IMA Advancing Blue Economy Partnerships and Global Ocean Sustainability at the 15th High-Level Korea-Caribbean Forum, Seoul, Korea
Seoul, Korea 18th November 2025 - The Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), an important advocate for the conservation of ocean resources and sustainability, led the Caribbean charge on ocean resilience and sustainable development at the Fifteenth High-Level Forum of the Korea-Caribbean Partnership, under the theme “Korea-Caribbean Cooperation for a Resilient and Sustainable Ocean”. The IMA played a pivotal role in guiding discussions on harnessing renewable ocean resources and protecting marine ecosystems in an attempt to transform the economic growth of Trinidad and Tobago and the wider region. In promoting the Caribbean’s emergence as the next economic frontier, Dr. Ava Maxam, Director of the Institute...
IMA & CARIRI Collaborate to Promote Caribbean Growth and Development
Port of Spain The Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) and the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) pool their institutional talent, resources, and technical expertise to support and promote economic growth and development in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean. Both entities solidified this commitment via the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at CARIRI’s head office located at the St. Augustine campus of The University of the West Indies (UWI) on November 16th., 2023. Dr Ava Maxam, Director IMA, and Mr. Hans-Erich Schulz, Chief Executive Officer CARIRI signing Memorandum of Understanding With Research and Development (R&D) at the core of the entities’ mandate, the IMA,...
Massive Sargassum Influx on Caribbean Shorelines linked to Climate Change: Hazard or Hope
By Dr. Rahanna Juman, Director (Ag.) and Wetlands Ecologist For yet another year, massive quantities of Sargassum are seen washing up along Caribbean coasts. This unprecedented, massive, episodic influxes of floating sargassum seaweed on coastlines was first observed in 2011 and has had significant negative impacts, particularly on coastal communities and livelihoods, public health, tourism and fisheries (UNEP 2021). This issue therefore represents an emerging hazard for a region that is already subject to numerous hazards and indeed, various countries in the Caribbean have declared national states of emergency with respect to sargassum influxes (Desrochers et al. 2020). This new source of sargassum is likely...
The Ancient Gentle Giant – The Leatherback Turtle
The leatherback existed in their current form since the age of the dinosaurs and they are considered to be the largest, fastest and deepest-diving turtle in the world with a shell length (carapace) 4.5 to 5.5 feet, average weight of 1000 pounds, and they are named for their tough primarily black rubbery skin with pinkish white colouring on its underside....
