By Kevin Majoros
The School for Field Studies (SFS) is a United States based environmental study abroad program provider for undergraduate college students that offers fully accredited semester and summer academic programs.
Their locations include Australia, Bhutan, Cambodia, Chile, Costa Rica, Kenya, Panama, Peru, Tanzania, and Turks & Caicos Islands.
The SFS model is designed to give students a well-rounded education grounded in research and real-world applications. SFS education centers are long-term fixtures in the countries where they operate, allowing for meaningful relationships within the local communities and opportunities to study diverse ecosystems over long periods of time.
Situated in Cockburn Harbour in South Caicos is the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies. The programs in Turks & Caicos Islands take place in the coral reefs, cays, and waters surrounding the islands, but time is also spent above-ground in the ecosystems and in the communities on the islands.
Education and Fieldwork on Local Environmental Needs
Much like many of her students, Center Director Heidi Hertler had her own aha moment when she was a student at SFS in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“I was attending Bates College for my undergraduate degree and they encouraged studying abroad,” says Hertler. “I was on a pre-med track until I experienced that connection with marine life during my time spent at SFS.”
Hertler has been the Center Director at SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies since 2011 and much of the directed research and course studies evolve based on the needs of the local community. During the pandemic she remained on the island continuing the Center’s research to ensure there would not be a data gap.
The courses and fieldwork at the Center focus on key environmental issues faced locally such as climate change, biodiversity conservation, environmental policy, and fisheries management.
Marine ecosystems are critical to the fisheries-driven local economy, but are under enormous pressure from coastal development, a rising demand for seafood, and the impacts of climate change.
Connecting to the Local Community in South Caicos
“Marine resource management is very much linked to the local community here,” Hertler says. “There are 1,000 residents in South Caicos and over the past 30 years we have become really connected to them. A great way for the incoming students to connect is by working on the docks with local fishermen.”
Along with field-based learning and research, the students explore the social and ecological dimensions of environmental problems faced by their local partners and contribute to sustainable solutions.
During a typical semester, several days per week are dedicated to class and fieldwork.
Another day is dedicated to community work and can include teaching biological-based programs, crafts and reading, music lessons and refereeing or coaching on sports fields.
Yet another day is spent on local outreach and can include swim lessons, a snorkeling club and teaching marine crafts.
At the end of each semester, the Center hosts a Community Research Night where select students present their research findings to the community.
Their research plays an important role in supporting Turks and Caicos residents and government authorities as they work to balance economic need with the preservation of natural resources.
Sargassum Seaweed and Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease
Research at the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies evolves over time and focuses primarily on climate change and the ocean, tourism impact, commercial fisheries, marine protected areas, and coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass ecosystems.
The Center works closely with the Turks and Caicos Islands Department of Environment and Coastal Resources. Two current issues that are being tracked are Stony coral tissue loss disease and Sargassum seaweed.
“There has been an influx of Sargassum in the area and we are seeing up to two feet of it on the beach,” says Hertler. “In conjunction with the University of Greenwich in the UK, we are monitoring climate change and sea surface temperatures along with sustainable solutions for Sargassum inundations.”
The shallow and extensive marine banks that are found on the underwater plateau that supports the Caicos Islands archipelago are referred to as the Caicos Banks.
The coral reefs around the Caicos Banks form the second largest barrier reef system in the Western Hemisphere. It is estimated that 60 species of coral and 250 different species of fish live among the reefs.
“We are modeling the progression on individual corals for Stony coral tissue loss disease,” Hertler says. “We also have underwater video of reef tracts that goes back nine years to monitor changes in reef structure.”
Coming up in July is the Center’s Marine Megafauna session. Their students will spend the summer studying sharks, turtles and rays in the waters surrounding South Caicos along with deploying baited underwater video stations to analyze species abundance and diversity.
Visit SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies online.
Check out all of the SFS Centers on Instagram
This piece was prepared online by Panuruji Kenta, Publisher, SEVENSEAS Media