CCT welcomes its first intern!

In partnership with Swansea University, the Chagos Conservation Trust welcomed its first-ever intern to increase its capacity and help teach skills needed to run a marine conservation charity. Martina Reina-Canitrot is taking a 'year out in applied research' to spend 11 months with the CCT team, before returning to her marine biology degree, to gain experience for her future career.

Because it is a pilot scheme, Martina will work as a part-time intern for both the Trust and the Bioscience Department, where she will help the Marine Conservation Ecology Lab (MarCEL) team with research - assisting in fieldwork projects. experiments, and her individual project evaluating the effectiveness and accuracy of photo ID-algorithms for sea turtles. For CCT, she will get involved in all areas of the Trust's work, from social media to grant applications and event management, plus help put together the Swansea University 'Year In Industry' CCT Internship Programme which will take on a full-time intern next summer.

Having always lived by the coast, from Spain to Cuba, Dubai and now Swansea, Martina has a strong connection to the sea which sparked her passion to both study it, and work to protect it. "I am very excited to join CCT, and work with the team across all its work, including projects that will help conserve such important islands and wildlife, at a time when unspoiled environments are so rare, " Martina said. "I look forward to making significant contributions during my year at CCT, and getting hands-on experience of working with a marine conservation charity."

CCT Director Sarah Puntan-Galea said she was delighted to have such a passionate new member of the team. "I am so grateful to Swansea University, the MarCEL team and our Trustee Dr Nicole Esteban for helping to make this happen. Not only does an extra knowledgeable pair of hands make a huge difference to such a small team, but it is also important for us to give back and encourage younger generations to work for organisations like ours which help protect and conserve precious marine environments like the Chagos."

“This is a great opportunity for a Marine Biology student to become involved in conservation work, and complements the practical conservation research fieldwork that Martina is involved with,” Dr Esteban, Head of the Swansea University’s MarCEL Team said. “We look forward to seeing an internship programme roll out in future years”.