Innovation And Sustainable Development In The South Atlantic

Tara is an experienced organisational and programme leader with more than 15 years’ experience in the environmental sector. She has worked in Europe, the Middle East, Southern Africa, the Caribbean and the South Atlantic. Her interest lies in finding innovative solutions to environmental problems through research, local knowledge, practical implementation and a good dose of common sense. This has led to her moving away from specialising and she is a self-confessed environmental ‘generalist’, something that is arguably a requirement for anyone working on small islands where much of her work is focused. Tara is currently the Deputy Director of innovation at the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute.

Dr Brickle is currently the Executive Director at SAERI as well as Reader in Biological Sciences at the University of Aberdeen. Paul formed part of the initial task-and-finish group which reognised the need for a world-class research institute in the Falkland Islands and the wider South Atlantic Overseas Territories, and has led the organisation since its inception in 2012. He has taken the organisation from a starting point of one-and-a-half employees and a small grant from FIG to the organisation it is today.

Paul’s interests include the ecology and oceanography of the southern Patagonian Shelf, particularly the reproductive biology, age and growth, population dynamics and the population structure of marine species inhabiting the waters of this region. He also has a keen interest marine parasites and their use as biological tags for investigating the population structure and migration of fish hosts. Paul forms part of a number of trophic studies of marine fish around the Falkland Islands and is interested in the environmental and fisheries impact on trophic structures in communities. His interests include shallow marine ecology, community ecology and biogeography of small isolated islands particularly those in the South Atlantic. Paul is an active scientific diving member of the Falkland Islands-based Shallow Marine Surveys Group.

Denise Blake is the Environmental Officer and Policy Adviser for the Falkland Islands Government. Her role is based within the Policy and Economic Development Unit and is multifaceted, broadly aimed to protect and manage the local environment and its wildlife as well as to provide environmental policy advice across Government. This remit includes contemporary issues such as Waste Management and Climate Change as well as promoting biodiversity through conservation and research. She has lived in the Falkland Islands for the last six years together with her husband. Denise has a Masters in Marine Biology from the University of Southampton and has previously worked for UNEP-CMS in capacity building as well as the Falkland Islands Fisheries Department as a sea-going observer and as data manager before taking up her current role. She is currently also working towards her PhD in Geography at the University of Leeds and is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Mark is a democratically elected Member of the Legislative Assembly and the Executive Council. Mark moved to the Falkland Islands in 1985, having been born in the UK. Previously Mark worked in telecommunications engineering for 17 years before beginning his political career in 2017. His portfolio spans trade, industry, and workforce development although in the Falklands it pays to be well versed in all areas of island life. Mark has a passion for learning from others as well as for traveling, and to date, he has had the opportunity to visit islands such as St Helena, South Georgia, Ascension Island, Malta and Ischia. Mark is married to Cathy and together they have one child with another on the way.

Wendy’s experience in the education field on St Helena spans over 31 years. She joined the profession upon leaving school as a teacher trainee, qualified as a Locally Qualified Teacher and taught in the primary sector for 19 years. Wendy studied and achieved a Master’s Degree in Education with Distinction whilst carrying out a fulltime teaching role. This was primarily achieved via distance learning with a six-month placement in Cheltenham, UK, to complete the taught elements of the course during which Wendy was gained valuable insight into the UK Education System.
In 2006, Wendy was promoted to Teacher Training Officer and became a member of the Education Senior Management Team. She worked in this capacity and then as Education Officer for Training and Special Educational Needs until April 2014 when she was promoted to Assistant Director Schools. In March 2019 Wendy was promoted to Director of Education and Employment.

Russell was schooled on St Helena l. In 1988 he took up employment on Ascension Island with Pan American and later Computer Science Raytheon, working 20 years as the Meteorological Site Supervisor on the American Auxiliary Air Force Base. Returning to St Helena in 2013, Russell worked for Basil Read, the Airport Project construction contractor as the Fuel Manager within the Logistics Department.
In 2017,Russell was elected to Legislative Council and Executive Council as Chairman of the Environment & Natural Resources Committee (ENRC). He resigned his position of Chair ENRC and membership of Executive Council in June and is currently a serving member of the ENRC, the Public Health Committee and Chairman of the Employment Rights Committee. Russell has special Interests in infrastructure, construction, health & safety and economic growth and would love to help realise development that will allow St Helena to flourish and remain prosperous for the foreseeable future.

Darrin is a St Helenian entrepreneur specialising in photography, digital media & marketing. He is passionate about recognising the fragility of St Helena culture in the face of development, and helping to document and preserve the stories of its people.
In recent years along with Sharon, his wife and business partner, Darrin has held three photography exhibitions on St Helena, started the blog ‘What The Saints Did Next,’ and is currently in the process of producing a portraiture photo-book of people on the island during the 2020 Coronavirus isolation.
In 2019, Darrin and Sharon built and launched ‘Inside St Helena,’ the island’s very first mobile phone app. Together the couple created a live, digital marketing platform designed to significantly improve the visitor experience to St Helena with fast and easy access to information, as well as providing interactive tools allowing people to connect quickly with local services and attractions.