I spent a few days last week doing some labwork at our field site station in the south part of Venice lagoon, finally a semi return to normality.
If we can call it that, as I stayed in a little sea-side apartment in the island of Pellestrina in order to stay closer and avoid daily public transport (if semi holidays become the new normality, I am in !) . And I was inspired by this place to write this post..
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As we are waking up to what is another extension of this crazy period, on a saturday of what it would have otherwise been a holiday weekend, and we realise that, frankly, politicians have no idea how to 'slowly' get us back to normality I decided to try and see this situation in a different light. We have plenty of bad news on the radio, plenty of alarmism and plenty of fakes.. So let's steer clear of the above and look, instead, at how this time can be used wisely
I have recently been doing some 'light' thinking about the meaning of life, about our motivations and drives (well, mine) that prompt us on our daily routines and keep us going. This thinking prompt me to take a closer look at my personal life and identify where my priorities lie. Out of this personal brainstorm, a common-theme keyword came out: 'inspire'.
Those who know me, also know that I can get a bit 'geeky' when it comes to nature, and particular those little critters that live on the seabed (but also when it comes to all of the little terrestrial invertebrates that many dislike). And I would really like to pass on my knowledge harnessing my passion for all of these things, inspiring some geekiness in those who surround me. By inspiring as many to slow down and take a closer look to the little things and the delicate balances, i hope to inspire respect and willingness to protect these spaces. Because, who would like to protect something they know little or nothing about ? This idea, brought more questions to my head. How do we influence and inspire others? Hello! Today we have a special guest post Last week my friend working in conservation in Fiji asked me if I ever heard of seagrass removal projects.. I said "no, I normally hear about seagrass restoration..but removal..never!". Turned out this particular resort was doing some quite illegal actions, which might be easier in some countries compared to other. So I decided that the least I could do was to give some space on my blog for her and her colleagues to explain. So here we go: Bula Vinaka, My name is Anastasha Savura and I am publicly releasing my CV to ensure the public knows that I am a Marine Scientist and I need assistance to ensure the Warwick Answers and Apologies for this Incident! I am the Founder of the page Ocean Guardians Fiji on FB and would like to use social media bring people together to bridge this massive gap between science and policy in the biggest Economical Industries in Fiji. The goal is to develop an umbrella of frame works and guidelines to present to Fiji Tourism and Hospitality Association and other associated bodies so that this never happens again! Although young and still an ocean of knowledge still to swim through, I clearly understand through education, working experience and volunteer efforts. THE ACTIONS OF WARWICK RESORT and THE ASSOSIATED DIVE SHOP on 25th October, 2018 was an Injustice to the Environment. How much Injustice? I am unsure about as they have not bothered to contact us to correct us otherwise. In the link below you will find the incident report of that particular day and the events that follow! On 25th October On 26th October till date And we slept on the matter and realized that we had to do something about this because it was wrong. One of the reasons given by the Dive shop owners for firing us was that “we should have handled the situation in a more diplomatic manner instead of sitting in the water to make the digger stop”, …So on 29th October we both wrote letters: Other Parties Letter here We included a presentation I prepared to the Regional Director, a Mr. Sahaan who was on property and asked him to contact us so we could sit and discuss the matter. We also included a copy of the Regulation of Surfing Areas Decree (which states that Warwick authorized a possibly Illegal activity) We asked him to contact us so we could sit and discuss the matter. It is 11:58pm, 1st November, 2018 now as I type this, we have not heard anything from the Warwick however the Associated Dive Shop has contacted us with a SHOCKING EMAIL (We are now seeking Legal Advice… ) We now have an issue of job security in the diving industry for expats and local marine scientists and Dive Professionals. (How will this be addressed in the future?- Anyone?) Who do we count on to report such PADI dive shops?) The Only people who care to engage and raise this issue are members of the public and ocean advocates from all around the world therefore your opinion and support will decide our next PLAN of ACTION. We already are working on a way to ensure that the tourism industry is not affected by the emotion and detrimental social media posts already online by concerned guests by ensuring them that we will work on a way to ensure that this will never happen in any other resort but WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! I am only 1 person and now have the support of WWF, Baby Pandas South Pacific and passionate advocates around the world. If you would like to support this cause, please support Ocean Guardians Fiji on FB https://www.facebook.com/oceanguardiansfiji/ and oceanguardiansfiji on instagram https://www.instagram.com/oceanguardiansfiji/ to help with the cause. Every bit of "talanoa" around this matter would help. Vinaka with high hopes and crossed fingers, Anastasha Savura |
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