Subtitle: Deidre de Vos has joined WIOMSA as the MPA Project Coordinator under the Blue Action Fund project for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
WIOMSA is working on a three-year project with the Blue Nature Alliance to increase the capacity of marine conservation practitioners in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region through training, mentorship, networking, and professional certification. The project also aims to improve the understanding and regional awareness of IUU fishing in small-scale fisheries in order to improve the management effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas and Locally Managed Marine Areas in the Western Indian Ocean region. Deidre de Vos joined WIOMSA in January 2023 as the project leader and coordinator of the WIOMSA marine conservation programme. For the past five years, she has worked as a researcher in the academic and nonprofit sectors of marine conservation. Deidre has prior experience managing regional projects and working as a science communicator. She particularly enjoys translating technical outputs in interesting and inclusive ways for use by various media outlets. One of her favourite hobbies is story mapping! She is a spatial thinker who has written several publications on systematic conservation planning and mapping in relation to WIO projects. De Vos is excited to be a part of the WIOMSA and hopes to contribute to the success of MPAs and LMMA in the WIO region.