to natural resources in their own communities, then develop innovative solutions to combat those threats. UK project grants from £1,000 to £5,000 will be awarded to the top three scoring teams.

EarthEcho International is a global nonprofit founded on the belief that young people have the power to change our planet. The OurEcho Challenge is a STEM competition designed to engage young problem solvers in understanding and protecting the amazing diversity of species and ecosystems essential for the future of our planet. The OurEcho Challenge is also open in the United States for its third successful year.

Philippe Cousteau Jr, founder of EarthEcho International, said: “We are calling for young people in the United Kingdom to join their peers in the United States and turn their passion for the environment and science into action plans for their own communities. We are supporting their efforts to protect and restore the diverse species and habitats that make life on earth possible. They inspire all of us to take action for a healthy and prosperous planet.”

OurEcho Challenge entries

Student teams, working with a mentor or teacher, are invited to submit entries that:

· Explore natural resources in their community with the help of the free online classroom materials at www.ourechochallenge.org;

· Identify threats to local ecosystems and biodiversity in their communities;

· Propose a solution through a narrative entry at www.ourechochallenge.org.

The OurEcho Challenge entry deadline is on or before 3 March 2023.

OurEcho Challenge final and grants

Finalist teams will be asked to present their entry at the virtual finalist event at the end of May 2023.

There are three UK team grants: first place will win a £5,000 cash grant, second place will win a £2,500 cash grant, and third place will win a £1,000 cash grant.

The OurEcho Challenge competition in the United States is supported by Aramco Americas, and the competition launched in the United Kingdom is supported by Aramco Europe.

The Importance of Biodiversity

Native animal and plant species are declining at an alarming rate. The future of our planet and our communities depends on healthy ecosystems with thriving, diverse wildlife populations. Recent studies underscore the need for innovative solutions and action now:

· 1 million animal and plant species are at risk of extinction.

· 75 percent of the land environment and some 66 percent of the marine environment have been “significantly altered by human actions.”

· Up to $577 billion in annual global crops are at risk from pollinator loss.

· Since 1970, 50 percent of the world’s wildlife has vanished.

· Recent research suggests that insect populations have declined by 40 percent globally, and one third are endangered.

*Sources: 2019 United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment, 2016 World Wildlife Fund Living Planet Report, April 2019 Biological Conservation and 2019 AAAS Report led by Cornell Lab of Ornithology

For more information and updates about the OurEcho Challenge, visit www.OurEchoChallenge.org, or follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/earthecho, Twitter: www.twitter.com/earthecho and Instagram: www.instagram.com/earthecho/.

More images available at – OurEcho Challenge UK Media Pack