News - Fisheries Research Published
University of Exeter press release
A Masters student from the University of Exeter's Tremough Campus, Penryn, has been successfully published in an academic journal.
Tammy Davies, 26, was studying for her MSc in Conservation and Biodiversity when she wrote her paper. Her thesis investigates the dependency local people in South West Madagascar have on fishing and the consequent impacts on coral reef biodiversity. It could inform future sustainable management strategies for coral reefs in Madagascar.
Originally from Nottingham, Tammy completed an undergraduate degree in Biology at Durham University, before choosing to complete a Masters degree in Cornwall, passing with Distinction.
"I chose to study the MSc in Conservation & Biodiversity, because of the large research component. The department also had a good research reputation and all of the course modules looked interesting, with scope to tailor the course to your own interests. Having my thesis published was a fantastic way to finish my course."
Tammy worked for a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Madagascar for 13 months prior to starting her MSc course. It was during this time that she found the inspiration for her research.
When asked about this she said, "It was obvious that the local people were hugely dependent on the marine resources and any marine management plan would ultimately have to appreciate this and address their needs."
Marine resources provide an easily accessible and valuable source of food and income for some of the poorest people in the developing world. The relationship between a person's socioeconomic status and their use of the fishery formed the basis of Tammy's research and the resulting paper is the first of its kind to explore these relationships in this part of the world.
The importance of fishing was highlighted during Tammy's interviews with local communities. 70% of the people Tammy questioned were directly dependent on the marine resources for their primary source of income, with a further 19.5% indirectly dependent on the marine resources for their primary source of income, either through preparing and selling fish or through tourism.
She said, "I enjoyed working with the local communities, listening to their opinions and discussing the findings of the surveys with them. On the whole, most of the people were aware of the need for conservation and had ideas for development in their villages, but ultimately their financial situation limited how they were able to act upon this knowledge."
Tammy is now working for Chester Zoo, on one of their in-situ conservation programmes called the 'Assam Haathi Project', which aims to alleviate human-elephant conflict issues in Assam, India. Tammy plans to continue to develop a career in conservation and research with a community based approach.
Tammy added: "Conservation is a competitive employment field for jobs and I feel undertaking the MSc course at Tremough has put me in a much stronger position to further my career in the conservation sector."
The £100 million Tremough Campus is a Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative -of which the University of Exeter and University College Falmouth are two of the founding partners. It is funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One), the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council. Set in 70 acres of countryside, but close to the waterside towns of Penryn and Falmouth, the campus offers a lively student community. The University of Exeter now offers degrees in Biology, Modern Celtic and Cornish Studies, English, Geology, Geography, History, Law, Mining Engineering, Politics and Renewable Energy on its Tremough Campus, which has expanded rapidly as part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative.