Jamaica’s coastal marine areas are under severe threat from natural disasters and the activities of man.   Mangrove wetlands serve a variety of functions such as protecting the shoreline from storm surges, serving as a nursery for fish and protecting the coral reef from sedimentation and pollution from land.  Students in the Department of Life Sciences, Mona conduct investigations in these critical wetland areas studying both the plants and animals associated with mangrove forests and lagoons.  They conduct hands-on investigations of the species, their adaptations and association with the environment and the interactions which help to maintain and ensure the survival of both habitats and species. 

The UWI Mona Campus is helping to develop young Jamaican and Caribbean researchers who will work as Marine Biologists and Ecologists in the country, the region and the world.