SENS

SENS: Sensory Exploration of Nexus in Soils

Location of activities and scope

Reunion Island, France, Local

Strand 3 – Deploy innovative, creative and participatory methodologies for engaging citizens in soil protection and preservations

 

Executive Summary

The SENS project aims to co-create a sensory workshop that raises awareness among the people of La Réunion about the importance of preserving soil biodiversity and its vital role in human health and ecosystem resilience. By engaging all five senses through creative, hands-on activities, the workshop seeks to transform the perception of soil — often seen as an inert substrate — into that of a living, dynamic ecosystem. Developed in collaboration with members of TROPISM-Réunion, a network of over 100 scientific, technical, and institutional partners involved in soil management strategies, the workshop will be firmly anchored in the local context. It will be tested with school groups and the general public before being consolidated into an open-access toolkit to ensure its long-term replication and adaptation. Ultimately, the aims to deepen public engagement and promote sustainable practices that support soil biodiversity.

 

Motivation Statement

The following paragraph presents the personal reflections of the four main project members on what soil means to each of them :

Although it constitutes only a thin layer of the Earth’s surface, soil has been fundamental to the emergence and persistence of life beyond the oceans. Far more than a mere surface beneath our feet, soil is a sanctuary teeming with biodiversity — a highly organized and complex realm where often invisible and mysterious forces coexist in delicate balance. Yet, its current state sadly reflects humanity’s lack of awareness and care for this essential foundation of life and well-being. Too often overlooked and misunderstood, soil calls for a collective awakening — one that allows us to rediscover, value, and protect it for generations to come.

Sub-project objectives

Objective 1: Co-create a sensory workshop tailored to the island by engaging local stakeholders ;

Objective 2: Ensure the sustainability of the workshop by training local stakeholders on the tool and developing an educational kit accessible both online and locally.

Challenges and how they will be addressed

Soil biodiversity is particularly threatened on tropical islands. In La Réunion, a key challenge for the conservation of soil biodiversity is raising awareness among citizens who perceive soil merely as a floor. To address this, the project aims to engage non-specialist audiences through tailored awareness-raising workshops designed to transform their perceptions of soil and emphasize its preservation. The project will explore the topic using an immersive, sensory, playful, and creative approach, making learning both accessible and appealing. It plans to co-create a sensory workshop in collaboration with local stakeholders involved in soil management and conservation, ensuring that the tool is adapted to the specific characteristics of the territory. By leveraging this network of actors, the project seeks to ensure long-term sustainability through their training and by providing open access to the tools online and at the conservatory.

Expected outcomes

The project will deliver a co-created and validated sensory workshop (“Five Senses of Soil”) designed to raise awareness about soil biodiversity. It will improve soil literacy among schoolchildren and the general public, strengthen collaboration between local stakeholders, and produce an open-access toolkit enabling the workshop to be replicated and disseminated beyond the project duration.

 

Meet the Project Team

CIRAD

CIRAD is the French agricultural research and international cooperation organization working for sustainable development in tropical and Mediterranean regions.

Contact – Caroline Brunel

Conservatoire Botanique National et CPIE Mascarin

The Conservatory’s mission is to study, manage, and conserve the flora and natural habitats of Réunion Island, and to raise public awareness about their protection.

Contact – Anaïs Hany and Thibault Rochier