By Nicolas Blanc. Science is sometimes seen with a certain degree of skepticism by the general public. Scientists often lack the tools (or willingness) to properly communicate about their research outside conferences and peer-reviewed papers, which leads to an increasingly isolated scientific community, and to no real contact between the general public and science. Furthermore,…
Interview: Marine Conservationist and Storyteller Tom Vierus
By Nuri M. Steinmann. Tom Vierus is a photographer, filmmaker, 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 approach assignments with a deep understanding. Besides his strong interest in science and particularly shark ecology…
Marine litter in Portugal: Addressing a global concern with local action
By João Frias. The Associação Portuguesa de Lixo Marinho (APLM) is a Portuguese non-profit non-governmental organisation whose mission is to reduce the impacts of litter in marine, coastal and estuarine ecosystems, while at the same time promoting outreach, awareness and co-responsibility activities based on values of sustainable consumption, citizenship, solidarity and environmental protection, using…
The Black Fish – Working For The Oceans
By Valeska Diemel. The Black Fish is an international organisation that works to end illegal overfishing. Our approach brings together people and the benefits of modern technology to protect the oceans through enforcement of environmental regulations. The Black Fish was founded in Amsterdam in 2010 by a group of young conservationists who set out to…
The Turtles of São Tomé Island
By Ruben Perez Perez. On the forgotten island of São Tomé, sea turtles have been considered a prized food and jewels source since humans landed on the beaches of the archipelago back in the 15th century. These threats have led to a decline of sea turtle population in the region, reaching critical levels. However, in the…
The power of citizen science to protect the mangrove crab in Brazil
By Laura McBride. Often in the pursuit of conserving a species comes the clash between those trying to protect it and those who survive off it. However, a new smartphone app, the brain child of Dr Karen Diele (Edinburgh Napier University/St Abbs Marine Station) and her colleague Dr Anders Schmidt (Federal University of Southern Brazil)…
A spongy success story from Zanzibar
By Nuri M. Steinmann. Christian Vaterlaus and Connie Sacchi from Switzerland wanted to start over and begin a new life. They have done so in a quite bizarre way: They became sponge farmers. In Zanzibar they try to battle poverty, provide sustainable jobs and raise awareness for local marine conservation issues by cultivating sponges. It’s…
