INTERVIEW
The marine conservationist shares her passion for seahorses and marine life by encouraging young minds to save tomorrow’s oceans
Marine conservationist Amanda Vincent shares her optimism for the future of the oceans
IIt was a small beginning for Project Seahorse, says Amanda Vincent, director and co-founder of the now-global non-profit organization dedicated to conserving seahorses. Founded in 1996 with Heather Koldewey, Project Seahorse is a group dedicated to securing marine ecosystems through extensive research and effective action — with Vincent at its helm. She’s also the chair of both the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s seahorse, pipefish and seadragon specialist group and its marine conservation committee. Winner of numerous awards for her research work, including the Rolex Award for Enterprise and, most recently, the US$250,000 Indianapolis Prize, she is equally committed to teaching the next generation of conservationists at the University of British Columbia. Vincent spoke to Canadian Geographic about how protecting seahorses fits into the success of ocean conservation on a worldwide scale.
On why seahorse conservation is important
Seahorses are the most fantastic flagship species to generate action for the ocean. That’s partly because they’re so magical in and of themselves. But they also represent the complexities of ocean conservation. They
have economic value, cultural value, medicinal value, ecological value. They’re subject to many of the major pressures on the ocean. They also live in sea grasses, mangroves, coral reefs, estuaries, macroalgae, kelp and seaweed. These are all critical nursery habitats for most of our world’s fisheries. The corollary is that seahorses respond really well to a range of conservation actions. So, whether it’s protected areas or fisheries regulation or managing coastal development properly or paying attention to climate change, seahorses represent the benefits that can come from putting our hearts into actually effecting change.
On her approach to conservation Conservation to me is real gains for wild populations and wild places. Project Seahorse has a mind map that you could think of as a cross-section of an onion. Right at the centre, you might have seahorses. But to do anything good for seahorses, you’ve got to be looking after the marine communities, habitats and ecosystems in which they live. You’ve got to look at miners, fishers, dredgers, dumpers, shippers and coastal developers, and work with them to make good decisions. They will make better decisions if their families are fed and they have a decent income. Then beyond that, you’re worried about law and order and economic governance and opportunity at the regional, national and global levels. If you want to do anything really good for seahorses, you have to keep all those layers in mind.
On training future conservationists Early in your career, you want to make the mark yourself. Later in your career, you want to grow the group of people who can make the difference for the long-term future of the ocean. My graduate students are one set, and my undergraduate students are really important to me. We’ve also trained hundreds of people through internships, volunteer work and collaborative endeavours. If I can give them a leg up or support them, that’s really reassuring. I’m not going to be around forever. It’s absolutely vital that I convey my enthusiasm, my passion, but also my expertise, to people who are going to carry that torch forward.
‘TO DO ANYTHING GOOD FOR SEAHORSES, YOU’VE GOT TO BE LOOKING AFTER THE MARINE COMMUNITIES, HABITATS AND ECOSYSTEMS IN WHICH THEY LIVE.’
On her motivation
I love the ocean. I love seahorses. And we’re seeing change, we’re seeing opportunity, we’re seeing possibility. Today, there’s a sea of pressures — no pun intended — bearing down on our oceans. But if you find the right approach, you can often relieve some of those pressures surprisingly quickly. So, I have a lot of hope and a lot of optimism.