Q&A: How a background in marine science could land you a job in development

A scientist by training, Nadia Bood is now a program officer with the World Wildlife Fund, where she focuses on marine science and climate change issues. Bood is currently leading a project that spans the Caribbean coast of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. By working with local partners, the project aims to use scientific data to update or mainstream climate change policies for marine protected areas and coastal development plans A lot of people depend on these areas for their livelihood so the research is also taking into account the existing human pressures on the natural environment, and how these can be alleviated to benefit from these ecosystems well into the future, Bood explained. It was during a high school field trip that Bood first discovered the ocean and Belize’s barrier reef. Inspired by the experience, she decided she would dedicate her life to protecting this ecosystem. After completing her master’s in marine sciences, she wanted to find a role that would allow her to design research, work with people and policy, and have some influence. Since joining WWF in 2006, Bood has focused on building her skills in project management and policy dialogue. Communication and people skills are also important. There are scientists who are not able to really engage with policy people and communities, she said, but you have to be able to put yourself in their position and understand different mindsets. Interested in learning how your science degree could help you land a rewarding career in development? Bood speaks with Devex about the different stakeholders she works with to influence marine environment and climate policy. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. What’s your day-to-day in overseeing a regional project and different teams? It differs. Some days entail making sure that activities are running according to plan, troubleshooting any problems. We need to provide baseline information for the scientific analysis because ... Stanford University and Columbia University are helping with [modeling] ... to [help us] understand how climate change will impact the ecosystem services that we are currently getting from the coastal marine environment. The execution [of the project] has to be very participative so we take into consideration the inputs and concerns of local communities, stakeholders that depend on the marine environment or protected areas, and government on the policy side of things. In addition to doing the scientific analysis, we do stakeholder engagement so there's a process of reaching out to them, sharing information, getting their feedback, making changes and then sending it back to them for validation. It's a project that involves a lot of dialogue. Which government players are involved and how do you work with them? All those government departments or decision-makers that have a stake in the coastal marine environment or within the development sector. That includes the fisheries department, the forest department, the coastal zone management authority, and the ministry of tourism ... When we are doing this kind of research, most of the time we do it because we want to influence better management into the global policies, plans, and legislation that the government has to implement and might not have the resources or the technical know-how to do this in an effective way. How do you see the impact of your work? [As a] scientist, I like to make decisions based on facts and to provide that support when you engage with policymakers and decision-makers. Such research might be related to the ecology or implementation. Other research might be related to the economic side of things, because often times when convincing policymakers about a good strategy to use, you have to speak in dollars and cents ... Governments also have international commitments, and we try to provide the research that can help them report on the indicators they have agreed to address. With increasing conversations around climate change, do you think there will be more opportunities for scientists to work in the development sector? Most definitely. To do the research [and] help answer critical questions. I've worked with some development partners before like IDB [Inter-American Development Bank] to implement pilot projects and do research. This particular project that we are working on [now] is being funded by the German government through its international climate initiative and they want to help governments and local communities better adapt to the traits and factors that climate change may bring, [from a] social and economic [perspective].