The term immersive education is currently used in two educational areas – language education, which involves students being totally immersed in a language and its culture; and virtual education, where teachers use computers and simulation games to immerse learners in a virtual, computer-generated environment that mimics a real-world environment and allows learners to interact with it.

Scientists talk to scientists and educators talk to educators, but seldom do the two camps interact in a collaborative fashion. This gap between science and education results in poor student achievement and a general lack of interest in sciences.

The purpose of this study was to elaborate on the role of coastal megacities in environmental degradation and their contribution to global climate change. Although only less than 4 percent of the total world's population resides in coastal megacities, their impact on environment is significant due to their rapid development, high population densities and high consumption rate of their residents.

Human intervention has resulted in a number of global and river syndromes that are mirrored by coastal syndromes caused by erosion, subsidence, salinization of aquifers, urbanization, eutrophication, invasive species and over exploitation of natural resources. These problems are now global, with few coastal zones remaining unaffected and pristine. However, the problems are particularly severe at "hotspots" in the coastal zone.

Healthy marine and coastal ecosystems provide valuable services - from food security, resources for economic growth and recreation alongside tourism and coastline protection. Published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), this guide on Marine and Coastal Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM), seeks to assist countries and communities to take steps towards making marine and coastal ecosystem-based management operational - from strategic planning to on-site implementation.

Recognizing the importance of informed decisions and the differences between the scientific and decision-making processes, this guidebook provides practical tips on how to best bring these worlds together. It emphasizes the roles of facilitating, synthesizing, translating, and communicating science to inform conservation action. It includes two "guides" in one publication, one intended for scientists, and the other for decision-makers. It begins with the decision-maker's guide.

Eight case studies highlight lessons learned in conducting regional-scale research and incorporating this information into management. The case studies represent a wide variety of physical and ecological contexts; these include the Great Lakes (Lake Erie), a river-dominated coast (northern Gulf of Mexico), tropical lagoon systems (Micronesia and South Florida), and coastal ocean systems (California coast, Bering Sea, Gulf of Maine, and the Northwest Atlantic).

Effective local management of coral reefs has a direct effect on reducing threats and improving overall coral community health. Careful zoning and effective enforcement of resource use within a marine managed area reduces impact of overfishing, allowing populations of grazing fish to rejuvenate and maintain healthy ecosystem functioning. Coral reefs that are healthy have greater resilience and ability to recover from chronic and acute stress.

The challenge of making conservation economically attractive is a critical hurdle for the creation and effective management of marine managed areas. This document describes three approaches to shaping incentives, project design and tool selection, and provides 27 case studies worldwide where incentives were employed in changing behavior.

Human cultures are defined by the biological and physical environments in which they live. This newsletter examines—through case studies in Belize, Brazil, Fiji and Panama—the marine managed areas developed for the sustainable use of these environments and resources.