The Marine Diaries | Rebecca Daniel
WE’RE HERE TO COMMUNICATE SCIENCE
The Marine Diaries are creating a different genre of science communication. One that embodies modern culture and creates a social media network of ocean advocates. The team take science that breaks the mould and craft impactful stories that reach the masses.
Rebecca Daniel, director and visionary of The Marine Diaries is a marine biologist and science communicator who has been obsessed with the ocean from a young age. Rebecca leant to dive at just 10 years old, and has turned her passion into a career, working tirelessly to bring the ocean to the public, spreading awareness about why we need to protect our blue planet.
I have always been drawn to the ocean, maybe because my star sign is Cancer - who knows! But, as a marine biologist I am far too aware that we are destroying it at a rapid rate. Running The Marine Diaries makes me feel like I am doing something to combat this. I continue to put my heart and soul into the organisation, because as it grows, I get to meet more and more people who are working to save our blue planet. My team and the people we collaborate with inspire me everyday to continue my work.
Having a broad background in ocean science, she has worked with sea turtle protection in Greece and researched the effect of microplastics on marine life. Passionate about educating people about the ocean, Rebecca has spoken at numerous events, including to school children at Colchester Zoo ‘Change your world day’. More recently she has started sharing her knowledge and bringing experts together through her Ocean Conservation club on Clubhouse.
After learning about the devastating impacts of plastic on marine life, Rebecca coordinated a campaign on marine plastic pollution for The Marine Diaries to educate the public on this topic and provide solutions to reducing plastic consumption. Currently, she is working on an ongoing project, to create educational materials about various marine ecosystems for use by the public, schools, and conservation organisations.
Nature will never cease to amaze me. Having always been fascinated by the simultaneous complexity and simplicity of the natural world, I love discovering new places and organisms I’ve never seen before, and learning how they co-exist. Being surrounded by people who make me laugh till I cry and teach me new things. I treasure my close friends and the connections I’ve made in the ocean world, and I always love meeting new people and hearing their stories.
Rebecca recognised that in order to get people to care about the ocean, she must first educate people on the wonders that it holds, and communicate ocean science in a way that is easy for everyone to understand.
“Most people know the ocean is under threat, but don’t fully understand why this is or how they can help. It is easy to be overwhelmed by ambiguous statements, misinformation, or scientific jargon. And the problem is not just that science isn’t communicated, it also doesn’t reach enough people. “
Since 2017, The Marine Diaries has expanded into a global organisation, now encompassing over 40 volunteers and collaborators, spanning 12 countries.
The organisation’s aim is to increase ocean literacy - an understanding of the ocean's influence on you and your influence on the ocean. To achieve this it runs awareness campaigns on issues affecting the ocean, such as plastic pollution. The Marine Diaries communicates ocean science through various ongoing article and webinar series. It also provides career advice to budding ocean conservation professionals.
How can we help to support your work?
The Marine Diaries relies solely on their incredible community of volunteers and donations in order to run their campaigns and facilitate real positive change for our oceans. They also rely on ocean photographers and film makers who kindly donate their content in order to collectively work on creating engaging communications for our oceans.
If you’d like to get involved, support a project or donate some content, please get in touch with the team and become part of something special - a community willing to speak up for our oceans.
Projects
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