By Hannah Schartmann. Our oceans are the largest ecosystems on our planet and home to up to 80% of all life in the world. We all depend on the ocean, even if we don’t live by it. The ocean supplies half the oxygen we breathe and absorbs around 25% of all carbon dioxide we produce….
Tag: marine conservation
An update from Marine Conservationist Tom Vierus – About working and living in Fiji, the COVID-19 crisis and more
By Nuri Max Steinmann. It has been three years since our first interview with Tom Vierus. Time for an update! Tom is a photographer, filmmaker, writer and marine biologist. While being involved with photography for more than ten years, Tom’s background as a marine biologist is a strong asset in storytelling and allows him to…
Make The Ocean Great Again – The Vision Lives On
By Nuri Max Steinmann. More than three years ago, the idea for this blog was born. Back then, the world wasn’t facing a pandemic, but the global sentiment wasn’t that bright either. Climate change was soon recognized as a climate crisis, as powerful hurricanes, devastating wildfires, floods, record-breaking heat and Donald Trump were all over…
Interview with Susan Bengtson Nash, Program Director of the Southern Ocean Persistent Organic Pollutants Program at Griffith University, Australia
By Hannah Schartmann. A warm welcome and thank you very much for the interview. Can you tell me a bit more about you? What is your background? I am a polar scientist and I am passionate about Planetary Health. I lead the Southern Ocean Persistent Organic Pollutants Program (SOPOPP). The Program focuses on investigating how…
Make Sea Cucumbers Great Again – A Success Story from Zanzibar
By Nuri Max Steinmann. Sea cucumbers are among the least appealing animals on this planet. They are not only called like a vegetable, they also look like one, so why even care? Besides their great variety of colours and sizes, their importance for marine ecosystems is well documented. But they have also gained a lot…
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…
Aljoscha Wothke, CEO of the Environmental Research Institute Charlotteville (ERIC), on marine conservation in Trinidad and Tobago, COVID 19 and more
By Robyn Thomson. Based in the rural fishing village, Charlotteville, Environmental Research Institute Charlotteville (ERIC) is an organisation dedicated to promoting sustainability for the people and ecosystems around North East Tobago. Their mission is “to value and integrate diverse knowledge and experience to manifest a mutually beneficial relationship between the coastal communities and ecosystems of…
An Homage to Female Passion and Power in Ocean Conservation – The Sirene Project
By Leoni Dickerhoff. “Although women began to join oceanographic expeditions in the 60’s and female representation in academic research has increased since then, the ratio of women to men at higher ranks in ocean science still lags. New results revealed that female scientists make up for on average 38% of the researchers in ocean science,…
What is it like to live and work in the Antarctic?
By Hannah Schartmann. Julia Loftfield is working at the Alfred-Wegner Institute (AWI). Currently, she is overwintering in the Antarctic. The Neumayer Station III is the German Antarctic Research Centre. You are responsible for the air-chemistry observatory at the station. What does a typical day look like for you? Typically I get up around 7 / 7:30…
Luana Jungmann about her NGO CuriOcean educating students in Ireland
Luana Jungmann is a Marine Conservationist and Environmental Educator, who travelled the world to discover different cultures and dealt with a variety of marine conservation topics. Her marine biology and teaching background inspired the creation of a concept that could meet the increasing demand to pass on the information collected by scientists to the public in a pedagogical and…