mangrove conservation

A Journey into Mangrove Education: Exploring the Effectiveness of the J.A.M.I.N. Program

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Sitting in front of my laptop, I encountered yet another error in the statistical program “R.” Determined to resolve the issue, I embarked on a series of Google searches to solve this problem, and after hours of trial and error, I finally got the last results for my master thesis. One aspect of my research focused on evaluating the impact of the Living Ocean Foundation’s  Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) program on students´ knowledge, awareness, and attitude toward the mangrove ecosystem — an essential endeavor to demonstrate the program’s efficacy and justification of spending resources…

Migrating Mangrove Detectives 

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Do you live near a mangrove forest? If so, we invite you to become a mangrove detective. Our citizen science program, Mangrove Detectives, allows students to develop STEAM skills while contributing to scientific research. We are thrilled to announce that we recently migrated all Mangrove Detectives’ educational resources to our website. 

The program came about in 2014 when Dr. Ryann Rossi was studying a mangrove die-off on Abaco Island, Bahamas. She discovered that a fungal pathogen was infecting the local red mangroves, potentially transmitted by insects. To expand her research to other areas, she partnered with the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KSLOF) to implement the program in the Mangrove Education and Restoration Programs in the Bahamas and Jamaica. Thanks to a grant from the National Geographic Society, Dr. Ryann Rossi and KSLOF expanded this program’s reach further, developing a curriculum that includes real-world scientific investigations, video tutorials, photo galleries, and teacher lesson plans…

2023 B.A.M. Student Voices

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Previously, you heard the voice of the students in our J.A.M.I.N. program. Now it’s time to hear how the students in The Bahamas feel about our B.A.M. program.

“Though I do not want to pursue a career in science or conservation, I still appreciate and I’m thankful that I am a part of something so important like the B.A.M. program.”
– Kaley Scott, Forest Heights Academy

Shining the Spotlight on Our Partner, Trudy-Ann Campbell

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After a hiatus of over two years due to the unforeseen impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were eager to resume the Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) this past school year. With its return came several changes, and one of the most exciting additions this year was the arrival of Trudy-Ann Campbell, the new outreach officer at the UWI Discovery Bay Marine Lab —a valued partner in the J.A.M.I.N. initiative.

In her role as the outreach officer, Trudy takes charge of organizing educational activities for both primary and secondary school students. Her responsibilities extend beyond the classroom as she collaborates with organizations like ours to deliver educational programs that create environmental awareness among youth. Moreover, Trudy works closely with local communities, empowering them to actively participate in the preservation and conservation of their mangroves…

Celebrating Environmental Stewardship of B.A.M. and J.A.M.I.N. Graduates

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As the academic year comes to a close, we celebrate all the graduates out there. This year, I’m particularly filled with pride and excitement as I celebrate the achievements of my students in the Bahamas Awareness of Mangroves (B.A.M.) and Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) programs, who have successfully completed their first year. While this milestone might not have carried the same weight in previous years, it holds a unique significance for me because it marks the first cohort of students to navigate our programs after pausing the programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The B.A.M. and J.A.M.I.N. programs were created with the goal of nurturing environmental awareness and conservation among young minds. By immersing students in the world of mangroves—an ecologically significant and biologically diverse ecosystem—we aimed to instill a sense of stewardship for these invaluable habitats…

Getting Out of My Comfort Zone

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Saskia is a student at the University of Bremen, Germany, doing her master’s degree in International Studies in Aquatic Tropical Ecology (ISATEC). As part of her research, Saskia spent several months working on her master’s thesis in Jamaica, studying the …

Together Again: The Return of B.A.M. and J.A.M.I.N.

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The chilly winter season doesn’t seem so dreary now that I’m returning, not only to Jamaica to implement the second phase of our Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) program, but I’m also getting the Bahamas Awareness of Mangroves (B.A.M.) program operational again …

Connecting Students to Nature

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The sun is blazing intensely in a cloudless sky, and the lack of a breeze makes the sulfur, rotten egg-like smell even more intense. It feels like 95°F (35°C) and I am sweating profusely as I trudge through the mangroves, one of my favorite marine ecosystems. It feels like home to me.

After two and a half years of putting the J.A.M.I.N. program on hold, I am quickly reminded how much I missed not only teaching and interacting with students face-to-face, but also being in the mangroves. The same feelings happen to me every time I venture into this amazing ecosystem: feelings of curiosity, awe, and respect, mixed with a sense of calm tranquility. And it is these same kinds of feelings we hope to foster in our students while they participate in our program…

Welcome, Saskia! KSLOF welcomes a master’s student to study our Mangrove Education & Restoration Program

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Six months ago, I was certain that I would be travelling to Indonesia to research mangrove crabs for my master’s thesis. The project was funded, and I was prepared to leave for Indonesia when suddenly, I received information that local fishermen could not catch enough crabs for me to conduct research. At such a late date, this was incredibly stressful news!

Science Without Borders®: Conserving the Tropics

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The Science Without Borders®: Conserving the Tropics project was proposed to help address the United Nations Ocean Decade Challenge to “understand the effects of multiple stressors on ocean ecosystems, and develop solutions to monitor, protect, manage and restore ecosystems and their biodiversity under changing environmental, social and climate conditions.” Our project focuses primarily on conserving tropical marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, seagrasses, and mangroves, as well as incorporating measurable actions that communities can use to reach their conservation goals.

On the Global Reef Expedition, we saw that, particularly in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDC), there was not only a lack of scientific information, but also a lack of ocean literacy, particularly regarding local ecosystems. The Science Without Borders®: Conserving the Tropics project will leverage our existing scientific data and outreach programs, partnering with universities, non-profit organizations, governments, and communities to help raise awareness and improve conservation of these fragile marine ecosystems. We will be addressing not only the lack of scientific knowledge, but also use outreach programs to improve community wide ocean literacy to help influence behavior change…