Outreach and community engagement as a tool to build capacity and to support effective coral restoration in Eleuthera, The Bahamas

1 Introduction

Coral reefs provide habitat to many organisms, protect shorelines and support the livelihoods of millions of people worldwide. Unfortunately, coral reefs are at the forefront of climate change driven destruction, making them a crucial ecosystem to protect and restore (Heinze et al., 2021; Armstrong McKay et al., 2022). In Caribbean nations, these reefs provide vital cultural, environmental, and economic value, creating an estimated $15 billion worth of ecosystem services per year (Wicquart et al., 2025). Countries like The Bahamas had developed a strong dependence on the ecosystems and the services they provide (Deleveaux et al., 2013). The livelihoods of most Bahamians are directly dependent on coral reefs through tourism revenue, the country's top industry (Comte and Pendleton, 2018). Despite its significance, the current state of reefs in Bahamian waters is somewhat misunderstood in local communities (Broad and Sanchirico, 2008).

Opportunities to explore Bahamian reefs are often inaccessible for the wider community due varying levels of confidence in the water, cost, and general training requirements. This lack of direct access can result in a disconnect between people and the ocean that can negatively influence local perceptions of marine conservation (Ballantyne and Packer, 2009). Outreach and community engagement are necessary paths to improving communities' understanding of the importance of sustaining healthy coral reefs and the role humans play in their degradation (Zhang et al., 2020). Although anthropogenic impacts vary greatly in their geographic and temporal scale, such as climate change that no coastal community can remediate alone, local impacts can be targeted for improvement such as overfishing, harmful fishing and anchoring practices, and dredging, all of which locally diminish the ecosystem services that reefs provide (Obura et al., 2019). Meanwhile, environmental stressors such as rising seawater temperatures, declining water quality, and the increasing occurrence of diseases, including but not limited to Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), are also having significant impacts to reef health (Dahlgren et al., 2021).

Globally, a range of coral reef education and capacity-building initiatives have been developed to improve public awareness, environmental literacy, and stakeholder engagement in reef conservation. Examples include the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) Education Hub, which provides educational resources and teaching materials for schools, communities, and practitioners, the Reef Resilience Network's online training courses for reef managers, and NOAA's coral reef education programs that offer curricula, lesson plans, and citizen-science resources (NOAA, 2026; Reef Resilience, 2021; ICRI, 2023). These initiatives have contributed substantially to increasing knowledge and awareness of coral reef ecosystems.

With the aim to advance outreach and education in the region, while combining these activities with active research and restoration, The Bahamas Coral Innovation Hub (BCIH) was founded in 2018. Based at The Cape Eleuthera Island School (CEIS) in South Eleuthera, The Bahamas (Figure 1), the BCIH is a collaboration between the Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI), the Perry Institute for Marine Science (PIMS) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The three founding objectives for this partnership are: to enhance and diversify restoration efforts through a multi-technique approach; establish and maintain long-term monitoring of restoration projects in South Eleuthera; and engage students locally and internationally in coral reef restoration, creating educational and research opportunities for Bahamians and emerging scientists.

This community case study documents the outreach and community engagement approaches used by The BCIH to involve youth and local stakeholders in coral reef conservation in South Eleuthera. Specifically, it describes the educational activities, field-based experiences, dive-training opportunities and summarizes participation outputs and observed outcomes between January 2021 and April 2026. The community case study aims to present an example of efforts that can be used as a practical basis for future initiatives focused on linking coral restoration, environmental education, and community engagement in a small-island setting.

2 Context

The Bahamas, is an archipelago with seven hundred islands and cays situated in the North Atlantic Ocean with coral reefs surrounding each major island. In Eleuthera, The BCIH has engaged local communities in outreach and education activities designed to increase awareness of coral reef conservation and create practical opportunities for participation. As part of these efforts, local students of all ages were involved with restoration efforts, due to their importance to community dynamics and future social and environmental change (Damerell et al., 2013). The BCIH partnered with The Island School's Outreach, Partnerships and Programs department to engage with international visitors and locals from Eleuthera and other Bahamian islands (Figure 1). Visitors were most frequently students from various schools that participate in several short educational programs with an emphasis on hands-on experiences, where classroom lessons and field activities are combined. CEIS also offers summer programming targeted at young Bahamians, including summer camps, apprenticeships, and Young Leadership programs. The CEIS also has a close relationship with The Deep Creek Middle School (DCMS), which is an independent school located in Deep Creek, South Eleuthera that hosts students in grades seven through nine. Every semester they participate in a program called School Without Walls, designed to remove students from their traditional classroom and also for them to focus one mainly focuses on marine ecosystems, Bahamian culture, and improving their swim and dive skills to safely interact and immerse themselves in meaningful experiential learning. At the end of the semester the students have the opportunity to present to the community a demonstration of learning, through presentations that include videos, posters and reflections of their learning journeys.

As part of the partnership between BCIH and CEIS, coral researchers, research technicians and research assistants participate in every program offered by CEIS, particularly targeting engagement opportunities with Bahamian students to involve them in coral restoration efforts. Students were provided with interactive learning opportunities through classroom lessons followed by tours to land and ocean-based facilities to safely observe, interact and learn about corals and the different species that depend on coral reefs, field sessions to visit local reefs around South Eleuthera, incorporating dive training wherever possible. To further local community engagement, The BCIH created a list with all the schools in Eleuthera and contacted them to inquire about potential opportunities to provide lessons and share educational materials. Staff traveled to these local schools to provide lessons on coral reefs and raise awareness of coral conservation.

2.1 Educational materials

In order to provide educational resources focused on coral conservation, The BCIH team created interactive presentations, visual guides, worksheets and activities designed to effectively communicate complex information in a practical and clear way. One of the key goals of the materials created was to spread awareness about the importance of coral reefs, including threats impacting corals, the effects of climate change and understanding how bleaching and disease outbreaks could cause mass mortalities of coral species. Information about basic coral biology, species identification and their reproductive strategies like fragmentation and sexual coral reproduction was covered, as these strategies are the base of coral restoration practices. Coral restoration activities including the purpose of coral nurseries and coral outplanting were incorporated into lessons. In general, lessons were tailored to different age groups, as an example, younger students, typically ages 3 to 9 or 1st to 5th grade, were encouraged to design coral polyps from edible materials and create their own coral ecosystem, while older students, typically ages 12 to 15 or 7th to 9th grade, measured corals, built nursery trees, learned the difference in resiliency between and among different coral species and various restoration techniques. This ensured widespread consumability, compatibility and maximized engagement with the materials while making complex topics relatable through familiar imagery.

2.2 Dive training and certifications

Understanding the need to expand the role stakeholders and community members are involved with active conservation and restoration efforts, many institutions have created citizen led training and initiatives. PIMS created one such initiative, the Reef Rescue Network, and developed an associated PADI specialty course, the Reef Rescue Diver specialty. This specialty teaches divers about the benefits and threats of coral reefs, as well as coral restoration techniques including the use and maintenance of coral nurseries, and how to successfully grow and outplant corals to increase their abundance on natural reefs. The Reef Rescue Diver certification allows divers to volunteer at any of the over thirty nurseries within the Reef Rescue Network, applying their skills to restoration efforts across The Bahamas and the Caribbean while actively contributing to restoration efforts in the region. The BCIH is a member of the Reef Rescue Network and with a team led by PADI dive professionals who support PADI's commitment to marine conservation, provide both the PADI AWARE Coral Reef Conservation and Reef Rescue Diver certifications, fostering further knowledge in safeguarding marine ecosystems.

Through grants which include capacity building, it was possible to provide dive training to Bahamians. Field sessions were targeted on enforcing skills learned during presentations and honing practical skills such as data collection, coral nursery maintenance and management. Depending on the comfort level in the water, BCIH staff provided support for first time swimmers, snorkelers and divers with the opportunity to experience a Discover scuba diving course. Students with stronger swimming skills were offered to become scuba certified through the PADI Open Water course. Certified divers were given further dive training to sharpen their skills and increase diving competency and other courses like Advanced Open water course, Rescue diver and AWARE Fish Identification were provided. Bahamians who were trained as Reef Rescue divers, had the opportunity to practice in the ocean-based nurseries established by BCIH which are part of the Reef Rescue Network managed by CEI. To further local community engagement, The BCIH offered dive opportunities to Bahamian staff working at CEIS.

3 Program description

Between January 2021 and April 2026, a total of 482 interactions with Bahamians were done in coral reef education and outreach activities delivered through classroom-based lessons, combined classroom and scuba training. Overall learning objectives were to ensure that students learned that corals are animals, their role as foundation species on coral reef ecosystems, how to differentiate hard from soft corals and the existence of endangered coral species and how they can actively contribute to conservation efforts. These outreach initiatives were divided into half day classroom lessons and full day activities combining lessons with water activities (Figure 2). The total number of participants indicated broad community engagement and increased exposure to key coral reef conservation and restoration concepts.

Combined classroom and field sessions often worked better for longer term student groups, such as summer programs like Girl Rising and South Eleuthera Kids Camp, or local students such as the Young Leadership Program. These groups had a wider age range, ranging from 9 to 18. Full day visits allowed for field components to be integrated with classroom lessons. For example, students learning about coral or fish identification were encouraged to identify species in the field. Similarly, students learning about coral health and species diversity were encouraged to identify bleaching, various diseases and to determine percentage cover on reefs.

Overall, 106 students were able to participate in both classroom and field sessions, which included a dive or snorkel to reefs and restoration sites in South Eleuthera. During these excursions, students actively practiced their coral, fish, and reef invertebrate identification skills while also looking at the coral restoration initiative at the sites. The field component complemented classroom instruction by allowing students to practice species identification and reef health assessments, helping bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, enhancing student engagement by providing opportunities to directly observe and apply key coral reef conservation concepts in natural reef environments and demonstrating the value of experiential learning in strengthening coral reef education and conservation awareness.

Classroom based lessons were given to both local schools where logistics allowed for only a short engagement period and short-term visiting groups such as Lyford Cay International School and Windsor School, where learning could be shared and practices could be implemented on their return to their island. For short-term visiting groups, typical ages for these groups were 12–17 years old or 7th to 12th grade. These sessions would last approximately 1 to 3 h and focused on raising general awareness of coral reefs and encouraging conservation efforts. Educational materials were often used to facilitate learning objectives during these sessions (Figure 3). For local school engagement fourteen schools across Eleuthera were contacted to gauge interest in receiving a coral restoration activity, with each school indicating positive interest. As of April 2026, 5 schools had a successful involvement with an outreach activity. Local school engagement was highlighted by 15 sessions with Deep Creek Middle School (DCMS), split into 7th, 8th and 9th grade, alongside three sessions with Deep Creek Primary School (DCPS), split into 1st and 2nd grade, 3rd and 4th grade and 5th and 6th grade, and four sessions with the Elementary Learning Center (ELC) at the CEIS, with 1st to 5th grade. Additionally, 2 sessions were held in Harbor Island with Green School, with 1st and 2nd grade and one at Harbor Island All Age School, with students from 6th to 12th grade. Through these efforts, lessons to raise coral reef conservation awareness were shared with a total of 163 primary, middle and high school age students (Figure 4). After several lesson quizzes were held to evaluate student knowledge retention, with questions ranging from coral species identification to identifying their symbiotic host. The assessments were met with a highly positive attitude from the students. Furthermore, nearly all participants answered every question correctly, indicating both high engagement and effective material delivery.

3.1 Educational materials

A total of 58 educational materials were designed, including lessons of coral anatomy and biology, coral reef ecosystems, learning how to identify common Caribbean coral, fish and reef invertebrate species, lessons highlighted tips and key differences to identify typical reef creatures. In order to explain how diseases affected coral reefs, examples of human pandemics were applied, such as referring to SCTLD as “Coral COVID” and subsequently students learned coral health and pathogens, including how to identify SCTLD, how to report sightings, how to stop the spread of the disease and how treatment could be applied. Activities to understand climate change and its role in ocean acidification and coral bleaching were also performed, using different types of paint and water temperatures.

3.2 Dive training and certifications

During the last five years, coral researchers from The BCIH provided a total of 171 PADI certifications to local Bahamians. Every dive included safety briefings that emphasized the importance of buoyancy and safe interactions with coral reef ecosystems. Of this, 36 students obtained their Open Water certifications, 14 Bahamians continued their dive journey by getting Advanced and Rescue certifications, and 11 students got the AWARE Fish Identification certification. A total of 59 divers engaged and completed their PADI distinctive specialty Reef Rescue Diver certifications while contributing to the coral restoration efforts currently done in South Eleuthera. Additionally, 48 students completed the PADI AWARE Coral Conservation certifications. The BCIH supported swimming lessons, provided guidance for students who never tried snorkeling before and conducted Discover Scuba Diver training for 10 Bahamians who had never experienced diving before.

4 Discussion

Outreach presentations were found to be achieve the learning goals, every session showed high levels of engagement in both the topic and their continued involvement. It was found that all activities which utilized hands-on experiential learning, including but not limited to; nursery tree cleaning practice; reef fish cut out and design; field and lab visits, all incited the most excitement and engagement with the content from the students. These activities even supported continued non-prompted engagement from students, as hands-on activities would be continually worked on by the class after the session ended. Integrating a connection with their surroundings and creating a bond with the ocean and coral reef ecosystems, supported higher levels of engagement, as has been previously shown in coral restoration outreach (Santana et al., 2023). To promote this, presentations would include a map of the island of Eleuthera and the Bahamas as a whole, which students could point out where key points like: Cape Eleuthera, their school, the Cape Eleuthera Institute, and nearby landmarks to the coral nurseries are located. This exercise, combined with the aforementioned discussions of the importance of reefs to the Bahamas, was found to truly cement the idea that the students were learning about topics that are near and dear to home.

The combination of in-class presentations and field activities appeared to enhance students' engagement while developing their knowledge and technical skills, agreeing with previous studies that show that experiential learning significantly strengthened participants' environmental literacy regarding environmental issues (O'Neil et al., 2020). By integrating outreach components into environmental education, students were empowered to move beyond passive understanding. During the DCMS 9th grade students outreach lessons, they were taught how to identify Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD). This disease affects around 30 coral species, including important reef- building species, such as Orbicella faveolata, which is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List (Truc et al., 2023). The students showed their aforementioned active understanding importance to environmental change and community dynamics by participating in a local Earth Day festival, sharing knowledge they received about SCTLD prevention and coral restoration techniques with members of the local community (Figure 5). Training students, and hence the community, to identify specific symptoms creates an essential network for early detection. According to (Dahlgren et al. 2021), the first reports of SCTLD on the Bahamian Island of New Providence, where the nation's capital resides, did not come from scientists, but from community members regularly in the sea like spearfishers. By learning to recognize the disease in their daily lives, students serve as a constant surveillance force capable of flagging outbreaks before they spread. Such instances of student led outreach into their own communities also better facilitates knowledge transfer to adults, expanding the reach of coral disease awareness and strengthening community-wide engagement in reef conservation (Bonney et al., 2009). It is therefore imperative that local stakeholders understand not only their impact but also how their actions can help preserve and lead to sustaining healthy coral reef services for generations to come (Comte and Pendleton, 2018).

Field activities such as the opportunity to explore marine ecosystems allow students to experience and encounter nature, which can nurture emotional impact and the creation of lasting memories, ones that the classroom alone simply cannot create (Ballantyne and Packer, 2009). This mentality was evident when DCMS students learnt how to build coral nursery trees and how to populate them with fragments by creating a miniature nursery tree for display using coral skeletons. After learning these skills on land, the students were able to assist with the expansion of The BCIH nursery by installing and populating a nursery tree with staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis). Following this they assisted with out-planting nursery-raised fragments of the critically endangered staghorn back to the reef. The students went on to prepare presentations of learning, sharing their experiences and knowledge with their peers (Figure 5). These prove that community engagement can be a successful tool for coral restoration as young Bahamian students were able to participate in and learn from the ongoing conservation and restoration efforts happening at BCIH through experiential learning and were able to retain and distribute this information to local community members that are directly affected by the state of coral reefs, such as their parents and extended family members working in the tourism industry or distributing sea food commercially (Malsawmdawnga and Walia, 2023). By creating a space for young Bahamians to engage in hands-on restoration and SCUBA diving training, the door to further possible career opportunities is also opened, creating potential for the next generation of researchers, dive instructors and conservation leaders (Hesley et al., 2023). These findings demonstrate that the program successfully served as an effective mechanism for developing local capacity in marine conservation by combining dive education, environmental stewardship, and increased opportunities for Bahamians to safely engage with and actively contribute to coral reef conservation initiatives in South Eleuthera.

Youth targeted outreach is especially valuable, as early exposure to environmental concerns can shape children's attitudes and values (Guan and Geng, 2024). The transition of Bahamian students from learners to catalysts of change through the methods already employed by BCIH is supported by the findings of (Vaughan et al., 2003). They demonstrated that environmental education provided to children successfully transfers to parents. In their study, parents showed a significant increase in conservation knowledge despite never attending the classroom sessions, suggesting that the students' participation likely triggers similar knowledge leaking into Bahamian households. Although no official discourse was had with the parents of the students, the belief is the excitement shown by students in the classroom would hopefully follow them home.

There is an existing long-term relationship with the Deep Creek Middle School which has facilitated a more sustained engagement with the students, allowing them to interact with a wider range of coral restoration activities. These activities focus on the development of young coral stewards through a more hands-on approach where students are able to interact with active research projects, become certified scuba divers and actively participate in the PADI Reef Rescue Course. The ninth-grade DCMS students were also taught to identify corals commonly found on Bahamian coral reefs through various dive and snorkel activities. This resulted in newfound abilities to identify over ten species of coral, including the four brain coral species found in The Bahamas and the Caribbean overall.

5 Limitations and conclusions

As the efforts of the BCIH staff that culminated into this report were over a wide temporal scale and were not developed to directly satiate the methods of a report, there was no consistent feedback collection method used throughout the programming. Instead, throughout the outreach activities provided, their impact was assessed through informal qualitative feedback, spontaneous conversations and personal observations.

The study reinforces that outreach initiatives are important through formal and non-formal education activities invested in coral reef restoration. Looking forward, The BCIH recommends that similar youth focused outreach programs are implemented across The Bahamas, as well as in other Caribbean and reef protected nations. Future studies and outreach programs may benefit from employing a more direct method of sharing the youth's information with their community. This could be done by creating personal projects, resembling that of hands-on homework such as recurring reef assessments as an example, that students could engage with outside of school, or providing marine conservation focused materials to be shared with family and friends in the community. An additional recommendation is that further work is done with a more concrete form of feedback collection to support future documentation of efforts (Sandahl and Tøttrup, 2020). Although not integral to grass-roots efforts as were the focus of BCIH outreach, it will assist in the replication of programming both in similar local areas, as well as more diverse international contexts. Through the completed outreach programs, the belief is that both The BCIH staff and the activities that they support will act less as an educator, and more as a guide, promoting the development of local stewards who are unafraid to make change within their community, and within their wider natural environment.

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Footnotes

Edited by: Natascha Wosnick, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil

Reviewed by: Christine Nyangweso Ochieng, Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya

Syarifah Aini Dalimunthe, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Bogor, Indonesia