Coastal communities are under increasing stress and new approaches are needed to train scientists to deal with current problems in marine ecology, conservation biology and the smart development of shorelines. The unusual density and diversity of marine protected areas on San Juan Island make this an ideal ‘natural laboratory’ for a field course exploring the consequences of protecting nearshore habitats for ecological interactions across trophic levels.

Coastal communities are under increasing stress and new approaches are needed to train scientists to deal with current problems in marine ecology, conservation biology and the smart development of shorelines. The unusual density and diversity of marine protected areas on San Juan Island make this an ideal ‘natural laboratory’ for a field course exploring the consequences of protecting nearshore habitats for ecological interactions across trophic levels.

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