Question One: In your field of expertise, what would you say is the biggest problem that you deal with and how would you change it if you could?

Festus Ihwagi

Human Elephant Conflicts amongst a farming community that least understands that it's them that encroached on the elephants' home range; yet I know that they are living there out of necessity. If I could, I would relocate some farmers to create enough access routes for elephants to move to the important feeding zones with minimal encounters with humans.

Alison J. Leslie

I guess my field of expertise is somewhat "different" or "unusual" and I would say that the biggest problem is trying to convince people of the value of crocodiles - in Africa in particular. This is a huge challenge. These days people and crocodiles are continuously competing for resources, such as habitat and food for example, and often the consensus is "a good crocodile is a dead crocodile". The only way to combat this problem is to educate folks re: the benefits of crocodiles. We do this via school visits, community meeting and discussions, popular articles, television documentaries and lots more!

Wallace 'J' Nichols

Conservation science is as much about understanding human behavior as it is ecology. Advancing solutions that bring together the best of the natural and social sciences is the key, and much harder than it sounds. Training professionals who can work in interdisciplinary ways is important. People working in different aspects of this conservation mosaic should share their big questions across disciplines. Who knows what insights may emerge?

Kathleen Sullivan Sealey

Often the biggest problem is convincing people that the environmental threats to their surroundings are real. Lots of people have an opinion of how "science works" or how the "environment works", and are not easily persuaded as to the importance of environmental protection. If changes in water quality are resulting in coral diseases, often he decision makers or local government representatives have not really seen these changes underwater over their lifetime. Many people are not making a real connection between these environmental threats and threats to their health and livelihoods.

I would change this by putting a greater emphasis on environmental and science education at all levels of schools. Children can learn at an early age to make a real connection to their environment, and learn the importance of the nature world in their quality of life. Many people in developing countries believe that environmental damage is necessary for economic development and national growth.

I wish more people would see science education as a necessity rather than a luxury for children as well as adults. Everyone should be comfortable with the ecology around them, and know common native plants and animals.

Catherine E. Burns

I think the biggest problem that I see in conservation biology is the struggle of scientists to effectively communicate our results to managers, policy makers and others who make on-the-ground decisions about conservation. The scientists have information that somehow doesn't always get used to its fullest extent, and it is frustrating to do work that you know could be put to much better use if only all the players could communicate better.

Jeffrey A. Seminoff

The biggest issues I deal with relate to conservation challenges for sea turtles in the Pacific Ocean. The most common impacts include directed harvest of turtles (i.e. eating of turle meat and eggs), and the incidental entanglement of turtles in commercial fishing gear such as driftnets, longlines, and shrimp trawler nets. There is really no easy answer with either of these problems, but my philosophy is that we need to work with those that are undertaking these actions through respectful and constructive dialogue. I also constantly remind myself that those eating turtles often do so out of necessity, and that the commercial fishermen I deal with are simply trying to make a living to feed their families, certainly not trying to catch turtles in their fishing gear.

As far as combating these problems, the first thing to note is that the turtle consumption and bycatch in fisheries gear are ubiquitous problems the world over. For as many countries, cultures, and communities within which and near which these impacts are occurring, there is likely a different strategy as to how I or my colleagues would approach them to discuss the problem. I urge those eating turtles to realize that turtles are a global resource to be cherished as a key piece of the ecological puzzle. While the killing of one turtle may not be a huge problem, it's the cumulative effect - the compounding impacts of many people killing many turtles - that spells certain doom for some sea turtle populations. I explain to them that there may be some unforeseen negative consequences of removing turtles out of the ecosystem. I also ask them if they want their children, and their children's children, to have the opportunity to experience a world with healthy sea turtle populations - to which almost everyone says yes!

To curb the bycatch of sea turtles in fisheries gear, I promote the use of responsible fishing practices for fishers through working with fisheries management authorities and the fishers themselves. Using newer fishing technologies - such as circle hooks and Turtle Excluder Devices - will help reduce impacts to turtles, even if costing a bit more to implement. I also urge them to fish in a responsible manner, only putting their nets and hooks in the water in places and at times when we know turtles are less likely to be.

Question Two: Of all of the species that need saving, how did you end up picking the animal/plant that you care most about?

Festus Ihwagi

I grew up in a community experiencing human elephant conflicts on the slopes of Mt. Kenya. I developed a soft spot for the jumbos even as my fellow villagers chased them away.

Alison J. Leslie

Actually the crocodiles picked me! I fell in love with reptiles at quite a late stage in life after working with sea turtles. I enjoy the challenge of working on an animal that not many people respect and the more one gets to understand a crocodile the more fascinating they become. I also feel that from a conservation perspective these creatures need all the help they can get....So there is a real value in the work we are doing.

Wallace 'J' Nichols

I'd say it was a combination of youthful passion, luck, plus something I still can't explain that drew me to turtles. I was fortunate to get a job working with nesting green sea turtles in Costa Rica early on, which connect me with one of my favorite activities as a kid. We used to net snapping turtles and paint numbers on their shells, then release them back into the creeks. When we recaptured them, we'd estimate how big the population was, what the turtles had been up to, etc. Catching turtles got under my skin and there was something about them I really liked, but can't explain. Much later, after working in Costa Rica I knew that studying and protecting sea turtles and their habitat would be my career.

Kathleen Sullivan Sealey

I started out working on a group of very intelligent and beautiful fish, the groupers (Family Serranidae). Groupers are large predators on coral reefs, and have long been a target of fisheries for their tasty meat. I could spend hours watching groupers mover around a coral head, looking for an easy opportunity to catch a meal. They follow moray eels, or wait patiently for a fish to come too close. Sometimes this gluttonous curiosity can be their undoing; Groupers are easily lured to traps with other smaller fish inside or attracted to bait.

Groupers need special protection now because many species need to aggregate in large groups in order to reproduce. Humans can easily fish out an spawning aggregation, and thus many countries have banned fishing on groupers all together (the USA) or have closed the fishing season on groupers during the months that they reproduce (The Bahamas).

Catherine E. Burns

I don't work on one particular species, and I believe that a species-focused approach is too limiting. As you said, there are lots of species that need saving, so I take a community approach to my work. I try to understand the threats to entire groups of organisms that live in a specific location, such as all mammal species.

Jeffrey A. Seminoff

I really didn't 'pick' sea turtles as a taxon to protect, but rather they picked me! Ever since being a little boy I have loved reptiles and turtles especially. Growing up in the midwest, my first-ever pets were three small painted turtles named Mo, Larry, and Curley. I'll never forget the day my dad told me I had to release the trio back into our local pond as the winter was approaching. Later on I developed a love for the oceans and marine biology. Sea turtles were one of the groups of animals that blended my two loves - reptiles and oceans. I have never looked back!

Question Three: At what age did you begin your science explorations - and what did you do?

Festus Ihwagi

At 13, apparently it was on plants. As I cut fodder (Napier Grass) for our cows, I marveled at the rate at which the grass was sprouting. I kept a daily record of its height and when I showed it to my teacher, he plotted for me what I came to learn is a growth curve.

Alison J. Leslie

At the age of 11, I told my parents that I was going to be a game ranger! Once I got to early high school I knew that I was going to become involved in scientific research. I volunteered at a local zoo and read everything I could lay my hands on about conservation.

Wallace 'J' Nichols

My exploration of science began very early. I was lucky to have all the quintessential "young scientist" experiences in nature, exploring, catching and releasing animals, observing, bringing a few small animals home for a time. But even before that I was curious about human genetics. As an adopted child, I wanted to know about origins, heredity, genes, reproduction, behavior, nature vs. nuture stuff. My mother was a nurse, so I had access to her text books and journals.

Kathleen Sullivan Sealey

I was very interested in animals and the outdoors as a small child. I had many pets and a horse. However, there is a big difference between a vocation and an avocation. It was not until middle school in 8th and 9th grade that I felt confident in my math skills and sought out more books in the library and special programs in science. I was 13 when I started to really think about being a scientist. It was important to identify with role models, and I was able to meet scientists working at a local university. No one in my family was a scientist, so my parents would suggest medicine or veterinary school would be the options open to me. I think that once I understood that there were many careers in science, and was confident that I could master the math and science classes, I focused on reading more about marine biology.

Catherine E. Burns

I started my science explorations in earnest when I was a sophomore in college. I studied chimpanzee social behavior for two years and loved it. That's really what got me hooked.

Jeffrey A. Seminoff

I was 7 or 8 yrs old when I had my first inkling that I wanted to be a biologist. I was one of those kids that spent every second I could outside, looking for snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, salamanders, you name it. I was infatuated with anything having to do with reptiles or amphibians. All my books were field guides of some sort and I'd spend hours pouring over them, learning every last detail about each species. At 17 yrs old, my interests led me to volunteer as a field assistant for a desert tortoise research project in Tucson Arizona, the town I was living in at the time. A year later I volunteered with a green sea turtle nesting beach project in Tortuguero Costa Rica. I was hooked at that point. Looking back on things, I think that my volunteering for these and other projects was one of the most important steps I took along the way. I'd still say that volunteerism is a huge part of becoming a research biologist!

Question Four: How do you respond to people who don't seem to care about the environment?

Festus Ihwagi

I choose to exemplify in a manner that makes them feel responsible. E.g. if you drop a banana peeling carelessly I will pick it and put in appropriate bin in your presence.

Alison J. Leslie

I am always initially quite shocked when I meet someone who does not care about the environment because it is something I couldn't imagine. But then again we are all different and entitled to our own opinions. Once again the best to do is to educate... small steps at a time... and with a better understanding of the seriousness of what is happening around us on a daily basis, they will have to care.

Wallace 'J' Nichols

Politeness is always a good lace to start. So is humor. And everyone wants to belong, especially if it's fun. I've worked with lots of fishermen, some who were active sea turtle hunters. We always find common ground. Most people don't want to cause the extinction of a species or to knowingly contribute to environmental harm. Nor do they want their current social structure to be shattered. People like to see themselves as part of something bigger than themselves and to feel like heroes, especially if they have kids. So respecting where everyone is coming from, listening, laughing and making conservation very enjoyable can help.

Kathleen Sullivan Sealey

I am a strong believer that everyone can change their mind. Although many people seem very entrenched in a strong opinion, the critical step is to open a dialog. I can be relentless in talking to people. To change someone's mind about the environment, often you need lots of patience and energy. The key is to first understand: 1) what are the sources of information that a person has used to form their opinions, and 2) what has been their experience.

Often, people have a very narrow view of environmental issues, or just do not have accurate information. There is a feeling that conservationists have been "alarmists". I believe there are real intrinsic as well as instrumental values of a healthy environment; especially for Bahamian islands where I work. Coastal protection will have real long term economic benefits.

Catherine E. Burns

I have a hard time with that. It's hard for me to understand how anyone could not care about the environment--even if only for selfish purposes (we all rely on it for our clean water, air, etc). I suppose I try to be patient and explain in the best way that I can why protecting the environment is important.

Jeffrey A. Seminoff

My first answer is that I explain to people that we, as humans, ARE part of the environment, and like wild animals, we too depend on its well-being. Things like climate change are beginning to show some subtle, and not-so-subtle effects of humans impacts. Most would agree that things are changing out there. Summers are hotter, winters are colder, storms are stronger and more frequent, all of which may be related to climate change and the footprint of humans. When it comes to habitat and species protection, I explain that in many senses, ecosystems are like a big jigsaw puzzle. When all the pieces are there, we can clearly see what the image in the puzzle is, just as a healthy ecosystem is one in which all the species are present. But if we take pieces of the puzzle away, or species out of the environment, the puzzle or ecosystem becomes more difficult to view, perhaps less healthy. We have to remember that the air we breath, the water we drink, and the food we eat is ties in one way or another to a healthy planet! Also, I explain that we must be good stewards of the planet, so as to keep species around, and ecosystems intact, for our children and grandchildren to experience.