Profile
For the past decade, I have focussed my research on the effectiveness, management and impact of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). This led me to now work as part of the Bertarelli Programme in Marine Science (BPMS) team, planning the research projects in the Indian Ocean region. I have been coordinating the input from the wide array of marine experts of the University of Plymouth, with a focus on contributing in physical oceanography, seabed ecology and habitat connectivity.
We started a pioneering programme aiming to explain patterns of large animal aggregations and the heterogeneity of coral bleaching events by linking these observations with oceanographic processes. This programme has developed thanks to generous funding from the Garfield Weston Foundation and the Bertarelli Foundation.
Just conserving the marine environment as it stands is not enough, given over 150 years of intensive commercial fishing. We need to focus on how we can allow ecosystems to recover if we are to create future healthy oceans and sustainable livelihoods for those who depend on them.
Biography
My Projects
Other interests
My personal interests lie in defining the value of deeper non-coral reef habitats in the Chagos Archipelago and understanding how these deeper habitats connect with shallow water reefs. As well as defining the key processes at work in this region that may importantly inform conservation management in the area surrounding the Chagos Archipelago and other key sites around the world.
Aside from my involvement in the Indian Ocean Region, I am interested in the relationship between conservation, management and marine renewable energy, such as wave or tidal energy. Additionally, I examine the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems and hold a strong interest in the ecology and biodiversity of temperate seagrass beds as well as estuarine invertebrates and fish.