Have you ever heard or seen a dolphin? Do you know what do we have in common with them? There will be one place in Slovenia, where you can find out anything about dolphins.
We do research on dolphins in their natural habitat for the past 20 years - some of them we know very well for a long time. We wish to open educational research center on dolphins and nature for wider public. We wish the science can be interractive and that anyone who is interested in nature should be a part of it.

Piran, Slovenia

The social challenges addressed by the project are mainly related to the disconnection of various stakeholders in the local environment for the purpose of nature protection and conservation. The inclusion of various vulnerable groups (young, elderly, mentally handicapped, deaf and visually impaired, autistic, etc.) is poorly taken care of. Nature is common to all, so this is an opportunity to connect. We want to raise active citizenship, knowledge and awareness of the importance of nature and our influence on it.

With the project, we want to educate general public about dolphins and the importance of nature conservation - local residents, visitors and tourists. We want to create our program in a cohesive way together with local initiatives, organizations and other institutions that have similar interests as us. At the same time, we want to see the world of dolphins through the eyes of different individuals in our environment and offer them space to express themselves. This increases inclusion, reduces the stigma of various vulnerable groups. The center will therefore be a crossroads of people and nature.

1. The center will be equipped with appropriate interactive equipment for visitors who want to learn all about dolphins and the sea.
2. We will inform all important stakeholders in the local community about the project.
3. We will organize an event to acquaint all involved organizations with the topics and opportunities for cooperation for a common goal.
4. We will gather 5 organizations whose users are members of vulnerable groups and plan five exhibitions of their products with them, which will show the general public their vision of nature, the sea and dolphins.
5. Promotion of the opening of an educational research center on dolphins, open to locals, visitors and tourists throughout the project.
6. Implementation of educational activities in the center for school groups, through which they will learn about sea, dolphin research methods, human impact on dolphins and nature.
7. By promoting and supporting planning, we will support 5 projects of other organizations or companies that strive for sustainable tourism, nature conservation and environmental protection.
8. Organized campaign against cigarette butts in nature.
9. We will work closely with the media to spread the word about networking activities, events and partnerships and.
10. Evaluation activity and event for the general public, in which we summarize the operation of the center, activities and the effects.

The expected result of the project is the opening of a modern interactive educational and research center on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Morigenos Society, which will make knowledge about dolphins and nature accessible to the general public. This also results in the cooperation and better connection of various stakeholders and organizations for a common goal - raising awareness of the general public about the importance of the sea and nature conservation. The result is an environment friendly to residents, visitors and tourists. The inclusion of vulnerable groups will also result in a more inclusive environment for individuals who, regardless of personal background, have a contribution to nature conservation.

The center will be open to visitors at all times - including the local population. As we advertise our integration strategy, we will also inform the public in the media that we are collecting initiatives for projects aimed at nature conservation and environmental protection. In the center and at events, we will collect proposals that also address decision-makers (municipalities, local communities ...). We will also invite wider crowds to participate in supported projects of our and other organizations, thus giving them the opportunity for active participation. By organizing the campaign, we will deliver an extensively strong message about the human impact on dolphins and other animals, nature in general, and strongly support it in the media. We want to bring the strong effect on community.

We are a multidisciplinary team that has been learning about the life of dolphins in the Gulf of Trieste for many years.
Tilen Genov is a marine biologist and the founder of the society and a true expert in the scientific field of marine mammals. He is author and co-author of many research papers.
Polona Kotnjek is biologist and the vice president of the association, who is excellent in marketing and finances.
Jure Železnik is a conservation biologist, our field researcher, who is very interested in dolphin acoustics. He takes care of data acquisition and processing.
Natalija Žlavs is biopsychologist and psychologist in charge of project work, educational programs and networking. She also helps with field work.

- personel costs: 19000 EUR
- public relations: 5000 EUR
- Final event costs: 2000 EUR
- Equipment costs: 2000 EUR
- Website costs: 2000 EUR
- Campaign costs: 4000 EUR
- Office expenses: 1000 EUR

What do you think about our idea?
Have you heard about our work before?
Would you like to visit our center?
We would like to establish collaboration with you also on the other fields of work. If you have any ideas how to include your topics as part of workshops, we would be happy to hear it.