By Caitlin Rentell
What made you want to become a marine biologist?’ was one one of the questions asked by a student during an awareness session. I stopped for a second and thought about my answer. I thought about the fact I had studied marine biology at university; but how did i come to that decision. As a child, I had aways loved science, especially biology, but biology is such a vast field – how did I pick marine biology as a path for me? I then remembered a single conservation that I had with a marine biologist, and after that I knew that this was the field I had to pursue.
Awareness is a super power, if you are not aware of what is going on around you, then you will not be able to change it. If I had never met that one marine biologist, I would not have realised the devastation happening to our ocean and I would probably be in a completely different career. Outreach and education can come in many different forms. From events to school classes, virtual sessions or media such as documentaries. Even if it is just a simple conservation, it gives people the chance to pass on this awareness superpower.
And the best people to share this superpower with? The next generation.
Outreach with students is vital for the future of the ocean. Most recently, WiseOceans and our resort partner Ananatara Maia Seychelles Villas visited a local school to talk about all things coral, and how our projects are restoring reefs around Seychelles. The session was voluntary, and students could sign up to attend – it was great to see that 36 students had signed up! A few days later, 12 of the students were able to join at the resort for a sustainability day which included a beach clean, coconut tree planting and a coral restoration workshop. In total 56.1kg of rubbish was collected from the beach in less than an hour and each student got to attach a coral fragment to our coral lines that were put out in the newly established nursery!
The passion and interest that the students showed throughout the two days was incredible. Despite some hesitation at the beginning to get involved, by the end of the two days it was great to have so many questions being thrown around with many students wanting to know how they can become a marine biologist or how they can partake in conservation. This truly gives a sense of hope for the future!
If you are looking to get into conservation, or you are an early career scientist looking to gain experience, keep an eye on our opportunities board for outreach and education internships!
Or why not reach out to local community groups such as schools to see if you can host an outreach event with WiseOceans to raise awareness of the ocean.
The more awareness, the more impact we can make in protecting the ocean!
