EcoVybz Podcast

In this powerful episode of the Ecovybz Podcast, we journey to St. Maarten to speak with Star Peterson, a passionate environmental activist and political advocate. Together, we dive into the complex dynamics of climate justice in the Caribbean, discussing how the region's colonial legacy continues to shape and hinder climate action efforts. Star provides deep insights into the systemic challenges facing the Caribbean and highlights the intersection of environmental degradation and political structures. We explore the colonial presence in the region and its lingering impact on governance, climate policy, and community resilience. Star also shares his personal journey into environmental activism, his connection to nature and the ocean, and how his love for sports intertwines with his advocacy for climate action. Tune in to hear a candid conversation about the need for systemic change, the fight for climate justice, and how Caribbean youth are standing up for their future in the face of political and environmental challenges. Be sure to follow @Ecovybz on all Social Media platforms.

Meet Javier Pardo Díaz is a thesis student at the Biology School with an orientation in Marine Biology and Limnology at the University of Panama. He is currently working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute on long-term projects on water quality monitoring and mangrove restoration in the Bay of Panama. Since the beginning of his career, he has been part of different NGOs such as Sustainable Ocean Alliance Panama, Reef 2 Reef Foundation, and the Ghost Net Removal project with the Panama Aquatic Resources Authority, among others, and is an active volunteer for many other foundations that they seek a more sustainable future for all. Javier was one of the 77 young people selected to participate in the Youth Leadership Summit and the Our Ocean 2023 conference, he also participated as a delegate to CITES COP 19 in 2022, both held in the Republic of Panama. In addition to being part of research projects, he works as an underwater cameraman focused on environmental education, educating the civil community, young students, children, and adults. In this Episode, Javier and I take a deep dive into the importance of coastal ecosystems in Panama and some of the issues the country faces when it comes to marine conservation. If you are interested in learning more about Javier be sure to follow him on Instagram. Be sure to also follow @ecovybz on all platforms and if you would like to be featured on the podcast shoot me an email ecovybz@gmail.com and lets create some magic!

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Andrés Bisonó León is a ClimateTech entrepreneur working at the intersection of social impact and Climate Action. Andres holds a dual major in Mechanical Engineering and Finance from Drexel University. Social and environmental impact has always been part of Andres' life endeavours. Since 2018, Andres has been leading SOS Carbon Inc. Sargassum Ocean Sequestration of Carbon (SOS Carbon) which is a spin-off company from the Mechanical Engineering department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). SOS Carbon is focused on scaling its unique patented technologies to turn the sargassum seaweed invasions problem into an economical natural ocean carbon sequestering opportunity. As a member of the MIT Sloan School of Management and Legatum Fellow, Andres’ motivation is his capacity to transform society and the environment for a better tomorrow. SOS Carbon is committed to solving one of the Caribbean's most threatening problems, generating employment and value chains to the region, and fight climate change for a global impact. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the Sargassum invasion occurring in the Caribbean and its impacts in the region whilst also discussing the work of SOS Carbon in the Dominican Republic. Feel free to connect with SOS Carbon on Instagram or connect with Andres on Linkedin.  For more great content be sure to also following @EcoVybz on all platforms! 

In this episode I chat with my colleague and friend Mark Haver! After graduating from Florida Southern College in May 2020, Mark became a policy and communications consultant for a start-up government and public affairs firm for ocean and environmental clients. Simultaneously, he launched Sustainable Ocean Alliance's inaugural Youth Policy Advisory Council. Mark has led youth engagement in national and international campaigns for ocean and climate issues, such as for the Global Blue New Deal, a youth-led, stakeholder-driven ocean and climate policy framework, and for a deep seabed mining moratorium. He has launched his own environmental action consulting firm, BlueGreen Generation. His clients include Sustainable Ocean Alliance as their North American Regional Representative and Global Policy Advisor and Global Fashion Exchange, as the founder and brand ambassador of Swap For Your Life to grow the sustainable fashion exchange movement in the global LGBTQ+ community. Together we discuss the challenges of youth advocacy work, the climate crisis and his passion for sustainable fashion! To learn more about mark follow him on social media @oceanswarrior and be sure to also follow @ecovybz to keep up to date with all things podcast related! 

In this week's episode, I chat with Dr Kimberly Baldwin, a marine ecologist with specialized skills in geoinformatics, focusing on participatory research and the utility of information technologies to support stakeholder engagement and collaborative approaches to develop more holistic information for environmental planning and management. Presently her research includes the use of drone and information technology platforms to support mapping and modelling of the environment. Dr Kimberly also has extensive practical experience teaching and conducting: field surveys, mapping and monitoring applications; remote sensing, spatial data management, modelling and analysis; participatory mapping, marine spatial planning and stakeholder engagement techniques. Together we discuss the role of information technology and marine spatial planning tools for marine conservation in the Caribbean and the importance of developing a participatory approach to ensure all stakeholders are involved in marine initiatives from idea to execution. We also touch on the importance of drone technology in the region and its use as a tool to empower local communities to engage with the ocean and provide data to the necessary parties.  To learn more about Dr Kimberly and to connect with her check her information below. Be sure to note that you came from the EcoVybz Podcast!  Email: baldwin.kimberly@gmail.com Business website: www.marsis.us LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkimbaldwin/ Instagram: @dronesorbust E-portfolio: www.kimberlybaldwin.tumblr.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarineSpatialInformationSolutions PhD Research website: www.grenadinesmarsis.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grenadinesmarsis

Katie Storr is a Bahamian Ocean Entrepreneur. Though she is a woman of many talents and passions, she is widely known for private Scuba Diving Instruction onboard luxury yachts cruising throughout The Bahamas. Also specializing in Media and Content Curation, she creates specialized content for a variety of tour operators and maritime-related businesses in The Bahamas. With 12 PADI Distinctive Specialities, 200+ PADI Certified Students, and 5000+ Scuba Dives under her belt, Katie is a Bahamian ocean icon willing to venture where most wouldn't underwater in the Bahamas. PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, Reef Rescue Network Instructor and VIP AYI Chief Yacht Stewardess Katie Storr, was introduced to the ocean at a very young age. She has had an undeniable love for the ocean and its marine life since the first time her eyes ventured below the surface. Mermaid Katie, as she is affectionately called by many, is one of the few professional black women in the world to teach Underwater Photography as a Professional Instructor and loves curating memories and sharing them with others to spread her love and devotion for Ocean Education and Photography & Film. She is Co-Founder of “The Ocean of Colour” an online community showcasing the importance of People of Colour within the ocean space and blue economy. They have successfully created the first black-owned ocean publication in the world - written, designed and published by Zandi Ndhlovu and Katie Storr. Melanin Yachties, a community formed to be a support system for People of Colour working in the Maritime and Yachting industry, is also the brainchild of Katie. Her strong belief in representation within the ocean space brought about this community that focuses primarily on bringing ocean awareness, education, jobs and training opportunities, and events featuring people of colour locally and internationally. Adding to her portfolio as a Shark4Kids Ambassador, Shark Advocate and Shark Awareness Instructor, Katie has partnered with Shark Education to create innovative ways for young Bahamians – and potentially youth around the world - to grasp shark education in the classroom through online webinars and short films she creates using voice-overs, film and shark curriculum created by Shark4Kids founder Jillian Morris-Brake. In this episode, we have a great chat about the importance of representation in marine conservation especially in the Caribbean, the art of storytelling as a powerful tool to drive ocean literacy and the importance of opening youth access to the ocean so that they can be the next generation of ocean stewards and blue entrepreneurs. To learn more about Katie be sure to visit her website and follow her on all socials.  To keep up to date with the podcast you can follow @ecovybz on all socials as well! 

Sharks are beautiful animals, and if you're lucky enough to see lots of them, that means that you're in a healthy ocean. You should be afraid if you are in the ocean and don't see sharks- Sylvia Earle Welcome to another great episode of the Caribbean Ocean Perspectives Series featuring Tadzio Bervoets, Director of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance, a Network Organization that supports nature conservation on all six islands of the Dutch Caribbean and is involved in ensuring that some of the region’s well-known MPAs such as the Bonaire National Marine Park and the Saba National Marine Park receive the necessary capacity and financial support. Tadzio recently co-founded the Caribbean Shark Coalition (CSC) in 2020 in response to international calls for enhanced, collaborative conservation efforts for sharks and rays in the Greater Caribbean region. The CSC is a collection of member experts from NGOs, local communities, intergovernmental organizations and governments, academia, and policy institutes working together to advance the study and conservation of sharks and rays found in the waters of the Greater Caribbean. The CSC has as its major goals and mission: To foster collaboration in shark and ray research, policy, and capacity building for conservation among stakeholders in the region, and to provide opportunities for knowledge transfer and data synthesis; To safeguard the long-term health of shark and ray populations in the region, and to promote the protection of critical habitat; To promote a sustainable future for these species as well as human livelihoods who depend on them. To effectively address ongoing and future areas of conservation and species management plans for countries and territories in the Greater Caribbean region; Greater collaboration and capacity building is fostered among and between actors and stakeholders in the Greater Caribbean region. Working with local scientists, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), intergovernmental organizations and governments, we target capacity building for filling critical knowledge gaps through science, as well as the advancement of specific conservation actions. Tadzio is the first Dutch Caribbean Member of the Explorers Club for his contribution to Science in the Wider Caribbean Region and he is an experienced dive instructor who has recently started to use closed-circuit rebreathers to enhance his coral reef monitoring activities. In this episode, we discuss the importance of sharks in the Caribbean, the threats they face, data collection on shark populations and the role of the Caribbean Shark Coalition and the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance in protecting these species. To learn more follow the social media accounts linked below and be sure to give the EcoVybz Podcast some love.  Instagram: Caribbean Shark Coalition, Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance  Website: https://caribbeansharks.co/ https://dcnanature.org/

“We need to respect the oceans and take care of them as if our lives depended on it. Because they do.” – Sylvia Earle Welcome to another great episode of the Caribbean Ocean Perspectives Series featuring Jeffrey Bernus, a marine scientist from Martinique. At the age of 10, he started diving, loving the ocean and observing anthropogenic pressures deteriorate Martinique’s marine environment. This led to him studying marine biology having travelled to Canada and France to obtain a Masters degree in Biodiversity Management as well as the Bahamas (Cape Eleuthera Institute) and in Australia (Australian Institute of Marine Science) to gain more experience on sharks, rays and turtles. His studies were focused on diversity distribution and assemblages of deepwater sharks, Hidden Markov Models for megafauna tracking, predators role related to risk effects and the importance of environmental variables on fish assemblages and distribution. ​ Then he decided to go back to his native region and work for the government at the national park of Guadeloupe. This experience led him to be the scientific coordinator of the Caribbean Marine Mammal Preservation Network (CARI'MAM) project for the Agoa Sanctuary (Office Français pour la Biodiversité, European funded project). Wanting to go beyond the governments’ limitations and objectives for marine mammal conservation, he decided to co-create the Caribbean Cetacean Society to ensure the sustainability of this new community created with this network. His dream in the long term is to create an MPA at the Caribbean scale dedicated to megafauna conservation in order to better protect these fragile species who can't understand our frontiers. In this episode, we dive into the Cetaceans in the Caribbean, discussing the threats they face, the work the Caribbean Cetacean Society is doing to protect these species and the role Caribbean Nationals can take to protect them. To learn more about Jeffrey and the Cetacean Society you can visit their website or follow them on Instagram and Facebook. If you are interested be sure to reach and let them know that EcoVybz sent you. Be sure to also follow me EcoVybz on Instagram to keep up to date with the Caribbean Ocean Perspectives Project,

“It is our collective and individual responsibility … to preserve and tend to the world in which we all live.” —Dalai Lama In this episode, I have a lovely chat with Dr Rahanna Juman, acting Director at the Institute of Marine Affairs, a government-funded marine research institute in Trinidad and Tobago.  She holds a PhD in Zoology (2004) from the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and a Bachelor of Law (2015) from the University of London. Dr Juman has been conducting research on the coastal environment for the past 25 years and has published in international peer-review journals.  Currently, she is leading efforts to develop and implement an Integrated Coastal Zone Management Policy Framework for Trinidad and Tobago and to implement Marine Spatial Planning. Together we discuss the importance of Mangrove Ecosystems in Trinidad and Tobago, the threats they face and the role each of us can play in preserving our mangroves to help fight against climate change. To learn more about Mangroves and the Institute of Marine Affairs be sure to follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube and you can visit their website or library to access more information on the Marine Environments in T&T.

“Out of adversity comes opportunity.” ~ Ben Franklin This week is all about Sargassum in the Caribbean, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the opportunities! In this episode, I chat with Dr. Shelly-Ann Cox, an experienced ocean professional, fisheries management specialist, oceanpreneur, and mother of a 2-year old aqua-toddler. Shelly-Ann has ten years of experience in applied interdisciplinary climate-related research and fisheries management research. She holds an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Natural Resource Management from the UWI Cave Hill Campus and a BSc (Hons) in Environmental and Natural Resource Management with Marine Biology from the UWI St. Augustine Campus. Shelly-Ann is adept at stakeholder engagement and is well known for building, supporting and sustaining positive and productive relationships with stakeholders in the Caribbean fishing industry. She is currently engaged as Co-editor of the Subregional Sargassum Outlook Bulletin for the eastern Caribbean and has co-authored an article in the Journal Gulf and Caribbean Research entitled ‘Pelagic sargassum prediction and marine connectivity in the Tropical Atlantic’ which documents the methodology used for the forecast presented in the bulletins. Additionally, she has co-authored several sargassum related publications and technical reports including a recently published article entitled ‘Challenges of Turning the Sargassum Crisis into Gold: Current Constraints and Implications for the Caribbean’, the UNEP-CEP Sargassum White Paper 2021, the ‘Sargassum uses guide’, ‘Best practice guide for fishers coping with sargassum’ and a report on the ‘Relationships between Sargassum Events, Oceanic Variables, and Dolphinfish and Flyingfish Fisheries. Together we have a lovely chat about the causes of the Sargassum invasion in the region, the socio-economic and environmental impacts, the challenges we as a region face in adapting to the influxes, and the opportunities for us to turn sargassum into a fruitful resource. The learn more about Dr Shelly-Ann visit her Instagram Blue Shell Pro or her website.  Be sure to follow me on Instagram to keep up to date with the podcast and all other environmental projects. 

“The reality is this - a shark snatch out of the waters of T&T affects fisheries in the US, and a shark snatched out of the waters in Indonesia affects fisheries in South Korea because sharks are migratory species and the entire ocean is their home.” In this conversation I chat with my friend and fellow activist La Tisha Parkinson from Trinidad and Tobago. She has a passion for people and this passion has driven all her efforts in life as she simply wants to ensure everyone can live their best lives. This has led to her working with various organizations over the years and supporting many causes. As an island girl however, the oceans have always been close to her heart, and she has chosen to work her magic at the intersection of education and ocean conservation. In this episode we discuss her Action for the Oceans campaign developed for this year’s World Oceans Day with Peace Boat US and Pendulum. Her campaign is centered around changing unsustainable shark consumption patterns in Trinidad and Tobago. We dive into T&T’s popular beach food (bake and shark) and explore the current status of the country's  shark populations. Feel free to check out La Tisha’s campaign and follow her on Instagram!

"We as activists need to help fishing communities to deeply understand the marine ecosystem while also remembering that this very ecosystem is their daily bread."-Jake Lasi In this week's episode, I chat with Jake Lasi from Timor Leste! He is a divemaster, swim and snorkelling teacher, and an activist for the oceans with a huge passion for environmental protection both in theory and practice. The ocean is Jake’s church, school and love and his main goal is to promote marine tourism as an alternative revenue for the country. As a Peace Boat Ocean and Climate Youth Ambassador, Jake had the opportunity of participating in a storytelling training developed by Peace Boat Us and Pendulum called Actions for the Oceans whereby youth from across the world developed ocean campaigns for World Ocean Day. In this episode, Jake and I have an in-depth conversation about his campaign which is focused on educating the fishing community in his country and changing cultural behaviours to save the turtles and marine life in Timor Leste! To keep up to date with Jake's work be sure to follow him on Instagram and check out more information on the campaign on Pendulum's Website! 

"Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow." – Anthony J. D’Angelo Continuing with the Action for the Oceans Series in this episode I have a really great chat with Silvia Cantu Bautista from Monterrey Mexico. Silvia is an Advanced PADI certified scuba diver and professional underwater photographer with a strong passion for marine conservation, youth education and storytelling for climate justice.  In this episode, we dive into Silvia's Action for the Oceans campaign which is heavily focused on two main issues: community building and increasing ocean literacy across her country. In Mexico, 17 out of 32 states have a coast, which altogether comprises 57% of the country’s land territory. Despite this, there are many communities that still live far away from the coast or which haven’t had access to inclusive ocean literacy projects. For this reason, she wanted to help co-create virtual and physical spaces as well as networks that allows people who do not live near the oceans to learn more about marine environments and systems and support grassroots initiatives aimed at protecting marine environments and coastal communities. Feel free to check out Silvia's campaign and if you're interested in connecting with Silvia follow her on Instagram!