The Comoros archipelago comprises of four isolated volcanic islands in the Western Indian Ocean, located to the east of Northern Mozambique and North West of Madagascar and lie between 11°20’south, 43°11’east and 11°40’south, 49°19’east. The Marine Park of Moheli (Parc Marine de Moheli - PMM) is situated in the southern extremity of Moheli, the smallest and oldest of the Islands in the Comoros archipelago. It covers an area of 404 km2 along the south and west coasts of the island and extends from the shoreline to a depth of 100m. The island is surrounded by fringing reefs and a number of islets lie within the PMM. The local community depends greatly on the reef for food, tourism and as a protective barrier against erosion.

There have been no large scale studies of the coral reef habitats within the marine park. The team is made up of Edinburgh University Students working with scientists from the Association d’Intervention pour le Développement et l’Environnement (AIDE), the Centre National de Documentation et de Recherche Scientifique (CNDRS) and Projet Conservation de la Biodiversité et du Développement Durable aux Comores (Projet Biodiversitié).

EUcare's aims are:

-To map the un-charted coral reefs of Belo sur Mer, studying their biodiversity and health, assessing the potential threats these unknown ecosystems may be under;

-To find indicators that will aid with the global mapping of coral reefs and the marine habitat and provide data for the establishment of a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve;

-To broaden the team's experience of field work and working in tropical environments alongside a chance for educational interaction with Malagasy students and the Malagasy local community.