Marine Management Area Science

How We Operate

The Marine Management Area Science (MMAS) Program fosters partnerships among scientists and conservationists worldwide to ensure that high-quality science is the basis for conservation decision-making. We have field offices staffed by Science to Action Coordinators in Belize, Brazil, Fiji, and the Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape.

The Science to Action Coordinators play a central role in identifying and addressing the science needs of local decision-makers. They make sure that MMAS science is shared effectively with the target audiences. Numerous partner organizations around the world, including government agencies, NGOs, and academic entities, collaborate with our staff to conduct the MMAS Program.

A Science Advisory Committee provides guidance for the MMAS Program, and numerous scientists carry out studies under the program’s auspices. At the MMAS Program’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, staff members direct the strategy and implementation of the program, and they integrate findings at the global scale. Contact us >>

Science to Action Coordinators

• Lindsay Garbutt, Belize
• Scott Henderson, Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape
• Guilherme Dutra, Brazil
• Loraini Sivo, Fiji

Science Advisory Committee

• Les Kaufman (Chair), Boston University
• Ratana Chuenpagdee, Memorial University of Newfoundland
• Mark Hixon, Oregon State University
• Michael Orbach, Duke University
• Steve Palumbi, Stanford University
• Charles Peterson, University of North Carolina
• Andy Rosenberg, University of New Hampshire
• Enric Sala, National Geographic
• Rashid Sumaila, University of British Columbia

MMAS Headquarters Staff

• Leah Bunce Karrer, Senior Director
• Giselle Samonte-Tan, Director for Social Science Research and Outreach
• John Tschirky, Director for Natural Science Research and Outreach
• Septiana Rustandi, Financial Manager