I work on local conservation projects, advising management choices and conducting fish biodiversity surveys!
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- Marshall Islands Research
1. Rapid Ecological Assessments – I count FISH!
I have led 21 rapid biodiversity assessments, and participated in 14. Apart from organising things and sometimes raising funding, I assess reef fish diversity and abundance. I work in the Indo-Pacific region (Australia, Eritrea, Federated States of Micronesia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, RMI, Sri Lanka), but the Caribbean is on the list!
Examples: Ashmore, Komodo, Kimbe Bay (incl reports)
2. Capacity Building
I act as technical advisor or training facilitator to build local capacity in marine planning and decision making. For example, I advised and guided the national conservation planning process in the Marshall Islands: Reimaanlok in 2007. I also acted as technical advisor for marine conservation projects in Australia, Philippines, Madagascar, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. There is much diversity in the format of this work, ranging from training Filipino monitoring teams, to advising Australian marine park managers. In 2013, I conducted a gap analysis of the marine reserve system within the jurisdiction of the Coral Triangle Initiative that aims to protect coral reefs for sustainable use.