What does a marine research expedition involve? Having fun raising money? Yup! Lots of not-so-fun planning and logistics? Yup! Getting to travel to a tropical location to do awesome research? Definitely! Learning about the natural world around us and investigating how our oceans are being affected by all sorts of human impacts is necessary to know how best to conserve them. But it is not always sufficient. Involving and engaging people in research and conservation issues is vital, because ultimately, the success of any conservation effort depends on the attitudes, interests and understanding of those directly affected.
That is why a major part of our expedition is public outreach and engagement. Even our logo is inspired by involving people with the sea and we are so excited to involve schools and local communities in our work, both here in Glasgow and in Egypt.
In Glasgow, our outreach efforts will be focused on school visits, talks and activities. We want young people to be excited about the ocean and its inhabitants - how about weird looking parasites that live inside bigger animals? Or fish that have beaks or can blow themselves up? By giving fun, interactive talks and hands on experiments at schools and science festivals we will help them understand that all these animals have important roles in the ocean and appreciate the fascinating natural environment.
We also hope that by constantly updating our website, blog and social networking sites, we reach a wider audience and engage more people than ever in our research. By posting pictures of the sights we will see in Egypt (both amazing pristine coral reefs and perhaps some that have been impacted by us humans) we can bring these habitats in to people’s homes, perhaps changing an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality that is so easily fell in to when living in cold, rainy Scotland.
When we reach Egypt, our focus will shift to working closely with the local community as a whole. We will ask questions on fishing practices to find out where they fish and who their catch is sold on to but also to find out how the people feel towards marine protected areas; are they a help or a hindrance? In turn, the community has the chance to ask us any questions and improve their knowledge of ocean ecosystems and the threats they are facing. Overall, we hope to help them come up with management ideas that work for the community, have their approval, and will benefit them whilst protecting coral reefs in the long term. We believe this is the best way to ensure any new fishing or conservation regulations will be followed effectively.
So that is what our expedition involves – everyone. The more the merrier. From Scotland to Egypt. Only by actively engaging people will our work be a success. Now let's begin by saying “Awwww” at the cutest little porcupine fish…
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