Research, Integration and Partnership in the Caribbean for Ocean Resilience and Dynamics (RIPCORD)

Building capacity in marine science in Caribbean Small Island Developing States
Caribbean horizon on the RIPCORD project

Research, Integration and Partnership in the Caribbean for Ocean Resilience and Dynamics (RIPCORD)

Building capacity in marine science in Caribbean Small Island Developing States
Title: Research, Integration and Partnership in the Caribbean for Ocean Resilience and Dynamics (RIPCORD)
Funding amount: £500,000
Location: Caribbean
Dates: 1 April 2025 – 31 March 2027
Project partners: Marine Conservation Society; Turks and Caicos Islands Department of Environment and Coastal Resources; Government of the Virgin Islands; Turks and Caicos Islands Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources Management
University of Plymouth PI: Dr Philip Hosegood 
 

Overview

The RIPCORD project, funded by the Garfield Weston Foundation and led by University of Plymouth (UoP) in partnership with then Marine Conservation Society (MCS), is building capacity in marine science in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to address urgent challenges throughout the marine ecosystem. 
Through the provision of state-of-the-art equipment and training in its use by UoP scientists, the governments of the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands are benefiting from this project's novel – and long overdue – approach that moves away from 'parachute science' and instead enables and empowers local stakeholders to take ownership of their stewardship of their marine environment. 
In particular, the provision of scientific equipment through this project is enabling the local communities to continue to collect critical data in our absence, further building their capacity without the need for our constant involvement and input. 

RIPCORD represents a step-change in how scientists from the developed world can assist communities in SIDS protect and manage their marine environments. SIDS are at the forefront of the impacts of climate change on critical marine resources but lack the technically advanced instrumentation needed to understand the changes that are rapidly transforming the marine landscape.

By working with local stakeholders in the Turks and Caicos Islands and the British Virgin Islands, we are providing state-of-the-art equipment, scientific training and support to develop the local capability to address the urgent challenges faced by these communities.

Philip HosegoodDr Philip Hosegood
Associate Professor in Physical Oceanography

Objectives

This project represents a collaboration between the University of Plymouth and (to begin with) the governments and communities of the Turks and Caicos Islands and British Virgin Islands to:
  1. Train local scientists alongside UoP researchers to conduct fundamental monitoring of the marine ecosystem to the point of being self-sufficient, reducing the need for UK-based scientists to undertake costly and carbon-intensive travel, while expanding the scope of the science conducted
  2. Educate college-level and younger students in the field of marine science to embed fundamental knowledge and skills, and inspire the next generation of environmental managers.

    The aim of these steps is to empower local stakeholders as they, alongside UoP researchers:
  3. Conduct the fundamental science to identify key areas in which marine life and diversity is concentrated with specific emphasis on pelagic fish, mesophotic coral ecosystems and underwater features (e.g. seamounts) at which marine life aggregates
  4. Evaluate the sensitivity of species and habitats to the ongoing environmental changes that are causing significant changes in the marine ecosystem, in addition to anthropogenic threats like overfishing
  5. Develop fit-for-purpose and practically achievable local marine conservation plans that are based on scientifically robust, evidence-based assessments of the local environment and which account for rapidly evolving climate change.
To achieve these objectives, and following preliminary discussions and site visits to ensure our delivery meets the needs of the OT, we will deliver specialist instrumentation and a comprehensive package of training in its use and analysis of data to build an evidence base in the following areas:
  1. Seafloor mapping to identify seabed features responsible for biomass aggregation
  2. Fisheries surveys to identify 'hot spots' of marine life requiring greater protection
  3. Mesophotic coral ecosystem surveys to evaluate the ability of deep coral reef communities to compensate for the loss of shallow-water coral reefs
  4. Oceanographic monitoring to establish the sensitivity of the marine ecosystem to natural and anthropogenic-induced change
  5. Education and outreach to develop the next generation of environmental managers.
RIPCORD team aboard the research vessel
RIPCORD team members Llucia and Jessly prepping equipment on the research vessel
RIPCORD researchers engaging with students
RIPCORD team members Phil and Llucia drawing in a line aboard the research vessel

Context of the issue

The record levels of warming ocean acidification, overfishing and pollution are threatening the marine habitat and livelihood of those communities that depend on it. Despite the overwhelming evidence that human activity is responsible for this current trajectory, efforts to reduce the emissions responsible for warming have stalled.
The emerging consensus is that society will need to mitigate and adjust to these impacts rather than avoiding them, and effective adaptation will require robust, locally relevant scientific evidence. Yet the regions most vulnerable to marine degradation – particularly SIDS – often lack the technical capacity and resources needed to monitor and manage their vast ocean territories.
SIDS face unique structural challenges, including geographic isolation, limited resource bases, and heightened exposure to climate change and biodiversity loss. Although international frameworks such as the SAMOA Pathway recognise these vulnerabilities and prioritise ocean protection, meaningful and sustained support mechanisms remain insufficient.
A key barrier is limited access to scientific expertise and infrastructure. Conservation efforts are frequently based on incomplete data or short-term external research initiatives, commonly described as ‘parachute science,’ which provide fragmented insights and minimal local capacity building. Without sustained investment in locally led scientific capability, SIDS will remain constrained in their ability to effectively protect and manage their marine environments in a rapidly changing climate.

How the project addresses the issue

This project aims to reverse the trend of 'parachute science' and develop a new, equitable approach to stewardship of the marine ecosystem. We will empower local communities throughout the Caribbean British Overseas Territories, all of whom are classed as SIDS and recognised as being most vulnerable to climate change impacts, to develop their own scientific capacity while educating and enthusing the younger generation to be future leaders in environmental conservation.
Building on our expertise developed during previous Garfield Weston Foundation-funded projects in the British Indian Ocean Territory, we will provide specialist scientific equipment, otherwise beyond the reach of such communities, and the training and guidance needed to effectively use it, to scientists and policy makers within the governments of the Turks and Caicos Islands and British Virgin Islands. 
Our goal is to respond to the urgent needs and requests of the Overseas Territories that were communicated during the recent (December 2024) Coral Conservation in the UK Overseas Territories (C-COT) workshop; we will fundamentally change the way in which the scientific monitoring needed to establish the evidence base for effective conservation plans is conducted in the offshore environment throughout SIDS. Our engagement plan aims to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards through the provision of first-hand experience of ocean discovery, and thereby improve their ability to protect and conserve the marine biosphere.
 
 
 

Centre for Coastal and Ocean Processes and Engineering (C-COPE)

C-COPE brings together strength areas from across the University's Faculty of Science and Engineering with a research focus on the physical and chemical processes in coastal, ocean and marine environments, and their human impacts.
The Centre's sphere of interest stretches from the head of tidal estuaries to the bottom of the ocean, and includes the disciplines of physical oceanography, marine biogeochemistry, coastal engineering and marine geology.
 
Tuvalu Tepuka atoll