Tag: volunteering
Staff Q&A with Trevor Jones, Geospatial Analyst; Manager, Blue Carbon Science
In the latest instalment in our series of staff Q&As, we ask Trevor Jones, Geospatial Analyst; Manager, Blue Carbon Science, some searching questions about science, conservation and superpowers… What did you want to be when you were growing up? Outside....
Lobster with a side of lionfish
by Silvia Parmeggiani, Community Officer, Belize Despite the early start, the full sun was already beating down on us as we drive down the dusty road from Sarteneja, on our way to Belize City. Belize is a country of many cultures,...
In the making: the future biologists of Belize
by Winnie Courtene-Jones and Meira Mizrahi, Field Scientists, Belize Throughout this academic year, Blue Ventures’ staff team has again been working closely with the natural resource management classes at the Centro Escolar Mexico Junior College (CEMJC). This enthusiastic group of students...
Project integration: expeditions meet aquaculture
By Madison Kane, Expedition Manager, Madagascar On a Friday afternoon, after some beautiful morning dives, the expedition volunteers eagerly await their ride to Tampolove; a trip I have always said is one of my favourites. Jaws drop and gasps of...
Staff Q&A with Meira Mizrahi, Field Scientist, Belize
In the latest instalment in our series of staff Q&As, we ask Meira Mizrahi, Field Scientist, Belize, some searching questions about science, conservation and superpowers… What is your scientific background? I gained a BSc in Ecology & Conservation at James Cook University, Cairns....
A Madagascar Phenomenon: Baobab Trees
by Madison Kane, Expedition Manager, Madagascar Anywhere you go you’ll see trees; from palms in the Caribbean to snowy pines in Canada,from redwoods in California to eucalyptus in Australia. You name it, they’re all over. However, never had I seen...
On the lionfish warpath with BV’s inaugural lionfish expedition!
by Meira Mizrahi, Field Scientist, Belize The start of a new expedition is always exciting; new surveys and sights, the anticipation of getting back to Bacalar Chico and into the beautiful Belizean waters, and the fresh and enthusiastic energy that...
The most remarkable place…
by Drew Lindqvist, BV Volunteer, Madagascar I don’t know how to begin concerning a description of Andavadoaka, let alone Madagascar, except to say that it’s the most remarkable corner of the earth I’ve ever been invited to discover. It may...
Staff Q&A with Winnie Courtene-Jones, Field Scientist, Belize
In the latest instalment in our series of staff Q&As, we ask Winnie Courtene-Jones, Field Scientist, Belize, some searching questions about science, conservation and superpowers… What is your academic/professional background? From a very early age I was fascinated by the...
Time to sail-a-brate at the Sarteneja Regatta!
by Silvia Parmeggiani, Community Officer, Belize Every year, as April begins, something changes in the village of Sarteneja. It is a slow change at first, but quite noticeable if you have lived here some months. Firstly, the fishermen return to...
A day in the life: Not your average Wednesday
by Madison Kane, Expedition Manager, Madagascar From the perspective of a staff member who was once a volunteer, I understand the ‘I’m-only-here-for-six-weeks’ feeling and making an effort to get everything you want done, in just 45 days. Knowing this feeling, we...
What happens when animals go to school?
by Silvia Parmeggiani, Community Officer, Belize As we (we being the BV Belize team) wait for our new batch of volunteers to arrive and join us for the third expedition of this year, we ‘re getting very excited. They arrive throughout the day, some...
Learning about lionfish
By Susan Adams, expedition volunteer, Belize As an interdisciplinary marine conservation organisation, Blue Ventures targets its efforts across many levels. In Belize, the main focus is tackling the lionfish invasion that is threatening to decimate juvenile fish populations in the local...
Aquaculture under the stars in Tampolove
By Johanna Medvey, Blue Ventures volunteer, Andavadoaka, Madagascar We bump along the sandy tracks leading away from Andavadoaka, perched in our trusty ox carts as the sun rises and tinges the baobab trees pink. Our group of nine volunteers and three staff...
Sailing serenity: how to spend your day off in Andavadoaka
By Madison Kane, Expedition Manager, Andavadoaka, Madagascar If you stand at the top of the hill at Coco Beach (the base for Blue Ventures’ expedition volunteers in Andavadoaka) and admire the village down below, you see hundreds of wooden canoes...