British Divers Marine Life Rescue: Saving one seal at a time

By Zuzanna Dusza. British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), set up in 1998, was initially a group of divers gathering together to respond to a common seal mass mortality event caused by the Phocine Distemper Virus epidemic in East Anglia. Since then, the organisation has participated in rescuing marine wildlife whether due to marine disasters…

The Important Link Between Industry and Conservation – The Firth of Forth Lobster Hatchery

By Duncan MacDougall. Too often, well-meaning conservation efforts conflict with local industry. There are many conservation projects which inadvertently involve trying to undermine huge swathes of local economies without considering the consequences of such reckless behaviour. Of course, successful conservation projects must have local people on their side. So, how can seemingly conflicting interests, conservation…

Emily Cunningham – marine conservation consultant, researcher and educator working across the UK

By Hannah Schartmann. Hi Emily! What steps did you take to become a marine conservation specialist and which skills are important to pursue a career as a conservationist?  I always knew I wanted to work in marine conservation but after graduating from my integrated master’s degree in marine biology, I had no idea how to…