Project Team
Student
Amanda Garcia
Conservation and Resource Studies w/concentration in Climate and Resource Management
University of California, Berkeley
Mentor(s)
Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology
Project Video
Project Abstract
Along the coast of East Africa, the West Indian Ocean is a region of the world with extraordinarily little paleoclimate and fisheries research in comparison with North American waterways. Existing and ongoing research in this region has a high degree of variability in its clarity and resolution. There are many questions to be answered. Primarily, the question of interest is “what do we know?”. If modern conservationists, fisheries managers, and interdisciplinary scientists had access to a concise regional compilation of records, data, journal articles and other publications relating to the historical ecology of fisheries in the West Indian Ocean, then locating crucial information for informed decision making and further exploration would be much more efficient. The creation of this database is a stepping stone for progressing research that will ultimately impact the livelihoods of many people who are highly dependent on fisheries as local sources of food and income. Coastal citizens are at a significantly higher risk for climate-based catastrophes and are much more likely to become displaced. With rising sea levels, acidification and resource depletion contributing to food insecurity globally, it is of utmost importance that we understand the climate and ecology of coastal areas in order to safeguard the resources we have and stave off further damage.