Ocean experts. People that will inspire you to take the plunge yourself

Ameer Abdulla, Ph.D.

Senior Specialist/Group Leader, Marine Biodiversity and Conservation Science

At:IUCN Global Marine Programme : coral reefs, monitoring, fisheries, and marine protected areas

Vera Agostini

Scientist, Global Marine Initiative

At:The Nature Conservancy : Fisheries Oceanography, Climate change and marine ecosystems, Marine Zoning, Ecosystem Based Management, Marine Protected Area Design

Åsa Andersson

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator for the Baltic Sea, and Manager of the Baltic Sea Program, WWF Sweden

At:WWF Sweden : marine space-based conservation

Jeff Ardron

WCPA-Marine Advisor on MPA Design, Tools and Software and Scientific Advisor to the WCPA-Marine High Seas MPA Task Force and Director, High Seas Program, MCBI

At:MCBI : marine spatial planning and high seas

Jennifer Ashworth

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator for the North East Atlantic, and Marine Protected Areas Specialist, Natural England

At:Natural England : MPAs

Mabel Augustowski

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator for the South Atlantic and Biological Oceanographer, Marine Conservation Research Center (CEMAR)

At:CEMAR : dive tourism management in MPAs and integrating species conservation programs (mainly cetaceans) in MPA management

Dan Basta

Director

At:Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, NOAA :

Michael W. Beck

Senior Scientist, Global Marine Initiative

At:The Nature Conservancy : Coastal Marine Habitat Conservation & Restoration, Estuarine Ecology, Regional Planning & Zoning, MPAs, Marine Conservation Agreements (MCAs)

Rob Brumbaugh, Ph.D.

Restoration Program Director, Global Marine Initiative

At:The Nature Conservancy : Marine Habitat Restoration, Shellfish Reefs, Estuaries and Bays

Dr. Kwang Sik Choi

WCPA-Marine Country Coordinator for Korea, and Professor, School of Applied Marine Science, Cheju National University

At:Cheju National University :

Segundo Coello

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator for the South East Pacific

At:WCPA : ecotourism, MPAs and fisheries

Harlan Cohen, Ph.D.

Advisor on Ocean Governance and International Institutions

At:IUCN Global Marine Programme : marine law and conventions, governance and high seas

Steve Cox

Vice President and Priority Leader, Gulf of California

At:WWF : Strategic program planning; NGO organizational development; Economics and public policy for conservation; Community economic development

Juan Eduardo Bezaury Creel

WCPA-Marine Country Coordinator for Mexico, and Environmental Policy Director, The Nature Conservancy

At:The Nature Conservancy : increasing protected areas' fiscal budget and the creation and recategorization of protected areas

Kim Davis

Director - US Bycatch Initiative Marine Fisheries Program

At:WWF : Kim leads WWF's efforts to employ field, policy and marketing strategies to reduce fisheries bycatch around the world.

Jon C. Day

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator for Australia/New Zealand, and Director, Ecosystem Conservation and Sustainable Use, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

At:GBRMPA : MPA planning and management

Elizabeth De Santo, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

At:Marine Affairs Programme, University of Dalhousie : marine protected area governance, international environmental law, cold-water corals

Daniela Diz

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator for the North West Atlantic

At: :

Mathieu Ducrocq

Marine Programme Coordinator, West Africa

At:IUCN Global Marine Programme : fisheries, marine protected areas, alternative livelihoods, shark conservation

Bill Eichbaum

Vice President and Managing Director, Marine Program

At:WWF : Environmental law; marine conservation - with emphasis on governance issues; large-scale conservation program management

Mohamed Eltayeb, Ph.D.

Marine Programme Officer

At:IUCN West Asia & Middle East Regional Office (WAME) :

Alejandro Fallabrino

WCPA-Marine Country Coordinator for Uruguay, and President, South West Atlantic Network for the research and conservation of sea turtles

At:WCPA : MPAs, sea turtle conservation

Zach Ferdaña

Senior Marine Planner, Global Marine Initiative

At:The Nature Conservancy : Ecosystem-Based Management, Marine Planning, GIS

Helen E. Fox

Senior Marine Conservation Biologist

At:WWF : Marine ecology, threats, and conservation; coral reefs; marine protected area design

Steve Gaines

Director, Marine Science Institute, UC Santa Barbara

At:PISCO : marine conservation; marine reserves; biogeography; effects of climate change on coastal ecosystems; effects of ocean circulation on dispersal; sustainable fisheries

Mauricio Galvez-Larach

Coordinator, Marine Conservation Program

At:WWF Chile : Fisheries management and governance. Fish market schemes. Marine protected areas. Ecoregion conservation planning and marine spatial. High Seas governance.

Carlos Gaymer

Profesor Asociado, Departamento de Biologia Marina

At:Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Aridas (CEAZA) :

Eric Gilman

Marine Science Advisor

At:IUCN Global Marine Programme : fisheries by-catch, tuna fisheries, coastal ecosystem responses to relative sea-level rise, coastal and marine ecology

Kristina Gjerde

High Seas Policy Advisor

At:IUCN Global Marine Programme : high seas, marine law and conventions, marine protected areas

Philipp Goeltenboth

Managing Director, Coastal East Africa

At:WWF : Community-based natural resource management; African mammals; Wildlife management; Marine conservation; Conservation in Africa

Marina Gomei, Ph.D.

Project Officer, Marine Biodiversity

At:IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation : marine protected areas, marine biodiversity

Sarah Gotheil

Programme Officer

At:IUCN Global Marine Programme :

Dr. Hugh Govan

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator for the North and South Pacific, Melanesia subregion, and NCT member, Locally Managed Marine Area Network

At:Locally Managed Marine Area Network : community development, traditional knowledge, capacity building strategies, human rights and governance

Susie Grant

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator for the Antarctic and Marine Protected Area analyst, British Antarctic Survey

At:British Antarctic Survey : Antarctic conservation

Hedley Grantham

Post-Doctoral Research Fellow

At:University of Queensland : Decision Support, Marine Spatial Planning

Gabriel Grimsditch

Programme Associate

At:CORDIO East Africa : coral reefs, climate change

Kirsten Grorud-Colvert

Marine Reserve Science Coordinator, Oregon State University

At:PISCO : marine reserve science; fish ecology; coral reefs; predator-prey interactions

Lynne Hale

Director, Global Marine Initiative

At:The Nature Conservancy : Integrated Coastal Zone Management, Tourism Planning Development, Marine Protected Areas

Alasdair Harris

Founder and Research Director

At:Blue Ventures :

Kohei Hibino

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator for the North-West Pacific and Research Scientist, Japan Wildlife Research Center

At:Japan Wildlife Research Center : coral reef MPAs of East Asia and Micronesia

Andrew Hurd

Deputy Head, IUCN Global Marine Programme

At:IUCN Global Marine Programme : project development, high seas management, sustainable financing, coastal livelihoods

Dr. Charlotte Karibuhoye

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator, West Africa and Coordinator, Marine Protected Areas Programme, FIBA

At:FIBA - International Foundation for the Banc d'Arguin : MPAs, institutional networking, participatory project planning, monitoring and evaluation, wildlife monitoring, community-based conservation, management effectiveness assessment

Kathy Kelly

MPA Librarian

At:National Marine Protected Areas Center, NOAA :

William Kostka

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator for the North and South Pacific, Micronesia subregion

At:Micronesia Conservation Trust : MPA networks

Dr. Mohammed. M. A. Kotb

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator for the Arabian Seas, Coordinator of Biodiversity & MPA's Programme for PERSGA

At:PERSGA (The Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden) : coral ecology, reef rehabilitation, underwater survey techniques

Dan Laffoley

Marine Vice Chair IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas, & Marine Principal Specialist Chief Scientist's Team Natural England

At:IUCN WCPA & Natural England :

Finn Larsen

Western Gray Whale Conservation Initiative

At:IUCN Global Marine Programme :

Alfonso Lombana

Marine Conservation Specialist

At:WWF : Marine ecology, landscape ecology, GIS

Jane Lubchenco

Distinguished Professor of Zoology, Oregon State University

At:PISCO : marine conservation biology; marine reserves; public understanding of science; ecosystem services; ecological causes and consequences of global change; biodiversity; sustainable ecological systems; rocky intertidal shores; plant-herbivore interactions.

Fil.Lic. Carl Gustaf Lundin

Head, IUCN Global Marine Programme

At:IUCN Global Marine Programme : marine protected areas, building partnerships for conservation of ecosystems and endangered marine species, sustainable fisheries management, and climate change effects on marine resources

Imène Meliane

Marine Programme Officer

At:IUCN Global Marine Programme : marine invasives, bioprospecting, coral reefs, sharks, Convention on Biological Diversity

Elizabeth Moore

Director of Sanctuary International Program

At:Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, NOAA :

Nyawira Muthiga

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator for East Africa and Conservation Scientist, Wildlife Conservation Society

At:Wildlife Conservation Society : management and conservation of East African marine ecosystems

Kate Newman

Managing Director, Coral Triangle

At:WWF : Aquatic ecology; Coastal and marine conservation issues; Marine protected areas; Turtle conservation program; Ecoregion conservation planning and management; African conservation, particularly marine community-based natural resource management

Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, Ph.D.

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator, Mediterranean and Black Seas, and Honorary President, Tethys Research Institute

At:Tethys Research Institute :

Jeanne Pagnan

Vice President and Environmental Consultant, Twin Dolphins

At:Twin Dolphins : terrestrial and marine arctic biodiversity

Jennifer Palmer

Marine Programme Officer

At:IUCN Global Marine Programme : marine biodiversity, community based conservation, marine mammals and sea turtles, and communications and outreach

John Parks

WCPA-Marine Country Coordinator for the USA and Senior Advisor, Community-based Marine Conservation

At:The Nature Conservancy : Pacific marine conservation

Wanfei Qiu

WCPA-Marine Country Coordinator for China

At:WCPA : Chinese MPAs

François Simard

Advisor on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs

At:IUCN Global Marine Programme : fisheries, marine sustainability, marine protected areas

Jennifer Smith

Manager, GIS/Conservation Planning, WWF Canada

At:WWF Canada : expertise in the use of Marxan

Lauren Spurrier

Managing Director, Galapagos

At:WWF : Galapagos; Marine protected area governance; Ecotourism; Community-based conservation; Community-based development

Aarthi Sridhar

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator, Central Indian Ocean

At:Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment : coastal and marine legislation, sustainable livelihoods and development

Matt Stout

Director of Communications

At:Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, NOAA :

Jerker Tamelander

Coordinator CORDIO/Indian Ocean

At:IUCN Global Marine Programme : coral reefs, coastal zone management

Moi Khim Tan

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator for the East Asian Seas and Manager (database), Reefbase, the WorldFish Center

At:The Worldfish Center : coral reef database and project management

Alifereti Tawake

WCPA-Marine Country Coordinator for Fiji, and Project Manager, Institute of Applied Sciences, University of the South Pacific

At:Institute of Applied Sciences :

Valentina Todorova

WCPA-Marine Country Coordinator for the Black Sea, and Professor, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

At:Bulgarian Academy of Sciences : taxonomy, biology and ecology of zoobenthos in the Black Sea, diversity and distribution of seabed habitats, ecological state indicators, bottom trawling impact assessment, invasive alien species, and conservation of marine ecosystems

Sebastian Troëng

Senior Director of Regional Marine Strategies

At:Conservation International : biodiversity assessment, marine capacity building, government capacity building, NGOs

Jay Udelhoven

Senior Policy Advisor, Market-based Marine Conservation Strategies

At:The Nature Conservancy : Market-based strategies, Leasing & Ownership of Marine Lands (ocean bottom)

Leslie Walling

Coastal Resource Manager

At:Coastal Solutions : vulnerability and impact assessment, conservation planning, policy formulation, capacity building, and community awareness and outreach

Kathy Walls

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator for the North and South Pacific, Polynesia subregion

At:WCPA : MPA networks and ecosystem-based management

Stephanie Wear

Marine Protected Areas Specialist, TNC Global Marine Initiative

At:The Nature Conservancy : Marine Protected Areas, Coral Reef Conservation, Climate Change & Coral Reefs, Community-Based Conservation

Alan White

Marine Protected Areas Senior Scientist, Global Marine Initiative

At:The Nature Conservancy : Marine Protected Areas, Coral Reef Conservation, Economics of Coastal Resources, Integrated Coastal Management, experience in South and Southeast Asia

Jean W. Wiener

Director

At:Fondation pour la Protection de la Biodiversité Marine (FoProBiM) : Coastal and Marine Sciences, Community Development, and Environmental Management

Margaret Williams

Managing Director Bering Sea & Kamchatka

At:WWF : Education in the Bering Sea ecoregion; Russian conservation; Arctic wildlife and conservation issues; Bering Sea ecoregion environmental stresses; Biodiversity projects in Russia and Central Asia

Kate Willis Ladell

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator for the North East Pacific and Marine Planing & Protected Areas Campaign Manager, Living Oceans Society

At:Living Oceans Society : marine planning and protected areas

Louisa Wood, Ph.D.

Technical Advisor on Marine Protected Areas

At:IUCN Global Marine Programme : marine protected areas, marine biodiversity

Geoff York

Arctic Program Polar Bear Conservation Coordinator

At:WWF : Polar Bear conservation