Matthew Thurlow:
Conservation through Knowledge and Education
"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking
we used when we created them"
Albert Einstein
Beneath you will find a visual representation of the community work and projects I have been involved with over the last few years. These invove photos I have taken of varying quality and others that have been taken by the organisations I have been working for and hopefully provides a more interesting depiction of me rather than just words and bullet points.
Southern Leyte, Philippines, Coral Cay
This was the first contract I managed to get and probably the most terrifying in terms of pre contract nerves as I really did not know what to expect. I held the position of Science Officer and conducted all of the teaching and training of the volunteers our project had unless iw as otherwise indesposed. I planned the daily classes and training dives a long with the Project Scientist to optimise our time and the learning experience of the volunteers. My position also had the task of supporting the Education Officer in local community projects in any way that I could, including lesson plans and content. This was a tough contract but it did set me up very well for the future.
Andros, Bahamas, Greenforce
The first paid contract I recieved which was extremely exciting. Upon arrival as Assistant Scientist there were clearly areas of neglect in the project, mainly in the community education section. My progression to Chief Scientist allowed me to improve this and develop a strong Island wide community programme with the Bahamas National Trust Navigators and Discovery clubs. My eventual position as Chief Sceintist and Expedition leader enabled me to develop this further into a community first aid and scuba training programme to reach members of the community outside of the education system.
During my time as Expedition Leader I placed a large emphasis on rebuilding our working relationship with the Bahamas National Trust. This included a big push on community projects such as the Youth Governors Award (Duke of Edinburgh Award) and assisting the foresty rangers on clearing trails for eco tourism developments. I was personally rewarded for this by being invited along to assist in filming a new advert for a marine protected area proposal which you can see opposite.
Nukumbulavu, Nasonisoni, Fiji, Greenforce
The same company as before but this was purely a Chief Scientist role and was I was able to learn some extra skills during this contract. Here Greenforce could contribute the the Fijian Locally Managed Marine Area (FLMMA) which is a rapidly expending network using a wide range of survey methods. This was one of the most stunning places I have worked and one of the most basic.
Visual CV
Curieuse island, Seychelles with Global Vision International
We were supporting the opening of a new memorial marine protected area after a landslide and the survey work we had been doing. We provided masks and scuba equipment to allow the local children to try out scuba and build interest in the marine environment
Along with the education officer we supervised and judged the write ups of the survey work the local high school kids did on our marine protected area
I organised a beach clean day with the local primary school, starting with an educational talk on litter and debris and how long it takes to degrade if ever. We then collected up to 400litres worth of rubbish to demonstrate the problem we are facing.
As expedition leader i have to oversee the restoration of a new boat after our previous hull ripped off.
I organised a beach clean day with the local primary school, starting with an educational talk on litter and debris and how long it takes to degrade if ever. We then collected up to 400litres worth of rubbish to demonstrate the problem we are facing.
You can see me sat front and middle as i was given the honour of being chief and saying our thanks to the villagers for sharing their culture with us. This was a huge honour and an amazing experience to be looked up to by the village.
This was a local meeting with the FLMMA and Coral reef alliance to talk about the future ideas for the area which obviously was followed by large amounts of food.
You can see me sat front and middle as i was given the honour of being chief and saying our thanks to the villagers for sharing their culture with us. This was a huge honour and an amazing experience to be looked up to by the village.
The island of Curieuse was home to over a hundred giant tortoises which we saw most days on our turtle walks
After every survey we needed to conduct safety stops by padi and UNESCO standards.
The island of Curieuse was home to over a hundred giant tortoises which we saw most days on our turtle walks
The Seychelles was my first volunteering experience and of course felt like the biggest outlay in terms of money until you realise what you get. We were recording coral colonisation after the mass bleaching event a long with a turtle monitoring project targetting nesting females and a coco-de-mare tagging project which is a locel endemic tree to the Seychelles. This was the project that really set me on my path to working in conservation and being on all the projects above.
Curriculum Vitae
Click on this photo of me to view and
download my current curriculum vitae
Coral Biologist/Centre Manager, Kuda Huraa, Maldives, Seamarc
This was for a Maldivian Marine Consultancy and Engineering company, maintaining and building new coral 'frames' to help re establish fish populations and accelerate the recovery of coral reefs. This involved propagating coral, ~1000 fragments a month, which required frequent monitoring and mapping using photographs and QGIS. Coral health was a constant concern and hoboware data loggers were used in conjunction with refractomers to associate growth and survivorship with QGIS. We conducted environmental impact assessments for new project sites and new island resorts and produced thorough reports with our recommendations. I finished this contract as the Marine Discovery Manager taking on staff, project and budget management. During work in the water I took the opportunity to start trying to do some photo editing and take my photography a bit more seriously.
