Time has gone really fast and we are already wrapping up the first installation of the Caribbean mangrove education and restoration programs in The Bahamas and Jamaica. We couldn’t have managed these efforts without the help of our partners from
I’m back in Jamaica and I’m ready to implement the J.A.M.I.N. project. Last year, we initiated the pilot program in two high schools in Jamaica and it was a huge success. My colleague, Camilo Trench from the University of the
Expedition Log: Caribbean Mangroves – Day 3 My favorite part of our mangrove education program is taking students into a mangrove forest. Their faces light up with excitement when we’re in the field. This experience is one of the most
Written by Olivia Patterson Maura Expedition Log: Caribbean Mangroves – Day 2 Friends of the Environment (FRIENDS) is so thrilled to partner with the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (KSLOF) to bring mangrove education and restoration to The Bahamas!
Expedition Log: Caribbean Mangroves – Day 1 I’ve just touched down in sunny Abaco, Bahamas and it is absolutely beautiful here. There are white sandy beaches, turquoise-colored ocean, palm trees, and mangrove trees. Yes, mangrove trees. Mangroves are trees or
Expedition Log: Cook Islands – Day 12 As we bandage our wounds, wash and pack our gear, and prepare for our departure, we take time to discuss the outcomes of our project with our partners in Aitutaki. Since discovering and
Expedition Log: Cook Islands – Day 11 After a drove of crown of thorns starfish (COTS) moves through the reef, all that remains are the stark white coral skeletons. These quickly become covered in a green and brown fuzz of
Expedition Log: Cook Islands – Day 10 Juvenile and adult crown of thorns starfish (COTS) do not walk on their arms. Instead, they have thousands of tiny tube feet which occur along the grooves underneath each arm. Operated hydraulically using
Expedition Log: Cook Islands – Day 9 Coral reefs are considered one of the most productive and species-rich ecosystems in the world, but that doesn’t make them invulnerable to natural threats. The reefs in the Cook Islands have recently been
Expedition Blog: Cook Islands – Day 8 On one of our last nights in Aitutaki we feasted on a traditional Aitutaki buffet, featuring locally grown root crops, breadfruit, spinach, bananas, salads, potatoes, free range chicken and locally caught barbequed fish.
