IMARCSFOUNDATION
Novel marine research and environmental cleanup.
IMARCS is a US nonprofit running novel, hands-on marine research: restoring reefs and mangroves, and removing pollutants like microplastics from the water, with measurable, quantifiable results.
Novel nearshore conservation research, and cleanup.
IMARCS runs its own novel research programs alongside field partners around the world, restoring reefs and mangroves, helping bleached coral recover, and pulling microplastics and other pollutants out of the water.
- Structure
- US 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations from US supporters are tax-deductible.
- Focus
- Reef restoration, microplastics and pollutant removal, mangroves, threatened giant clams, and blue carbon.
- Footprint
- Research and field work across Japan, Canada, Spain, Micronesia, Vietnam, and Belize.
- Status
- Active research across multiple projects. First peer-reviewed results anticipated in 2026.
The giant clam does four jobs at once.
Pick the right animal and the science, the visuals, and the fundraising all line up. The giant clam does four jobs at once.
- 01
It is a living filter
A single giant clam can process up to roughly 1,000 liters of seawater a day, which is why we study clams and mangroves together as a way to remove microplastics from the water.
- 02
It carries the algae corals need
Clams host heat-tolerant zooxanthellae, the same symbiotic algae that bleached corals lose. That link is the basis of our coral-recovery research.
- 03
It is threatened, and we can restore it
Every giant clam species is threatened. We grow five of them (crocea, derasa, maxima, squamosa, and noae) for restoration, food security, and re-seeding lost habitat.
- 04
People connect with it instantly
Threatened, colorful, and alive on camera. A clam is something a donor, a student, or an audience can watch, adopt, and understand in seconds.
Four research fronts, from lab to reef.
We combine marine ecology, molecular genetics, and biogeochemistry with field partners in Micronesia, Vietnam, Belize, Spain, and Japan.
Removing pollutants from the water
Studying giant clams and mangrove roots as paired biological filters, and working to quantify how much microplastic they capture from the water and sediment.
Symbionts from clams to corals
Testing whether heat-tolerant zooxanthellae from giant clams can help bleached corals recover, with samples analyzed at our University of Barcelona lab.
Reefs, mangroves, and lost species
Field work to restore mangrove stands, re-seed lost giant-clam habitat, and monitor reef biodiversity alongside local researchers and partners.
Coastal carbon storage
Mangroves are among the best natural carbon stores on Earth. We are also testing whether controlled mariculture can shift clam shell growth toward measurable carbon storage.
Note for editors: carbon and microplastics work is framed as active research, not a finished or certified result. Every public claim is reviewed by our lead scientist first. Ask us for the current, citable version.
A marine-science center the public can walk into.
IMARCS is building a Japan-based education and research facility designed to make marine science visible, hands-on, and open to the next generation.
- Hands-on exhibits for children, built to make reefs and oceans click
- Clownfish and coral propagation on live display
- Closed-system giant clam grow-out and active research
- Student research participation and internships
- On-site microplastics-cleanup research the public can watch
Five ways to tell the IMARCS story.
Copy-paste starting points for a piece, a segment, a caption, or a video. Each one is visual, specific, and stands on its own.
The clam that filters microplastics
Microplastics are everywhere in the ocean, and two of nature's best filters are the giant clam and the mangrove. IMARCS is putting both to work and measuring the result.
A stateless refugee who built a science foundation
Founder Gui Paphorn is a Karen refugee who fled persecution, was granted Thai citizenship, and now helps lead a global marine-science nonprofit that also serves Indigenous communities.
When a beauty brand funds ocean cleanup
BusanBare, a Korean beauty brand, donates a dollar from every product sold to IMARCS microplastics research. A concrete model for how consumer brands can fund real science.
A marine-science center kids can learn in
IMARCS is building a Japan-based facility where children, students, and families can watch coral propagation, giant-clam research, and microplastics cleanup happen in real time.
Hope after the 2025 bleaching news
After a hard year for warm-water reefs, IMARCS is investigating whether heat-tolerant algae from giant clams could help corals adapt. We supply the carefully reviewed wording.
Three lanes. Pick yours.
Every partnership is built to be low-friction on your side and high-visibility on ours. We bring the copy, the assets, and the impact reporting.
Press & media
Cover the work or run one of our angles. We make you fast.
- Ready-to-run story angles and quotes
- High-resolution clam, reef, and mangrove imagery
- Interviews with our scientist and founder
- Fact-checked, citable research language
Brands
Turn everyday purchases into ocean cleanup, and get content back.
- Co-branded blog post plus a dofollow backlink
- A one-line checkout donation or round-up
- A tax-deductible receipt and impact page
- A cause story your customers can watch grow
Creators & influencers
Share a mission your audience already cares about.
- The Adopt-a-Clam and live-research hooks
- Short, visual, ready-to-post story kits
- A trackable link so your impact is visible
- Cross-promotion to our list and channels
One brand already does this. Here's the model.
This Korean beauty brand donates $1 from every product sold to IMARCS to fund novel microplastics-cleanup research. No new checkout friction, a clear cause story, and a tax-deductible gift, all in one.
"Beauty shouldn't come at the ocean's expense. IMARCS is doing the microplastics research our industry can't ignore, so we give a dollar from every product we sell."
Christina Maddox, Co-Founder, BusanBare
You get content, links, differentiated cause marketing, and customer goodwill. IMARCS gets funding, reach, and credibility. Mix and match. We supply the kit for every one of these.
Post-for-donation
A one-time gift for a co-branded, SEO-strong blog post and a dofollow backlink from imarcs.org.
You gain link equity & contentCheckout round-up
"Add $1 for ocean cleanup" at checkout, or round up to the nearest dollar. We provide copy, QR, and the page.
Passive, recurring, low-friction$1 from every product
The BusanBare model: a fixed donation baked into each sale, with an "as seen supporting IMARCS" badge.
A built-in brand storyAdopt-a-Clam perk
Gift a symbolic clam adoption, certificate plus live updates, above an order threshold. Lifts average order value.
Drives AOV & repeat visitsCause-marketing drive
A time-boxed matching campaign tied to World Oceans Day or Earth Day. We deliver the full campaign kit.
A reason to email your listLimited co-branded drop
A small product or merch run using the IMARCS clam artwork, with proceeds split. We supply art and story.
Scarcity & a fresh launchIn-kind sponsorship
Equipment, materials, or services donated to a named research or education system, with on-camera credit.
Persistent brand placementLive-research sponsor
Sponsor a live research or propagation stream from the facility. A persistent logo on the work as it happens.
Always-on, low-cost goodwillNewsletter swap
Feature IMARCS in a send, and we feature you to our list and social channels. Reach for reach, no cash required.
Zero-cost audience tradePacking-insert QR
A small IMARCS QR on packing slips or receipts: "Your order helps clean up the ocean." Turns fulfillment into impact.
Uses space you already shipA founder, a field scientist, and two research leads.
Gui Paphorn
A member of the stateless Karen people, Gui fled military persecution in Myanmar before Thailand granted her citizenship. She founded IMARCS to protect both the natural environment and the Indigenous communities that depend on it. Business degree, Ratchaburi University.
Jordan Flagel
Two master's degrees in sustainable resource management and integrated science, then over a decade in reefs, mangroves, and tropical forests for NGOs and think tanks across Belize, Guyana, and Canada, including UN Green Corps and the IISD. Fellow at Canada's Energy Futures Lab and founder of Treebridge Conservation. He leads the science and reviews every public claim.
Dr. Juan Moles
A marine biologist specializing in molluscs, Dr. Moles has helped describe dozens of new species using phylogenomics and high-throughput sequencing. He teaches invertebrate zoology and evolutionary biology at Harvard, LMU Munich, and the University of Barcelona.
Dr. Vanessa Arranz
A marine molecular ecologist and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at the University of Barcelona, Dr. Arranz uses population genomics and eDNA metabarcoding to track how marine biodiversity adapts to rapid environmental change. PhD, University of Auckland; author of 17 peer-reviewed papers.
Ready when you are.
Tell us which lane fits and we will send the assets the same week. Press, brand, or creator, we make it easy.