Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, New York University; Ocean Collectiv
Introducer: Maureen Conte, Associate Scientist, Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences; MBL Fellow
Lecture Abstract:
Amidst our climate crisis, the sixth mass extinction, and astronomical inequality, where does that leave ocean science and policy? Where should we focus our energies? How can we connect the dots? This talk will explore the practicalities of ocean conservation—from zoning, to seafood, cities, the Green New Deal, coastal ecosystems, sea level rise, and culture—plus the social justice context within which all this work proceeds.
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist and founder and CEO of Ocean Collectiv, a strategy consulting firm for conservation solutions. She is also an adjunct professor at New York University and a science scholar at Pioneer Works. As executive director of the Waitt Institute, Dr. Johnson co-founded the Blue Halo Initiative and led the Caribbean’s first successful island-wide ocean zoning effort. Previously, she worked on ocean policy at the EPA and NOAA, and was a leader of the March for Science. Dr. Johnson earned a B.A. from Harvard University in environmental Science and Public Policy, and a Ph.D. from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in marine biology. For her research, she was awarded fellowships from the National Science Foundation, Switzer Foundation, and American Association of University Women. The fish trap she invented to reduce bycatch won the first Rare/National Geographic Solution Search. She has been a resident at TED, a scholar at the Aspen Institute, and named to the Grist 50 and UCSD 40 Under 40 Alumni. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Outside Magazine, and Nature magazine and her op-eds have been published in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, and Huffington Post. She writes and tweets (@ayanaeliza) about how we can use the ocean without using it up, and is a passionate advocate for coastal communities.
