Brazil is home to approximately 14,000 km² of mangroves, which line nearly its entire coastline. These ecosystems support biodiversity and livelihoods, particularly in the northeast, where 80% of fishing still relies on traditional methods. Among the endangered species dependent on mangroves is the marine manatee, whose habitat has been drastically reduced by development. In 2006, to support mangrove conservation through education, Instituto BiomaBrasil (IBB) partnered with the Mangrove Action Project (MAP) to adapt and translate the Marvellous Mangroves (MM) curriculum for Brazilian schools. The content was carefully tailored to local species and ecological contexts, with input from teachers and scientists in Cariacica, southeastern Brazil.

By 2008, the first teacher training workshop was delivered to 55 educators in Cariacica through a collaboration between IBB, the city’s Departments of Education and Environment, and the Peoples and Mangroves Project (Projeto Povos e Mangues). This event marked the beginning of a national rollout, soon followed by a larger workshop in Brasília. Over the following years, more than 600 teachers and 12,000 students engaged with the program, and by 2012, Marvellous Mangroves had reached Brazil’s largest Marine Protected Area – the Costa dos Corais Environmental Protection Area.

Teachers found MM’s hands-on experiments and field activities particularly engaging and transformative, both for themselves and their students. The program also fostered ongoing collaboration, with participants sharing experiences in a dedicated Facebook group. Through MM, IBB has been formally recognised by Brazil’s Ministry of Environment for its leadership in mangrove education.