Collating all available information on the potential for Blue Carbon in Namibia and the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME), including existing and new projects.

Identifying and mapping stakeholders (Interested and Affected Parties) for this work.

Building on existing datasets, exploring options for a holistic marine habitat database and map for inshore and offshore Namibian EEZ that would enhance the evidence base for a Blue Economy in Namibia

From an undergraduate Zoology degree through Wits University in Johannesburg to a marine mammal focused MSc and PhD through the University of Pretoria, although based in Cape Town at the Iziko SA Museum. After graduating, I had the privilege to travel and work in several other countries including the UK and Gabon but most of my work since my PhD has been focused in Namibia and South Africa. My research has focused primarily on the conservation ecology of cetaceans to investigate how these top predators adapt their social dynamics, foraging strategies and habitat use patterns to different environmental conditions. Over the last few years, I have broadened my interests and work roles, seeking new career directions where I can make a wider and more immediate difference in the world. A combination of marine mammals as a target of tourism, and the potential role of recovering whale stocks as carbon reservoirs has brought my work more into the economic and carbon-capture space and in April 2022, I have had the opportunity to join SAERI and the One Ocean Hub as a Marine Specialist investigating the role of Blue Carbon (carbon capture using natural marine resources) in Namibia.