Coast to Coral: East meets West: Conservation efforts in the UAE
Join Reef Check Australia and friends on the second Tuesday night of each month in your lounge room/office/comfy chair, for an evening of discovery, inspiration and appreciation of our local marine, coastal and catchment environments.
THE SPEAKER:
This month we will hear from Rebekka Pentti, a marine scientist who is currently working as an Environmental Training Manager and Consultant for Nautica Environmental Associates in Abu Dhabi. Prior to working for Nautica, Rebekka completed a bachelor’s degree in Marine Ecology and Bachelor of Science (Hons) with First Class Honours while coordinating and conducting coral health surveys along the coastline of Southeast Queensland for Reef Check Australia. Her dissertation focused upon benthic habitat mapping of shallow and mesophotic reefs in Southeast Queensland.
ABOUT THE TALK:
Rebekka's work includes leading and supervising the collection of terrestrial and marine samples within the Arabian Peninsula, then transforming the data into scientific reports. In addition to this, she is a recognised figure in environmental education and outreach activities. Rebekka has in-depth knowledge of the processes and annual variations of benthic communities and extensive experience in instructing scuba, scientific diving and coral health surveys. She is also currently involved in several ongoing environmental monitoring programs, including coral relocation efforts, seagrass surveys and environmental baseline surveys.
Recently, Rebekka has led the development of the Arabian Marine Species Observer (AMSO) course alongside regional experts in the field of marine species identification. This course is becoming increasingly recognised in the Arabian Peninsula as the industry standard for maritime professionals working in sensitive offshore regions. The course trains people to identify, record and report on the presence of marine megafauna near seismic exploration (vessels, dredgers, drilling operations etc.).
Virtual doors (zoom) opens at 6.25pm for a 6:30 pm start.
Stay after the event for networking and nibbles (BYO obviously!) - get your burning questions answered and continue your thoughts, ideas and sea-minded discussions with your local community, all from the comfort of your couch!
Bring a mate and share in the discovery!
At Reef Check Australia we’re all about inspiring our mates and we love to read your thoughts! So, share your favourite parts about the night and tag us! Reef Check Australia #coasttocoral
This initiative is hosted by Reef Check Australia, and proudly supported by oh so many groups including the City of Gold Coast, Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd, Sunshine Coast Council's Environment Levy partnerships grant, and Townsville City Council.
Future talks take place on the second Tuesday night of each month, with a new, interesting and engaging speaker.
For more information contact seqsurveys@reefcheckaustralia.org