Research Summary
Curieuse Island, Seychelles, Indian Ocean — In 1979, Curieuse Island and its surrounding waters were declared a Marine National Park by the Seychelles in order to protect the native wildlife. Today it is home to a diverse array of habitats, ranging from open grasslands to tall lush woodland to a species-rich coastal ecosystem. Your help in studying the reef and the coastal ecosystem will allow researchers to provide invaluable data to the Seychelles government, to the local community, and to conservation groups, engaging them in promoting the importance of these coastal habitats. This study’s findings will form recommendations for the effective management of these areas.
Meet the Scientists
Dr David J. Smith
University of Essex, UK
Born in 1972, Dr Smith holds a B.Sc. and a Ph.D. and is currently a senior lecturer in Marine Biology at the University of Essex. He is Director of the Coral Reef Research Unit and of the Marine Research Operation Wallacea, is senior advisor to the Institute of Marine Environmental Research in the Aegean Sea, and a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society. He is a PADI Dive Master and BSAC advanced diver (CMAS three-star) with 4,000 logged dives. Dr Smith’s research interests include coral reef distribution, diversity and productivity, particular types of corals and coral reef fish, the phenomena of coral bleaching, the economic and social values of coral reef systems, and the use of traditional ecological knowledge in sustainable biodiversity management.
Dr David Suggett
Cambridge University, UK
Born in 1974, Dr Suggett holds a BSc, MSc, and Ph.D., and was a Research Fellow and is currently a Lecturer in Marine and Freshwater Biogeochemistry at the University of Essex. He is Assistant Director of the Coral Reef Research Unit, the Scientific Advisor for a Gulf of Mexico Ocean Observing System (GoMOOS) project, and has served as: scientific research co-coordinator for the Kefalonian Marine Turtle Project; scientific adviser for MEDASSET (Mediterranean Association for Sea Turtles); manager and scientific director of Pacuare Nature Reserve, Limón Province, Costa Rica. Dr Suggett is a PADI Advanced Diver. His research interests include sea algae and sea grasses, symbiotic algae, the responses of coral species to environmental changes, and sea turtle ecology and behavior.