Fellow Story
O'Leary on Using Science to Empower Communities and Improve Marine Protected Areas in East Africa
When you think about East Africa, probably the first images that emerge are of large terrestrial animals like elephants and lions. Many people don’t know that East Africa has vibrant marine fishing communities and hundreds of miles of coral reefs. In a typical morning, you watch the sun rise over the Western Indian Ocean, sip spicy tea, hear morning calls to prayer from the mosque, and see fishers heading out to the sea. These fishers work from small canoes, or even broken surfboards, to support families. But, increasing human populations and lack of effective management can turn once pristine and productive reefs into barrens.
