Guest Blog: The environment is healing – can we sustain that when travel ramps up?

This week’s guest blog comes from our friends at ZuBlu. Specialising in underwater adventure travel, ZuBlu exists so you can search, discover and book without the fuss. With over 500 eco-friendly resorts, liveaboards and dive centres to choose from, ZuBlu brings you the very best sustainable ocean adventures in Asia and beyond. Who better then to give us some insights into sustainable travel post-Covid-19? For more information and to book your dream holiday go to www.zubludiving.com

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This pandemic has naturally led to a questions about what the world will look like when everything is back to normal, environmental recovery included. When travel gradually picks back up, can we sustain the benefits we’ve seen emerge over the past several weeks?

Q. What will the future of travel look like from the standpoint of protecting the environment, especially places that have recovered during these past few months from fewer tourists?

A. Let’s not forget that prior to the coronavirus, the importance of more sustainable travel was already a hot topic. Major cities in Europe, such as Barcelona and Venice, were struggling under the weight of mass tourism. Destinations such as Boracay in the Philippines and Maya Beach in Thailand (made famous by the film ‘The Beach’) were both closed to tourists for a period, to allow the environment time to breathe and recover.

But, as the news of ecosystem recovery without our presence increases, be it fish in the canals of Venice or turtles nesting on the beaches of India, so increases our awareness of the impact we have. Will this awareness lead to a change in behaviour?

A 2019 survey by Booking.com showed that “55% of global travelers report being more determined to make sustainable travel choices than they were a year ago, but barriers include a lack of knowledge and available or appealing options when trying to put this into practice”. So, the demand to travel differently is there – and it falls to those that facilitate travel to provide customers with the right information and opportunities.

Q. What environmentally-friendly trends will come from this time of no travel that will gain strength and continue on even when travel picks back up? (e.g. domestic travel, slow travel, limiting non-essential business travel, etc.)

A. A change in the way we travel is naturally going to be driven by adjusted purchasing power as we continue to endure a global economic shock, as well as ongoing health and health security concerns.

Type of travel

As we all adapt to remote working, non-essential business travel ceases to exist. Population-dense holiday experiences, such as cruises and theme parks, will take a long time to rebound, arguably, until there is a reliable Covid-19 vaccine in place. Going forward, we believe travelers will seek out experiences that are ‘off-the-beaten-path’ and away from mass crowds. We also anticipate that experiential travel will be the focus, with holidaymakers looking for truly memorable experiences, while the travel dollar will be spent less frivolously and more consciously.

Travel trends

The anti-plastic movement was in full swing pre-coronavirus and this will continue its upward-curve. With nervousness around people-heavy travel, such as public transport and flights, travellers will also be more self-dependent with their travel supplies and opt for bringing their own water, snacks etc.

We are also enjoying a period of social solidarity as we appreciate the incredible actions of those on the front-lines protecting and supporting our communities. One can hope that for travel moving forwards, social media influence and engagement will be driven by the positive actions taken by individuals, rather than simply focusing on the destination a person visits. I, for one, would welcome a world where Instagram feeds were less about floating breakfasts and behind-the-scenes queues of people waiting to capture that ‘unique’ shot, and more about how people are making a positive difference to a new culture or community.

As Jeff Greenwald of Ethical Traveler notes, “Travel can drive the way countries treat their citizens, indigenous peoples, wildlife, and the environment. This means that travelers have enormous power. Where we put our footprints has reverberations reaching far beyond our personal experience.” So, make positive travel choices and have a positive impact on the destinations you visit. That will be more worthy of a like and a follow, both now and in the years to come.

Q. What actions can travelers personally take on trips to continue this environmental protection and recovery as they start to travel again?

A. I’m going to talk specifically about ZuBlu’s area of expertise here. When it comes to supporting and engaging with the marine environment better, travellers can:

Choose more sustainable and eco-friendly resorts and operators.

Stay in hotels and dive with operators that are proud of what they do for the environment and are prepared to stand up for what they believe in. There are plenty to choose from in the dive industry and guests can vote with their wallets. Wherever you stay, make a point and say no to straws, or ask for water refills. If you don’t need your towels and bed sheets changing, tell the staff – they don’t need changing everyday, so save on water and reduce your carbon-footprint at the same time.

Calculate your footprint and carbon offsets.

It is now very easy to offset your carbon footprint when flying, but when you arrive at your destination, you’ll need to travel from the airport to your resort, and whilst we would always recommend walking or cycling, it is not always possible with a heavy suitcase. A more realistic alternative is to use a shared taxi or public transport, helping to keep your carbon footprint to a minimum. This will keep your personal costs down, too.

Pack light

The less weight you are packing, the less carbon you are responsible for.

Buy and eat local food

Eating salmon on a beach in the Maldives might sound appealing, but you can guarantee that the fish has been flown in from somewhere else and carries with it, a high carbon footprint. Eat local food and buy local produce whenever you can.

Reduce your waste whenever possible and try to avoid single-use plastic items.

Bring a reusable water bottle along or buy one when you get to your destination. Pack a lightweight, reusable cloth bag for shopping – there is no need for endless plastic bags. Find out where you can refill your water bottle, or failing that, buy a young coconut! If you are in Bali, you can use RefillMyBottle to find a nearby water refill station.

Use reef-safe products

Standard suncreams and hair products contain chemicals that are extremely toxic to coral reefs and marine life. Choose products such as Stream2Sea, a company that also provide a great overview of ingredients to avoid.

Do fewer trips per year and stay for longer

Make the most of your time and carbon outlay from the flight. Perhaps plan to visit two or three destinations back-to-back on one long trip. Locations such as the Philippines or the islands of Indonesia are perfect for this type of extended holiday.

Q. What are some actions that travel-oriented businesses (e.g. hotels, airlines, tour operators, etc.) might take to aid this environmental recovery long-term?

A. The demand for improvement and change is present. There is so much that travel-oriented businesses can do. Specifically for the marine travel sector, businesses need to focus on two things; sharing knowledge and providing opportunities.

The dive industry is one of the most environmentally-sensitive sectors in travel and there are many operators, resorts and dive centres that are making significant steps to conserve their local environment and ensure their business is as sustainable as possible. But, information about what these companies are doing is often hard to discover, and it can be difficult to compare different places.

When it comes to opportunities, ZuBlu is very selective about the operators and resorts we partner with to ensure that our guests can live by our motto – explore the blue, stay green. We also work very closely with conservation organisations and NGOs to offer more eco-ventures and citizen-science experiences. Through ZuBlu, eco-conscious travelers can actively learn to plant a coral reef, protect a nesting turtle sanctuary, or join blue whale research expeditions.

To aid in education, we have partnered with organisations such as The Reef World Foundation and Manta Trust, to help educate our guests on how to be more responsible divers and learn how to interact with marine life correctly. One terrifying fact is that on average, 88% of scuba divers touch the reef once per dive, and that is something we need to change, fast. This responsibility falls heavily on the tour operators to enforce the correct practices and provide additional training as required.

Q. What kinds of policies might come about to protect destinations long-term? (For instance, some destinations had previously implanted policies or fees aimed at visiting tourists to lessen crowds. The island of Boracay was closed in 2018, Venice started charging fees to day trippers, among others etc.)

A. A quote by Dave Barry seems rather fitting when we consider the change in marine-based tourism moving forwards.

”There’s nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself, except that when you finally see what goes on underwater, you realise that you’ve been missing the whole point of the ocean.”

Throughout history, man’s relationship with our oceans has been purely selfish. We have continuously harvested from this supposedly limitless resource. Billions of people now rely on the ocean for sustenance and economic support. However, as we become more aware of the beauty and wonder beneath the surface, the more value and effort we put towards its protection and future sustainability.

Although tourism can have negative impacts on the ocean, when managed correctly, it can also be used for good. The economic benefits of marine-tourism have helped reduce eco-system destabilising fishing techniques, such as fish bombing and shark finning. Nowadays, a shark or manta ray is worth more alive than it is dead, and this is because of tourism.

As governments become more aware of this and appreciate the value of the blue economy, we will definitely see increased protection policies for destinations – such as this example in the Seychelles – be it temporary closures or fees to support conservation efforts.

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Guest Blog: Conversations with Sustainable Ocean Seychelles

Our latest guest blog comes from one of the partners for the incredible Allen Coral Atlas, which recently just published even more region maps of our worlds coral reefs. This is a great insight into how local partners can contribute to global research, something interesting for all you budding marine conservation researchers out there!

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Conversations with Sustainable Ocean Seychelles: Léo Barret and Team

When the coral reef science community talks about the value of marine ecosystems to society, we often think and speak in terms of quantifiable resources, fisheries output, tourism income, and how reefs are physically utilized by people. However, coral reefs mean so much more, especially to island nations that are significantly connected to marine resources that define their surroundings, culture, and experience. It may be hard for more land-locked parts of the world to understand just what coral reefs mean to the countries and human populations that are geographically and culturally most connected to them.

Léo Barret  is a project leader with Marine Conservation Society Seychelles (MCSS) and co-founder and volunteer at Sustainable Oceans Seychelles (SOS), a local non-governmental organization that promotes sustainable use of natural marine resources. He is an accomplished marine scientist and conservationist, working with MCSS on the Cerf Island Conservation Program and spiny lobster habitat restoration efforts in Seychelles. Born and raised surrounded by these diverse ocean habitats, Léo has life-long knowledge and connection to coral reefs.

“They are part of my cultural heritage such as the Eiffel Tower is for Parisiens,” Léo explains. “They are the symbol of a lifestyle interconnected with the ocean and the muse of the almost lost art of contemplation.”

Along with SOS co-founders Nathalie Bodin and Gilberte Gendron, Léo participated in the data collection that helped create the Allen Coral Atlas’ Western Indian Ocean region. Conservation scientists like Léo, Nathalie, and Gilberte are extremely important to the Allen Coral Atlas team; not only do we rely on regional and local experts to collect and contribute data for the mapping process, we also seek those most knowledgeable to provide feedback before maps are ready for a public release. Involving regional, national, and local experts helps validate the accuracy of the maps while also generating mutual understanding and engagement with the organizations, agencies, and individuals that will ultimately be using the Atlas tools. It is such experts that help the Allen Coral Atlas balance the push and pull between large scale rapid mapping with user needs and classification accuracy. So Léo, Gilbert, and Nathalie have really been involved in the creation of the Seychelles maps on the Atlas from all angles – as data collectors, experts consulted for feedback, and in the future, among those who will use the Atlas in their conservation work.

We have already produced other regional maps with this expert feedback process including Eastern Africa & Madagascar, and Northern Caribbean & Bahamas. With each new region the Field Engagement team has improved this process and continued to add ways to foster increased collaboration with regional stakeholders. For expert feedback in the Western Indian Ocean, we received valuable insight from not only Léo and his team at Sustainable Oceans Seychelles, but also from David Obura and team at CORDIO, Dr. Holger Anlauf at University of Seychelles, and Dr. Sushma Mattan-Moorgawa at University of Mauritius.

While remote sensing allows the Allen Coral Atlas team to make global habitat maps rapidly and uniformly, there are still things you need a real human to see and interpret. The Field Engagement team caught up with Léo and Gilberte from Sustainable Oceans Seychelles earlier this month to give them a ‘sneak peek’ at the West Indian Ocean maps to identify any major inconsistencies as a result of the semi-automated process used to generate data layers.

A common problem with the semi-automated mapping process is misclassification, for instance, with highly turbid areas (water that is too murky to discriminate bottom types.). Léo found this problem in the Port of Victoria where water that is currently too murky for the Atlas to map was instead classified as Coral/Algae. These areas of high turbidity can be avoided in some cases; the University of Queensland mapping team can manually cut out distinct areas from the mapping process entirely if they are especially turbid to avoid this misclassification so that we don’t display erroneously categorized data.

The process to remove these troublesome areas through masking is a largely manual process, so it is not possible to do this in every location where turbidity poses a classification problem. Luckily, when this problem was discovered along the coast of Mozambique and Tanzania, the mapping team were able to mask out turbid river mouths, such as in the case of the Ruvuma River.

In areas where the mapping team at the Allen Coral Atlas are not able to mask out every instance of turbidity interference, users can now take advantage of the new download feature and process the data themselves to change portions of the map with known inconsistencies.

In some other instances, we are able to update the map based on an expert’s feedback. When we originally mapped the South-West Pacific region, for example, we heard from some local scientists that several large coral reef areas were missing. As we investigated, we discovered there were some inconsistencies with our depth data that led to misclassifications. Given the extent of errors from incorrect depth inputs throughout the region, we knew it was important to correct. Thanks to the support of experts and their field data, we were able to correct our depth algorithm, resulting in a second version of the South-West Pacific maps. What you see now on the Atlas is our updated habitat map of the South-West Pacific.

The Allen Coral Atlas benthic habitat layer is unlike any mapping effort before because of its level of detail and global coverage. Remote sensing and machine learning allow for rapid and relatively low-cost mapping approaches, but despite incredible improvements in remote sensing technology and techniques, these approaches are not as accurate as a person with close knowledge of a specific reef area or who has conducted direct observation. Any machine learning method is going to include some level of inaccuracy compared to purely manual approaches. Consider this: machine learning is a process by which a computer algorithm collects pieces of information about the characteristics of certain features. It builds an association with certain features to sort objects into classes. Data is used to create these associations with certain characteristics, or rather, the algorithm gets a taste of what things look like ‘on the ground’ so that it can extrapolate these characteristics and therefore classify much larger areas.

With the help of experts like Léo, Nathalie, and Gilberte at SOS, the mapping team at Allen Coral Atlas can circle back once a map is created to see how well the algorithm categorized underwater features. This step in the process is extremely important to the overall creation of the maps; having eyes in the water, and coral reef professionals who have intimate knowledge of their areas of interest provides insights to the mappers about why certain features get mapped incorrectly, and how to prioritize improvements to the process.

There will always be a push and pull between direct observation and applying technology to conservation; to meet the parameters of time- and cost-efficiency, Léo and many other conservationists see the benefit of effectively applying tech in coral reef research based on the urgent need for mapped data to make critical conservation decisions..

“We are at a tipping point for marine conservation. Tech permits us to analyze faster and gather data at large scale,” says Léo. “Such data are essential to create evidence and take action or management measures to protect and restore the function & services of the marine ecosystem.”

Scientists such as Léo have the incredible advantage of seeing these aspects of conservation from several angles. Not only is he a user of the Atlas and has given expert feedback on the completed maps of Seychelles, but he was also part of the team that collected the vital calibration transect data that informed the machine learning algorithm. And perhaps most importantly, he has the experience of living closely with coral reefs, among a society that values them personally and culturally, and brings the mindset of cherishing these habitats beyond their quantifiable or most apparent outputs.

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Guest Blog: Indo Ocean Project – Indo CorALliance, a sociological response to the effects of COVID-19

Our latest guest blog comes from one of our longtime partners Indo Ocean Project. Read about this fantastic initiative, developed in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Positive action in these difficult times!

 

About Us

The Indo CorALliance is an environmental and social initiative based on the island of Nusa Penida, Indonesia. It was formed in response to the effects of COVID-19 policy on a tourism-dependent island. The outbreak of the coronavirus and the extreme but necessary measures taken around the world has hit the tourism industry hard. Although the break comes as welcome news to conservationists and our marine friends, millions of people have lost their livelihoods overnight.

What We Do

64,080,000
Rupiah raised

With Your Help, We are supporting our local community and protecting our oceans

To purchase the items required and to help our local community we ask for donations to run this program successfully.

Sekecil apapun donasi yang anda berikan dapat membantu kami untuk kegiatan operasional dan pemeliharaan terumbu karang.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

 – The Lorax, Dr Sues

Our Partners and Sponsors

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Guest Blog: Love the Oceans – Sustainability Challenge: Upcycling

We will be featuring guests blogs from Love the Oceans throughout June as their run their weekly sustainability challenges. What a super idea to help celebrate Worlds Oceans Day.

In honour of World Oceans Day, throughout June we’re running sustainability challenges every week, themed around different positive environmental changes you can make in your everyday life. This week’s theme is upcycling. Be sure to send in videos and photos of your upcycling efforts to be entered into our competition to win over £500 worth of awesome eco brands!

What is upcycling?

The Cambridge English Dictionary definition of upcycling is:

“the activity of making new furniture, objects, etc. out of old or used things or waste material”

The Problem

Every year, the world’s population dumps about 2.12 billion tons of waste, a number that is on track to triple by 2100 according to World Bank estimates. To give you an idea how much trash that is, if we’d put all that trash in trucks with a capacity of 40 tons, the line of trucks would stretch over a distance of 960,000km or 2.5 times the distance between the earth and the moon. Seems like a ridiculous amount? That’s because people in developed countries are not confronted daily with the world’s mounting trash problem and it’s consequences. But in Africa, and in Mozambique in particular, improper garbage disposal leads to trash accumulating in the streets and in giant landfills, posing direct and indirect threats to the survival of the population. In 2018 17 people were killed in Maputo, Mozambique’s capital, when a large trash mound partially collapsed due to heavy rainfall. Landfills also contribute to outbreaks of mosquito-borne malaria other diseases all over Africa.

Mozambique is situated on the edge of the Indian Ocean Garbage Patch. There are 5 large garbage patches in the world’s oceans and the Indian Ocean Garbage Patch is the 3rd largest at over 5 million km2. The patch is essentially a massive gyre of litter suspended in the water column and consists of an array of different waste: discarded fishing gear, plastics, chemical sludge and other debris. Whilst a lot of this trash is believed to come from developing nations, we (the UK) actually export a lot of our waste to these nations which then ends up in the ocean so a lot of it actually comes down to us in the UK and other developed countries changing our habits.

If trash goes into the water in Indonesia, it’ll take around 6 years to do a full circle in the ocean currents to get back to the starting point, and that’s if it doesn’t get stuck in the middle of the ocean where it could remain…indefinitely. Scary, right? Right.

What Love The Oceans is Doing

Love The Oceans has been collecting and recording marine debris data since 2017. We conduct weekly beach cleans, removing marine debris from our local beaches and documenting the scale of the issue. The collected marine debris is logged by category and weight using a widely recognised methodology. The three most commonly collected items are plastic fragments, plastic bottle caps and discarded fishing gear. Since May 2017 Love The Oceans has removed over 1000 kg of marine debris from a 15 km stretch of coastline. While some of this debris is local (especially flip-flops and cigarette butts), the vast majority is transported to the area via ocean currents, highlighting the need for international action against marine debris and plastic pollution.

After we have collected the trash off the beaches, we process it – wash, cut & dry it – and then we pack it into what we call eco-bricks. Our eco-bricks are 2L drinks bottles thrown out by resorts here, which we pack tightly with beach clean trash. these eco-bricks are then used in construction at the local schools as part of our projects.

What You Can Do

There are eco-brick initiatives all over the world that you can get involved with if you’d like so check your home country, but there are also plenty of other ways to try your hand at upcycling and create some cool new-old items in the process!

Some of our favourite include (feel free to try these out and send us your vids!):

Get your creative thinking cap on and send us what you come up with when upcycling your old belongings. If you don’t want to use any of your own stuff (please try to!) you can check out second hand, vintage and antique shops, that way you’re not contributing to the problem of waste creation as you’re using something that has been pre-loved.

Originally published by Love the Oceans here

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Guest Blog: Gili Shark Conservation – Our research trip to Nusa Lembongan

This guest blog from Gili Shark Conservation focuses on corals  – their importance, the threats they face and how we can help. Tag along with them on a research trip to Bali. If this has inspired you to be part of the solution, find out more about how you can become a shark warrior.

Coral Restoration

Corals are not only pretty to look at! They are vital to marine life. Coral reefs also protect the shores from storms and tsunamis. They even prevent erosion of beaches. And it’s the only living organism that can be seen from outer space!

Are you convinced that corals are awesome yet? We definitely think so! That’s why we went to learn about coral restoration in Nusa Lembongan in Bali. Come along the ride.

Understanding Corals

It’s time for a 1-minute biology lesson about corals. Understanding the physiology of a coral is not easy, but let’s try anyway. Corals are animals. Invertebrates in fact, which is the same family as jellyfish.

There are soft corals and hard corals. Hard corals are the ones that build the reef… Wait! Build the reef? Are reefs and corals not the same thing? No, actually the coral is the animal and the reef is the structure that the corals live on, which is built by the coral. The coral reef is the whole ecosystem.

The body of a coral is called a polyp. The body is pretty much only made up of a stomach and a mouth. Doesn’t that sound ideal? We bet even if they had a brain, all they could think about would be food! The mouth has tentacles, which the coral uses for hunting. It eats anything from microscopic plankton to tiny fish.

Each polyp is one marine animal. Some polyps, like the mushroom coral, live alone. But most polyps live in big colonies and are dependent on each other like one organism.

Why Coral Restoration?

Corals have existed for about 450 million years, which is 250 million years longer than the dinosaurs. Still, corals are fragile organisms. Coral bleaching is a worldwide phenomenon, which happens when the coral gets stressed. When the coral gets stressed it expels the algae that live inside their tissues. Coral bleaching happens mainly from global warming.

Just because our name is Gili Shark Conservation, doesn’t mean we only work with sharks. We operate from a standpoint that without coral reefs, there would be no bony fish. Without bony fish, there would be no bigger bony fish. And without bigger bony fish, there would be no sharks. That’s why we’re passionate to learn more about coral restoration.

A Research Trip To Bali

That’s how our family of Shark Warriors ended up in Nusa Lembongan at Blue Corner Marine Research. This scientific department of Blue Corner Dive, led by Andrew Taylor, offers courses in coral restoration, which was exactly what we were looking for!

Day 1:  Preparing the frames

We arrived at Blue Corner, Lembongan, in the late afternoon and cracked upon the course straight away. After the first presentation, we each grabbed a metal frame and a paintbrush.

Before placing the frames in the ocean, we were going to treat them with epoxy and a layer of sand. Covering the frames with sand makes the surface more natural and inviting for the corals to make it their new home. Still, we would only treat every second frame. This way, the research team at Blue Corner Marine Research could observe differences in coral growth on various surfaces.

Day 2: Dropping frames

First dive: Investigating the dive site

Our second day of the course was going to be more eventful. After a quick presentation, we ventured out to sea. The objective of the first dive, was going to check out the coral restoration that Blue Corner had already done on the north side of Nusa Penida.

There was already around 50 frames at the coral restoration site. Andrew told us that before starting a coral restoration project it’s important to take several factors into account. You should ask yourself these three questions before starting a project:

1. Is coral restoration in that area necessary?
2. If yes, could you help the corals in that area by simply securing their substrate?
3. If you decide that a restoration project is necessary – which method will you use?

Second dive: Placing the frames

On our second dive, we went to place our frames. First, we dropped them from the boat into the shallow, where we made sure they wouldn’t hit any healthy corals. Afterward, we went diving in buddy teams to carry one frame at a time and place them next to the existing frames on the dive site.

Nusa Lembongan is famous for their currents and so we experienced this day. But fighting the current to place the frames only made the mission feel even more awesome!

Finally, we had to hammer the frames into the substrate. It felt like doing commercial diving, except even better, because we did it with a mission. Who knew coral restoration was so badass?

Day 3: A new home for the coral babies

Third dive: Coral harvesting 

The third and last day in Lembongan had come faster than we wanted it to. But we were eager to continue the project. The first dive of the day was going to focus on the harvesting of corals.

There are a few ways of transplanting coral. The way Andrew found most appropriate for the conditions in Nusa Lembongan was to harvest corals from a healthy colony. When harvesting coral, you first make sure that the parent colony is healthy and big enough to borrow coral from. Then you want to ensure that you don’t harvest more than 10%. If you harvest corals from an existing colony, rather than finding broken coral, the success rate is higher. This is because you can make sure that you are only spreading strong genes.

Back on the boat, we broke the coral fragments into smaller pieces. Andrew told us that corals fragments actually grow faster if the pieces are smaller. So we aimed to make every fragment 10 cm.

When the coral gets stressed, it expels a gooey substance. This made the process of handling the fragments stressful for us as well. You know how it feels. When your best friend is sad, you are sad too. But we kept telling them that it was for the best!

Second dive: Here are the keys to your new home

The time had finally come for us to place our coral babies on their new homes in Nusa Lembongan. We each had the mission of placing 60 pieces spread on 2 frames; one with sand and one without.

Andrew had told us to keep an eye on our air gauge while diving. He said it’s easy to get carried away while transplanting corals. And boy, was he right! We completely forgot about time and space. Time flew by and without blinking, 60 minutes had passed. But we made it! We added another 16 frames in total to Andrew’s coral garden.

Outro

After securing a bright future for our coral babies, it was time to head back to our paradise-home on Gili Air. The Gilis is a place where coral restoration projects are much needed.

In the past, dynamite fishing regularly happened around the islands, which has left its mark. The coral reefs have seen a significant decrease. The proof is visible on all dive sites from the dead rubble coral. But as Mama Ocean, Sylvia Earle, says, “It is the worst of times but it is the best of times because we still have a chance.”

That’s why we are beyond excited to explore the possibilities our new knowledge, about coral restoration, will bring. All we know is that little by little, a little becomes a lot.

Are you ready to be part of the solution? Become a Shark Warrior!

Originally published here

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Guest Blog: Oceans Research – Why is Being Employable so Important?

You’ve got the degree, you’ve got the passion, but is it enough to land that job you want? Are you employable? Oceans Research has written a really useful blog to help you understand what this means and how you can actually demonstrate your employability.

These days, it is simply not enough to get your degree and think you will walk straight into a job after university. What recruiters really look at, is how employable you are.

But what does being ‘employable’ mean?

Employers will obviously take your degree into account, but what they will be really interested in, is how work-ready you are.

This means, you’ll need to be able to show them that you have job specific skills, as well as all the qualities expected of a graduate. The marine employment market is very competitive. To gain an advantage in this field, you will need to have clear employability traits, to show off to perspective employers.

The reason employers look for this, is because they don’t just want to know that you understand the theory of the job. They want to see that you have achieved the skills, understanding and personal attributes that will make you successful in the role. This goes on not only to benefit their workforce, but also the community, and the economy.

Past Oceans Research intern, and current marine biologist and conservationist, Melissa Cristina Márquez, really boosted her employability status through her experience with us “The Oceans Research field course program not only paved the way for me to complete my undergraduate degree thesis, but was seen favourably by graduate schools that were impressed by the variety of skills I learned while in South Africa. I still use the majority of the skills I learned at Oceans Research today in my PhD, and other marine biology work.”

The CareerEDGE Model

In 2007, Lorraine Dacre Pool and Peter Sewell from Centre for Employability, University of Central Lancashire, developed a practical model of graduate employability, called The “Key to Employability” model. They used the mnemonic CareerEDGE, to represent five equally important components of the model. Their aim was to create a framework for students, to develop their employability.

Career Development Learning: becoming more self-aware, and knowing what motivates you, what you most enjoy and are interested in, as well as what suits your personality. Also, the ability to present yourself effectively to prospective employers.
Experience: employers value those who have undertaken work experience, and can articulate and apply what they have learned. According to The Pedagogy for Employability Group (2004), graduates with work experience are more likely to secure employment than graduates without.
Degree: having achieved a degree, and gaining the knowledge, understanding & skills from your studies, as well as how successful you’ve been in achieving that degree, is still very important when looking at career opportunities. However, to be successful in your chosen career, the other CareerEDGE components are vital.
Generic Skills: these include (and are not limited to) – creativity, adaptability, willingness to learn, autonomy, ability to manage others, ability to work under pressure, good oral communication, communication in writing for varied purposes/audiences, numeracy, attention to detail, time management, assumption of responsibility and for making decisions, planning, coordinating and organising ability, and the ability to use new technologies. “…to represent the skills which can support study in any discipline, and which can potentially be transferred to a range of contexts, in higher education or the workplace” (Bennett et al., 1999, p. 76).
Emotional Intelligence: employers want to see that you can be self-motivated, as well as a good team player able to develop effective working relationships.

It’s very important to consider this model and its values, to gain your ‘employable’ status.

How does Oceans Research help?

Our Marine Field Course Program, has been developed to not only give you exposure to a wide variety of marine research projects, but to make sure you gain insights from this hands-on work, that you can apply in your future careers.

2014 intern, Laney Hixson, knows how valuable hands-on experience is “Oceans Research helped jump-start my career as a research scientist. This internship deepened my scientific understanding and expanded my scientific skill set, specifically in data collection and analysis. My experience at Oceans Research provided me with the assurance and confidence to continue pursuing my undergraduate degree in science. Since my time at Oceans Research, I’ve graduated with honors and completed a master’s in animal behavior and welfare. Currently, I’m working on a dual-degree, in which I will obtain a PhD in animal physiology and a Juris Doctor in environmental law. As a lawyer, I plan to use my scientific background to positively influence policy and legislation relating to animals and the environment. I can truly say that I would not be where I am today without Oceans Research, as my experience as an intern served as the catalyst of my successes.”

You work alongside our leading scientists and conservationists to take part in our practical field research. Our projects are conducted both at sea, and on land, with species ranging from mega-fauna such as sharks, whales and dolphins, to intertidal organisms and aquarium residents.

“The staff are absolutely amazing and they provided me with so much knowledge and a myriad of skills that will be unbelievably valuable in my future endeavors as I work toward a career in marine science.”
Bailey Ulrich, 2019 intern.

What skills will you gain?

“The aim of our field course program is to allow our interns to reach their goals, and empower them to follow their dreams, as I wish I could have had when I was a 20’ish year old.”
Oceans Research director of research, Dr Enrico Gennari.

We know that many marine field employers will be looking at your ability to work with data. Data collection and management is a vital aspect of our species population and community assessments, and enables you to play your part in feeding into issues in marine conservation, since the data is used to advise various industries, including the government. You will also take part in physiology and behavioural studies of some of the marine inhabitants in our bay.

You will develop the techniques for ethical and responsible fishing, using our researched applied methods for correctly catching and handling sharks for tag and release. The data collected during these projects is highly important, and used to monitor vulnerable shark populations.

Technology plays a huge role in most marine related fields. We teach you how to use emerging technologies, such as BRUV (Baited Remote Underwater Video), ROV (Remote Operated Vehicles) and drones.

An important skill many of you will go on to require in the future is seamanship on a research vessel, and you’ll learn both the theoretical and practical aspects of this. We know how important it is that you are able to gain experience in maintenance of research vessels and scientific equipment, so this is something you will get involved in on occasion. We also involve our interns in informative workshops and courses.

One of the biggest take-homes that all of our interns walk away with, is knowing which aspects of our various projects, that they enjoyed the most. This paves the way for choosing a career path, when looking at employment opportunities.

Last, and definitely not least, are the relationships our interns gain during their time with us. They acquire essential knowledge in how to work efficiently as a research team, and the self-awareness to understand their strengths in the field. Most develop bonds and friendships that last a lifetime.

Ensuring our interns walk away with essential life and work skills and experiences is really important to our team.

Here is what some of our other past interns have to say about their time with us:

2019 intern, Kristina Betz “I went into this internship not knowing what to expect, I wasn’t sure about my degree or my future. This internship gave me solid proof that this is the field I need to be in. It’s helped me become a stronger scientist, more confident in both myself and my own research.”

2019 intern, Becky Heidt “I learned so much about myself and the amazing marine life I was able to study while I was there. The skills you gain from this experience are priceless and I couldn’t imagine how my life would be now if I hadn’t done this internship! The staff and field specialists were so amazing, supportive, and push you to be the absolute best you can be!”

2019 intern, Parker Brassard “Best experience of my life! Learned so much to further my education back in the USA and would love to come back eventually. All field specialists and staff were very experienced and knew exactly what they were doing, and how to teach all the interns.”

2012 intern, Marie A. Taylor “My experience with Oceans Research was one of the best of my life! Not only was I immersed in fascinating research every day, but I made some lifelong friends along the way. I felt that I had a very well rounded experience. In addition, a class through Oceans Research was where I was introduced to the applications of GIS, which I am now getting a Master’s degree in!”

2019 intern, Kristin Jones “My time interning at Oceans Research was the best month of my life, and I learned more than I thought I would. I developed important skills for my future career and met so many knowledgeable and skilled people.”

2019 intern, Reina Alexander “The most amazing month I’ve ever had!! I learned so much every single day, and I came home with such motivation and inspiration.”

To read the rest of our intern reviews, and see what we’ve been getting up to, check out our Facebook page:

Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236033421_Dacre_Pool_L_and_Sewell_P_2007_The_key_to_employability_developing_a_practical_model_of_graduate_employability_EducationthTraining_Vol_49_No_4_pp_277-89

Written by Esther Jacobs, October 30, 2019 and originally posted here

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Guest Blog: Gili Shark Conservation – Four reasons I quit my job for SCUBA diving and conservation

The big changes happening all around us right now might be causing you to reflect on what’s important to you? A change of career perhaps? This guest blog from Gili Shark Conservation might help!

It’s usually a long time coming. You don’t just quit your job. You think about how to quit your job for a long time before you finally have the guts to pull the plug. There are 100 questions to answer: “What if I can make it better? What if I’m making the wrong decision?” If you think about it that often and hard, you should have quit your job a long time ago!

Upon reflection, these are the four reasons I quit my job for an epic lifestyle change. Marine conservation and scuba diving life here I come!

I didn’t love it. But I love so many things!

I love so many things in life. So why on earth did I not love my job, which I did all day every day?! I have the propensity to be very positive and get excited by a lot of things. It was a sincere waste that one of those things wasn’t what I was spending most of my waking hours devoted to.

I worked in finance (snore, I hear you say). So I spent my days behind the grasp of at least three 22 inch monitors. Enough to make anyone go cross-eyed. The outcome: I made rich men richer. Arguably, a soulless activity. The work was dull and I was bored. I thought there must be a better way to spend my days! I wanted to spend more time doing what I love, and less time doing what I hate.

The golden handcuffs of good pay kept me there for too long. And city life was ‘cool’. Everyone was wearing the season’s latest pattern in Vogue. And everyone was chilling at the ‘vibey-est’ hipster cafes. But we all lived beyond our means. Worldly possessions somehow made the world seem like a better place. Yet these cosmetics didn’t fill the void in my life. That needs filling with sunshine, saltwater, and a sprinkling of sand. I’m more of a chump for the great outdoors, and Mother Nature!

I made the mistake(?!) of seeing the world

I love to travel so I always spent uni summer holidays and a gap year exploring the world. I made the mistake of seeing how other people live their lives. It turns out this meant I could never settle for ‘normal’ anymore.

I’ve always relished being in the great outdoors. I’ve never missed an opportunity to go swimming in the ocean. But when I finally quit my job, I had time to fall in love with it.

I went scuba diving again. I realized I didn’t care about fine dining and fancy bars, but I’m a sucker for a tan and salty skin. And not wearing shoes. And I love Instagram and Facebook, but even more so, I realize the corners of the earth with no service. You get all this in the world of scuba diving.

Drinking local beer, and being with other people who aren’t afraid of sharks! Learning a local language, and tasting the tropical fruits of the world. You can be on the verge of tears because you’ve seen something so magnificent and there are no words to describe it. Behind the protection of your mask, at the mercy of the currents of the ocean!

My great mistake of seeing what was out there in the world meant that I had to see more! I had to quit my job and pursue scuba diving life and my passion for marine conservation.

I’m a millennial, so I want to have a positive impact on the world

It’s in my blood. I was born this way! ‘Millenials’ as we are stereotyped, have an innate desire to do some good for the world. This is according to popular culture and a bunch of articles online. I always tried to put a spin on my old job, of how it was somehow doing good in the world. But the line of reasoning was convoluted. And job satisfaction hinges on making a difference, and I didn’t feel like I was. Did I want to be a tiny cog in a massive machine?

I wanted to do something more wholesome than slaving away in demonified world of finance. A job in marine conservation was calling me. I love scuba diving and wanted to use that passion in a beneficial way.

I didn’t want to only do my Divemaster course. I wanted to contribute more to what I love – the animals side of things. Gili Shark Conservation’s Scientific Diver and Shark AWARE courses seemed perfect. That is for sure a way to have a positive impact on the world. The world would definitely be a better place if everyone contributed to conservation.

I was already in love with scuba diving and marine conservation

If you ask yourself the right questions, you might be able to realize what it is you should ‘do’ with your life. When reflecting on what on earth I spend most of my time thinking about and doing, the answers were right in front of me. Here’s how I found out, and how you can too!

If you’re an Instagram user, which I’m guessing you more likely are:
What do you like most on Instagram? If I go into my liked photos, there’s an aggressive amount of: @natgeo, @oceanramsay, @fathomlesslife, @oceana, @grumptyturtledesign, and accounts of that genre.

I have been following conservation focussed accounts for a long time. Like plastic-free lifestyle, beach cleanups, sustainable living. I was already living vicariously through people who had a job in marine conservation or scuba diving. The next step was to do it and live it myself.

What are your Instagram saved folders? Of course, I have the standard ‘mates’, ‘travel’, ‘memes’ and ‘animals’ (I assume everyone has these? No?). I also have ‘ocean’, ‘diving’ and ‘conservation’ folders. And these folders are full to the brim with my inspirations.

2. What accounts do I always DM to my friends? Or what do I wish I could DM to my friends if only they cared?! Again, apart from memes, it’s a lot of cute animals. Think bobtail squids, baby humpback whales, dolphins, seals, and nudibranchs. And of course sharks!

3. What do I do outside of work? And of more importance, what do I wish I did more outside of work?

Hang out with friends, drink and eat! That’s what I used to do. Unless I had managed to plan a weekend in the countryside or a ridiculous holiday. But what did I wish I could do more outside of work? To be outside, be with animals, and to do something beneficial for this planet and its inhabitants. If that involves the ocean blue, even better! Scuba diving and marine conservation are in perfect alignment with that.

4. What news articles are your thumb-stoppers!? What do you always read about for fun? Which videos on Facebook make you stop scrolling? Is it the devil rays jumping out of the water? Is it a giant whale shark gracefully flying across your screen? Is it an advert for a beach cleanup in your local area? Maybe you want to have a job in marine conservation but you haven’t acknowledged it yet! That’s what I realized.

If you think enough about anything, it becomes reality. The things I follow online. The things I was wishing I was doing. They manifested themselves into my new reality. Once I had processed this, I had to work out how to make it happen! I don’t have a background in marine science, so how on earth was I going to make that transition? Turns out there are a bunch of opportunities and open doors you just have to look in the right places! Becoming a citizen scientist is possible for everyone. And so is getting a job in marine conservation! There’s a tonne of resources out there to help you work it out.

The glorious outcome of scuba diving and marine conservation

After much research, I was so excited to join Gili Shark Conservation Project. It offers the perfect way to live that scuba diving life and engage with marine conservation. Now I know that quitting your job won’t squash your dreams, changing nothing will! So be brave and make the change.

We want to hear from like-minded people like you! If you have a job in marine conservation, or if you’ve recently quit your job for a career change, message us. Or do you want to get a job in marine conservation or improve your scuba diving skills? If the answer’s yes, why don’t you consider becoming a scientific diver with our research team? The opportunities that could come of it were too exciting for me to miss!

Originally published here

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Guest Blog: Reef World Foundation – 9 ocean conservation movies & TV shows we love

This lovely guest blog from Melissa at  The Reef World Foundation is just what you need at this time. Get inspired, learn something new and be poised and ready for when things change!

The events of the last few weeks have left many of us confined to our homes with more time on our hands than usual. For many, that inevitably leads to bingeing TV shows and movies – but it doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t learn a thing or two along the way. There are plenty of shows, series and films out there which address the climate crisis, the threats faced by our oceans and give you some inspiration on how you can try to help. Here, we’ve rounded up a few of our favourites.

BBC’S BLUE PLANET & BLUE PLANET II

You won’t be surprised to see us kicking off this roundup with the legend that is David Attenborough. Despite the ocean covering two thirds of the Earth’s surface, we know very little about it. Yet, the spectacular Blue Planet series will give you a fascinating insight into the mysteries of the deep we do know. Prepare to be transported to a range of magical and mysterious underwater ecosystems – and see some events never before seen by human eyes – through the documentary’s magnificent footage

For even more of Sir David, check out Climate Change – The Facts.

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MISSION BLUE

“No ocean, no life. No ocean, no us.” Sylvia Earle

From one legend to another, we couldn’t do an ocean-movie roundup without mentioning “Her Deepness” – the inimitable marine biologist, oceanographer, diver and explorer: Sylvia Earle. Mission Blue is a Netflix original documentary which follow’s Sylvia Earle’s journey in trying to raise awareness of the dire threats faced by our oceans. Learn how and why she’s made it her life’s purpose to speak for the ocean, calling for us to protect the ocean in the same way we now protect the land through a global network of marine protected areas.

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CHASING CORAL

New Caledonia, March 2016. The Ocean Agency / XL Catlin Seaview Survey

Directed by Jeff Orlowski, this Netflix documentary details a global campaign to research and record the disappearance of coral reefs around the world. It was an ambitious production: with more than 500 hours spent underwater, footage captured in over 30 different countries and over 500 people – including scientists, divers and photographers – coming together to support this film capturing the state of coral reefs and the threats they face.

This documentary, which recorded how some corals glow in vibrant colours in a last desperate effort to survive increasing ocean heat waves – inspired the UN Environment Programme’s Glowing campaign. Glowing aims to make the world take notice of glowing corals and the warning they represent. For more information about the campaign and how you can support it, visit https://www.glowing.org/.

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BBC’S SHARK

Love sharks? Want to watch a season with footage of more than 30 different species? Then you’ll love BBC’s Shark series. This wildlife series meets scientists from around the world who are studying the ocean’s apex predators to find out more about their social interactions, courtships, hunting behaviours (they even use analysis of hunting behaviour to predict the most likely time of day for a shark attack) and the things that threaten their survival.

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A PLASTIC OCEAN

Today, most people are well aware of the problem plastic poses for our ocean. But back in 2016, when this documentary was made, much less was known about the threat of plastic pollution. What started out as a mission to film blue whales – the world’s largest living animal – changed course when the documentary-maker found plastic waste choking the oceans. The documentary then investigates the scale of the plastic problem and tries to find solutions to save our polluted oceans.

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SHARKWATER

“The animal we fear the most is the one we can’t live without.” – Rob Stewart

Humans are killing up to 150 million sharks a year. As a result, shark populations have decreased a staggering 90%. Join filmmaker Rob Stewart in his thrilling quest to find out why people are killing the ocean’s top predator and what he can do to stop it before it’s too late.

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QUEEN OF MANTAS

If you love manta rays, and want to find out more about conservation efforts for this enigmatic species, this documentary is for you. Travel to the stunning Mozambican coastline to learn how marine biologist Dr. Andrea Marshall – aka the “Queen of Mantas” – came to the country to study this enigmatic species. Andrea was the first person in the world to complete a PhD on manta rays and now works tirelessly to spearhead conservation efforts for the species. The documentary’s breathtaking underwater footage will transport you to another world, where you’ll learn about these huge, intelligent and graceful animals through incredible close-up encounters.

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RACING EXTINCTION

The illegal wildlife trade is believed to be one of the world’s most profitable forms of trafficking, after drugs, guns and humans. In Racing Extinction, a team of undercover documentary-makers go on a daring mission to raise awareness of mankind’s role in the extinction of many species and prevent the world’s sixth major extinction.

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FINDING NEMO (& FINDING DORY!)

OK so this popular Disney flick isn’t technically an ocean conservation movie – but its depiction of a bustling coral reefs is beautifully done. AND it’s a great way to teach children (and, perhaps, some adults) never to take marine life, dead or alive.

STAY SAFE EVERYONE AND HAPPY VIEWING!

Originally published here

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