Restoring mangroves. Protecting coastlines, livelihoods and our climate.

Identify what different audiences need from the story.

The communications approach considered the different information needs of UWI SODECO’s audiences. Development partners needed clear visibility of the work their investment was supporting. Government and technical stakeholders required credible information on the restoration process and its wider relevance to climate resilience. Public audiences needed an accessible explanation of why mangroves matter and why restoring them requires careful scientific planning.

These different needs shaped the messaging, format and level of technical detail used across the communications products.

Find the story within the science.

Dervin reviewed available project information, scientific findings and visual materials to understand both the scale of mangrove degradation and UWI SODECO’s approach to restoration.

Scientific assessments and aerial surveys served a dual purpose: they informed the technical design of restoration interventions while also providing powerful evidence that could help non-technical audiences understand the condition of the affected mangrove ecosystems and the scale of the challenge.

Build the narrative around restoration, resilience and impact.

The narrative began with the role mangroves play in Jamaica’s environmental and climate resilience and then connected that importance to the science guiding restoration in southern Clarendon.

Technical information was translated into accessible messages explaining the causes of degradation, the evidence informing interventions and the potential environmental and community benefits of successful restoration.

Dervin also developed a communications strategy for UWI SODECO, providing a framework for communicating project activities, scientific findings, restoration progress and impact across different audiences and channels.

Connect scientific work with development priorities.

The communications positioned mangrove restoration within a wider development context: climate resilience, blue carbon, coastal ecosystems, livelihoods and sustainable development.

This allowed UWI SODECO to communicate not only what was happening at the restoration sites, but why the work matters to Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, while recognising the contribution of IDB, DEFRA and other project stakeholders.

Turn technical information into practical communications products.

Using existing project materials alongside newly captured footage, Dervin developed video content that translated the restoration story into an accessible visual format.

He also designed a concise project snapshot that UWI SODECO could use in engagements with donors, development partners, government stakeholders and other audiences.

Together with the communications strategy, these products created a suite of resources that could support both immediate project visibility and longer-term communication of restoration progress.

Take the restoration story beyond the project.

The project videos were shared across social media, extending the restoration story beyond technical and stakeholder audiences to the wider public. The content generated more than 20,000 organic views within the first 24 hours, demonstrating strong public interest in the project and the value of translating technical environmental work into accessible visual storytelling.

The project snapshot was also launched at a stakeholder gathering, providing UWI SODECO with a concise, visually engaging resource to communicate the project’s objectives, scientific approach and anticipated impact directly to partners and stakeholders.

Together, these products helped expand the project’s visibility across both digital and in-person channels, strengthening awareness of UWI SODECO’s mangrove restoration work and the support provided by IDB and UK DEFRA.