Environmental Internship Program - 2023 Booklet

BIODIVERSITY AND
CONSERVATION
Bailey White ’25
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
Certificate: Environmental Studies
PROJECT TITLE
Promoting
Pro-conservation
Behaviors in Recreational
Scuba Divers on Coral
Reefs in Southeast Asia
ORGANIZATION(S)
Wilcove Lab,
Department of Ecology
and Evolutionary Biology,
Princeton University
LOCATION(S)
Bali, Indonesia;
Malapascua, Philippines;
Panglao, Philippines
MENTOR(S)
David Wilcove,
Professor of Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology and
Public Affairs and the
High Meadows
Environmental Institute;
Bing Lin, Ph.D. candidate,
School of Public and
International Affairs
I investigated the behavior of recreational scuba
divers on coral reefs in the Philippines and
Indonesia. These countries lie within the Coral
Triangle, the most biodiverse marine ecosystem
on the planet. Coral reefs are hotspots of
ecotourism, yet tourists such as scuba divers can
damage a reef by intentionally or accidentally
touching the coral. This project aimed to collect
data on the prevalence of contacts between
divers and reef by recording divers underwater. I
reviewed this footage and tabulated all contacts,
their suspected cause, and the resulting damage.
I also asked divers to complete a survey after
their dives to shed light on the potential root
causes of reef contacts. Throughout this project,
I conducted 37 research dives and collected data
on dozens of divers. I gained an understanding
of and practice with scientific research diving
principles and learned how to use diving as a
tool for research. This experience has reaffirmed
my passion for conservation biology and my
commitment to studying threats to marine
biodiversity.
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