The Foundation launches the SCAR program (Starfish Control and Removal) to expand scientific understanding of COTS, mitigate damage through large-scale COTS removal efforts, and educate local communities, dive operators, resource management agencies and tourists in affected countries on the ecology of these starfish and techniques to control outbreaks. The program pilots in Aitutaki, Cook Islands to mitigate the impacts of a large-scale COTS outbreak there.
2025-2026 B.A.M. Student Voices
Throughout the Bahamas Awareness of Mangroves (B.A.M.) and Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) programs, we evaluate each phase of the mangrove education and restoration process to better understand how students are learning, growing, and connecting with their coastal environments.
Before the programs begin, students share what they already know about mangroves and how they feel about them. As the program progresses, we continue to gather feedback to see how their knowledge evolves from identifying mangrove species and understanding food webs to recognizing the role mangroves play in coastal protection and climate change mitigation.
But the surveys go beyond science content.
We also ask students…
