Summer Session 1 | Turks & Caicos

Fundamentals of Marine Conservation

About This Program

Four Weeks. One Living Reef.

Coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and mangroves ring this island, and all three are under pressure. Four weeks here teaches you how to monitor them and what it takes to protect them.

You'll snorkel and dive reef sites, survey mangrove and seagrass habitats, and compare biodiversity inside and outside marine protected areas to measure whether the boundaries are working. SCUBA certification is available during the session; diving is never required.

Half-underwater view of turquoise sea meeting a rocky headland in Turks and Caicos

In the Field

What You'll Do

Scuba divers hover in clear blue water during a reef survey dive

Reef Biodiversity Surveys

Snorkel and dive reef sites to assess coral and fish biodiversity, calculating biodiversity indices from visual surveys.

Two students in snorkel gear examine leaves in a sunlit mangrove canopy

Mangrove & Seagrass Species ID

At Moxy Bush, learn to tell mangrove species apart by leaf shape and study how these nurseries shield the coast and feed the reef.

A freediver descends toward a sandy seafloor scattered with rocks and coral heads

Marine Protected Area Assessment

Survey queen conch inside and outside a marine protected area, comparing size and abundance to test whether the boundaries work.

Beyond the Center

Field Sites

Research sites run from the Admiral Cockburn reserve to Coast Guard and Jerry Camp at the island's far reaches.

Brilliant turquoise water meets a mangrove-fringed limestone bluff under a clear sky

Coast Guard

A survey site where limestone bluffs shelter clear, calm water.

A scuba diver silhouettes beneath a school of fish in deep blue water

Admiral Cockburn National Park

A marine protected area where students compare reef and conch populations inside and outside the reserve.

A dense stand of mangroves rises from glassy, clear shallows under a blue sky

Jerry Camp

A mangrove-fringed shallow where students snorkel the nursery habitats that feed the reef.

Experience Turks & Caicos

Conch, Lobster, and Grouper Across Three Connected Ecosystems.

Students learn marine organism identification across mangrove, seagrass, and coral reef systems, the three connected ecosystems that sustain South Caicos. Conch, lobster, and grouper biology anchors the ecology in the species that drive the island's economy and culture. Biodiversity and health assessments via snorkeling and diving build the survey skills that marine conservation runs on. The course covers MPA design theory through a stakeholder-negotiation debate, hurricane impacts on reef recovery, and the mangrove-seagrass-coral connectivity that makes these systems function as one.

Academics

Conservation Science Underwater

This 4-credit course introduces coral reef ecology, marine conservation principles, and field survey techniques. You'll spend time in the field building practical skills while contributing data to SFS's long-term reef monitoring program.

Marine Conservation Coral Reefs Tropical Ecology Field Surveys