2021 New Colombo Plan (NCP) Fellow, Kayla Rowe, always had a passion for environmental conservation.
“These days it is almost impossible to live and not negatively affect the environment. For this reason, I thought it was important to dedicate my career to preserving what biodiversity and natural beauty we have left.”
After hearing about the Maldives-based Atoll Marine Centre, the Murdoch University Bachelor of Science student was drawn to the island nation for her NCP experience.
“I have always been interested in working with local communities to make a long-lasting conservation impact, and I have the chance to do that here. Sadly, due to rising sea levels most of the Maldives may be underwater by 2050 unless considerable change is made. I wanted to see first-hand the impacts of climate change and explore what is being done on the ground to combat this.”
Kayla’s perspective on the waste crisis was changed soon after arriving.
“Rubbish is collected at one of the beaches where the plastic is constantly burnt, producing a cascade of toxic fumes and micro plastics which fall into the reef system below. The entirety of the coast is covered in waste from nappies to water bottles to building materials. This initially made me very overwhelmed and confused as to why more local people didn’t seem to care. However, with time I realised that with privilege comes the passion to care about something like waste management. For the local community, there is no alternative but to dump rubbish on the beach.”
Now undertaking an internship at the Atoll Marine Centre, Kayla is a driving force behind local sea turtle rehabilitation.
“I have released an olive ridley sea turtle, Xena, who was successfully rehabilitated for buoyancy syndrome after losing a flipper to ghost net entanglement. On the island where I live, I have also launched a marine school holiday program educating local youth about the threats facing sea turtles. In response to this, three families returned five green sea turtle hatchlings to the care of the centre. I am learning to rehabilitate these turtles back into salt water, and we have successfully released one of the hatchlings!”
Kayla has had the opportunity to spend hours immersed in the underwater world of the Maldives, where she has free dived with manta rays, nurse sharks and sea turtles and scuba dived over carpets of anemones and amongst the largest schools of tropical fish she has ever seen.
These experiences have reinforced Kayla’s drive for animal conservation and working with the local community to encourage change.
“One of my most memorable experiences was being asked by a local women’s employment NGO to present at an event on the Role of Women in Environmental Conservation. I had the opportunity to encourage women in the Maldives to pursue a career in marine biology. The event had fantastic feedback and many young women approached me afterwards to talk further about their future career options.”
Kayla’s experience in the Maldives has not been without some cultural adjustment.
“The Maldives is an Islamic country, and I did not fully realise the extent to which religion governs life here. Many cultural adjustments are relatively easy, such as covering my shoulders and knees, but other things have taken longer to adjust to. Sometimes, even when I cover my knees and shoulders, it is common to be stared at, as many women wear a full Burqa or at least a Hijab.”
Kayla has also experienced cultural differences in gender expectations.
“My employer is great at communicating and hearing my opinion, but outside of work, I find it difficult to communicate with men in a professional setting. This is because, as a woman, being assertive or taking on leadership roles can be interpreted as unusual or disrespectful.”
Although Kayla has needed to adapt to some aspects of life in the Maldives, she is grateful for the experiences the NCP has given her.
“I have had the opportunity to live, learn and work within such a different culture. I have learnt how to work amongst many different people with varying beliefs, and my negotiation and communication skills have improved greatly.”
The NCP has allowed Kayla to build extensive people-to-people connections. Providing direct marine education to local children has also enabled her to build a greater sense of trust between locals and the marine centre.
“I am assisting to organise the Lhaviyani Turtle Festival, this will help raise awareness of marine conservation. For this event I have to contact all of the relevant marine NGOs across the Maldives and invite them to host a stall and present their work.”
Kayla encourages every student and prospective NCP Scholar to step outside their comfort zone and get involved.
“This has been the most eye-opening experience of my life. Never did I imagine myself living in the middle of the Indian Ocean on a tiny, isolated island in the Maldives, diving each day, looking after sea turtles, and promoting marine awareness. I feel so lucky that I have received this opportunity so early in my life. I have made many valuable connections and have added new experiences to my professional repertoire.”
