| Utila Centre for Marine Ecology was founded in 2006 to bridge the gap between applied scientific research and community based conservation and became a recognised Honduran non-governmental organisation in 2007.
UCME's goal is to develop as a focal point for the investigation of tropical marine biodiversity and since its inception has grown rapidly to build links and collaborative partnerships with many national and international universities, other non-governmental organisations and regional institutions. The heart of UCME's philosophy is that for conservation to succeed, results from research need to be directly applied to education and management initiatives.
The centre now combines cutting edge marine science with exciting volunteer programmes and inspiring educational courses. The UCME volunteer programme provides divers and non-divers alike with the opportunity to learn more about marine ecosystems and to assist national and international researchers as they study the island's wealth of biodiversity, thereby directly contributing to UCME's ongoing research aims.
The Centre currently has projects that focus on the health of coral reefs; seagrasses; mangrove and island ecology; the management of reef fisheries; the study of migrating whale sharks; and the population dynamics and behaviour of the elusive rough-tooth dolphin. |
