Veta Wade, a Montserratian Ocean Advocate and Founder of Fish ‘n Fins Inc. has been awarded a Darwin Plus Fellowship to pursue a master’s in marine conservation starting September 2022.
The fellowship is being facilitated through the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), which is currently working on a Marine Turtle Action Plan for Montserrat.
Wade will study for a one-year MSc in Marine Vertebrate Ecology and Conservation at Exeter University, in Cornwall, UK.
“Having seen Veta’s passion, drive, and love of the ocean and marine conservation, we built a working relationship and have successfully secured a Darwin Fellowship for Veta to study in the UK,” the MCS said on its blog.
The project summary states that Veta’s “research will contribute to management of Montserrat’s marine resources, including an action plan developed through DPLUS106. She will also develop key skills through a remote, part-time internship with the Marine Conservation Society.”
“Getting this fellowship is a huge milestone in my career. Who would’ve thought Veta from Happy Hill, who didn’t see a coral reef up close until she was 31, would be well on her way to being a Marine Ecologist? Wade commented on the MCS blog.
The conservation group hopes that Veta and AQUA Montserrat Ltd. will work alongside their UKOT Conservation Officer, Amdeep Sanghera, throughout their portfolio of Caribbean UKOT projects to enhance and expand our international marine conservation impact.
Amanda Gregory of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), who was on Montserrat last week facilitating a workshop on biodiversity for the UKOTs said Darwin fellowships are another way that local communities can benefit from the funding programme. Fellowship requests can be made through the Darwin Plus application. Visit the Application page here.
Source: https://www.mcsuk.org/news/darwin-fellowship-veta-wade/
