Reader in Human Ecology, Dr Robert Fish, has teamed up with the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute to help understand better the cultural values of the coastal environment on the Turks and Caicos Islands. The research is being conducted as part of a Marine Spatial Planning Process on the island.
Dr Fish said, “Coastal areas are especially important to human wellbeing with about half the world’s population living close to the sea, and cultural identity is strongly associated with the ways in which people interact with their coastal areas. It is imperative for the Turks and Caicos Islands, being a coastal community, to determine and document the Coastal Cultural Values as part of their planning processes.”
The work builds on research conducted in the British Overseas Territories including St Helena, The Falkland Islands and Tristan da Cunha. “Our work is trying to build resilience into remote island systems, starting from the perspective of what matters culturally to people,” added Fish.
As part of the work, Robert will be supervising a Turks and Caicos student to pursue a Master’s degree by research in 2020 exploring the Coastal Cultural Values of the Islands. “The successful candidate will contribute to a better understanding of the cultural values of the coast to the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The candidate will help design the methodology and approach, the survey, determine sample size, collect data and analyse the results. It is expected that the material produced will be submitted to relevant journals.”
You can find out more about Robert’s work in the British Overseas Territories by visiting JNCC, the UK public body advising on international nature conservation.
For an informal chat about the Master’s degree opportunity please contact Dr Fish.