New announcement: Early Career Ocean Professionals – 2023

We are pleased to announce our 2023 round of early career ocean professionals. They will join the IORA Blue Carbon Hub to conduct collaborative projects from September to November. We look forward to welcoming our visitors to the Hub office in Perth.

Below are some details about the successful applicants and their projects they will undertake.

Ahlam Al Hanai

Project: Mapping and evaluating total carbon stocks of Avicennia marina along the coastline of Oman

  • Ahlam Al Hanai is an associate researcher at the Center for Environmental Studies and Research (CESAR), Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat, Oman. Al Hanai holds a PhD in Environmental Chemistry & Technology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, US. Besides her research on aerosol toxicology and health effects of air pollution, she’s has researched blue carbon sequestration in arid ecosystems and their response to climate change. Currently, she is leading a study to assess the soil carbon content of A. marina along the coastline of Oman. She is also part of a collaborative project investigating climate change impacts on coastal ecosystems in Oman. Through this program, Al Hanai will broaden her knowledge of mapping and monitoring of mangrove which will aid in predicting climate change impacts on mangrove ecosystems in Oman. This training will also help advance future research in blue carbon ecosystems, as there are currently a few studies being conducted on blue carbon sequestration in Oman.
  • LocationOMAN

Tsiory Mashiyyat Andriambola

Project: Blue carbon finance in Madagascar

  • Mashiyyat is a junior scientist who holds an MSc in Marine Sciences and Fisheries from the University of IH.SM (Institut Halieutique et des Sciences Marines), and a BSc from the University of Toliara. He has expertise on ecosystem services accounting and ocean literacy. The covid-19 lockdown pushed him to explore other opportunities to finance an MPA as the lockdown reduced the income from tourism fees and activities. He has also worked on mangrove ecosystems improving his skills in remote sensing and soil analysis. His work showed the potential for mangrove restoration in Madagascar. However, the financing of blue carbon ecosystem still remains low. The Early Career Ocean Professionals Program will enable him to understand the potential of blue carbon financing with an aim to promote sustainable funding for conservation and sustainable development.
  • LocationMADAGASCAR

Ashraful Moontahab

Project: Assessing the effectiveness of blue carbon policy initiatives in coastal ecosystem conservation and climate change mitigation in Bangladesh.

  • Ashraful Moontahab, is currently enrolled on an MSc program in Oceanography at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University, Bangladesh. He is an early career researcher who has worked on multiple projects including themes on renewable energy, climate variability, physical oceanography and ocean modelling. To integrate the economic output from ocean usage a focus on the blue carbon policy is needed to avoid climatic uncertainty. This research will evaluate the impact of Bangladesh’s blue carbon policy measures on the preservation of coastal ecosystems and the mitigation of climate change.
  • LocationBANGLADESH