“You’re going where this summer?”
Many well-intentioned friends and relatives have posed this question to me. The majority of askers had never heard of Suriname before; the remainder were skeptical of my impending solo-travels to a country seldom heard of by people from the USA. Before my journey, I poured over whatever material I could find about Suriname and I drew one major conclusion based on the limited online information: with 94% forest coverage, it is the greenest country on earth. That fact alone was enough to excite the eager aspiring-conservationist in me down to her bones. On top of that, I had been working for the past year on the HCCS project researching Marine Protected Areas for CI Suriname. I was inspired by the marine biodiversity in Suriname and conservation potential. I did not speak Dutch, the primary language of Suriname, nor had I ever traveled by myself before, but I believed my enthusiasm for the environment could carry me through the forthcoming challenges.
For ten weeks I worked as a research assistant at Conservation International Suriname with their new marine program. My primary task was to implement the Ocean Health Index, a means to measure the quality of the ocean in an interdisciplinary manner. I was surprised, and frankly extremely nervous, that I was the designated the point-person for this seemingly-daunting task. With so much information needed, I hurried to get to work. I compiled datasets that assess various distinct dimensions of the ocean, worked on a gap analysis of the data, and created a report that outlines the Ocean Health Index with relation to Suriname. I presented a proposal to the staff at Conservation International and received valuable feedback, which later helped me craft a presentation for future stakeholders. I then presented my proposal to this group of stakeholders that was comprised of various non-governmental organizations and government officials. The project was well-received and, although there is a great deal of work ahead, I am thrilled that the Ocean Health Index is establishing its roots in Suriname and that I will continue to stay involved with it through HCCS. In addition to my work for the Ocean Health Index, I assisted with research on identification techniques of fish spawning aggregation areas, and attended meetings and workshops.
Through my work at CI, I learned a tremendous amount about conservation in the broad sense, not only marine conservation. The depth and breadth of projects at CI Suriname challenged me to think about conservation from a perspective that I had never previously given enough consideration: conservation is about people. This was an interesting notion for me to grapple with because I strongly believe in the intrinsic value of nature, and that it must be preserved and restored regardless of human considerations. However, I now recognize that issues are more complex that I could have ever imagined, and that dealing with people is imperative. Conservation is not just datasets graphs of populations. Stakeholders must be consulted, local communities have critical knowledge and and are greatly affected by conservation efforts, and genuine progress cannot be made without human understanding. The level of social skills required in the field of conservation is both exciting and frustrating.
My learning transcended the walls of Conservation International’s office in downtown Paramaribo. I attended a mangrove infosession in the field Coronie which, as a self-proclaimed wetland-enthusiast, thrilled me and challenged me to appreciate mangroves in a different light and face the reality of their destruction. On the weekends, I frequently ventured into the interior with my great friend from HCCS whom was working with sloths. We hiked through the expansive rainforest, explored the savanna, and boated through the jungle. With the help of my amazing Surinamese roommate, and others I met along the way, I absorbed information about the history of the country, dangers of mining, and composition of flora and fauna. It was awesome to live with my coworker and become such great friends through sharing adventures and gushing about how much we love nature. I will miss the food (especially bakabana), new friends (monkeys, toucans, snakes, and many more), and coworkers whom have transformed how I approach conservation. The memories of exhilaration and wonder have already outlasted the bugbites and feelings of perpetual exhaustion.
I am grateful for HCCS for opening the doors to this opportunity and for Suriname for being the reason that my mouth hurts from smiling after I wrote this blog.
Many well-intentioned friends and relatives have posed this question to me. The majority of askers had never heard of Suriname before; the remainder were skeptical of my impending solo-travels to a country seldom heard of by people from the USA. Before my journey, I poured over whatever material I could find about Suriname and I drew one major conclusion based on the limited online information: with 94% forest coverage, it is the greenest country on earth. That fact alone was enough to excite the eager aspiring-conservationist in me down to her bones. On top of that, I had been working for the past year on the HCCS project researching Marine Protected Areas for CI Suriname. I was inspired by the marine biodiversity in Suriname and conservation potential. I did not speak Dutch, the primary language of Suriname, nor had I ever traveled by myself before, but I believed my enthusiasm for the environment could carry me through the forthcoming challenges.
For ten weeks I worked as a research assistant at Conservation International Suriname with their new marine program. My primary task was to implement the Ocean Health Index, a means to measure the quality of the ocean in an interdisciplinary manner. I was surprised, and frankly extremely nervous, that I was the designated the point-person for this seemingly-daunting task. With so much information needed, I hurried to get to work. I compiled datasets that assess various distinct dimensions of the ocean, worked on a gap analysis of the data, and created a report that outlines the Ocean Health Index with relation to Suriname. I presented a proposal to the staff at Conservation International and received valuable feedback, which later helped me craft a presentation for future stakeholders. I then presented my proposal to this group of stakeholders that was comprised of various non-governmental organizations and government officials. The project was well-received and, although there is a great deal of work ahead, I am thrilled that the Ocean Health Index is establishing its roots in Suriname and that I will continue to stay involved with it through HCCS. In addition to my work for the Ocean Health Index, I assisted with research on identification techniques of fish spawning aggregation areas, and attended meetings and workshops.
Through my work at CI, I learned a tremendous amount about conservation in the broad sense, not only marine conservation. The depth and breadth of projects at CI Suriname challenged me to think about conservation from a perspective that I had never previously given enough consideration: conservation is about people. This was an interesting notion for me to grapple with because I strongly believe in the intrinsic value of nature, and that it must be preserved and restored regardless of human considerations. However, I now recognize that issues are more complex that I could have ever imagined, and that dealing with people is imperative. Conservation is not just datasets graphs of populations. Stakeholders must be consulted, local communities have critical knowledge and and are greatly affected by conservation efforts, and genuine progress cannot be made without human understanding. The level of social skills required in the field of conservation is both exciting and frustrating.
My learning transcended the walls of Conservation International’s office in downtown Paramaribo. I attended a mangrove infosession in the field Coronie which, as a self-proclaimed wetland-enthusiast, thrilled me and challenged me to appreciate mangroves in a different light and face the reality of their destruction. On the weekends, I frequently ventured into the interior with my great friend from HCCS whom was working with sloths. We hiked through the expansive rainforest, explored the savanna, and boated through the jungle. With the help of my amazing Surinamese roommate, and others I met along the way, I absorbed information about the history of the country, dangers of mining, and composition of flora and fauna. It was awesome to live with my coworker and become such great friends through sharing adventures and gushing about how much we love nature. I will miss the food (especially bakabana), new friends (monkeys, toucans, snakes, and many more), and coworkers whom have transformed how I approach conservation. The memories of exhilaration and wonder have already outlasted the bugbites and feelings of perpetual exhaustion.
I am grateful for HCCS for opening the doors to this opportunity and for Suriname for being the reason that my mouth hurts from smiling after I wrote this blog.