STATE OF ENDANGERED SPECIES | BACKGROUND & ISSUES | PROGRAM AGENDA | SPEAKERS

State of Endangered Species Event: Speakers

Bethan Morgan

Research Fellow, Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES), Zoological Society of San Diego
Bethan Morgan, Ph. D., serves the Zoological Society of San Diego as a researcher based in southwestern Cameroon, Africa. She investigates the ecology, social organization, and conservation of one of the most endangered primates, the drill Mandrillus leucophaeus, as well as studying a little-known gorilla Gorilla gorilla gorilla and chimpanzee Pan troglodytes River hippo populations in the Ebo forest. In addition, Dr. Morgan gathers species data from weekly bushmeat market surveys to discover incentives for bushmeat hunting in Bakossiland in order to tailor site-specific potential solutions for this complex issue. These data are some of the first available for Bakossiland and will provide the baseline for determining hunting pressure in the future of the proposed Bakossi Mountains National Park.

Dr. Morgan played a leading role in technical presentations to the government and communities of Cameroon about the structure of a proposed protected Bakossi Mountains National Park, including options and legal rights of the indigenous peoples. The process was jointly supported by the World Wildlife Fund's Coastal Forests Progamme. Local support for the new Park is overwhelming, with over 80 villages signing the legislative support for the Park's creation.

Dr. Morgan received her Ph.D. in 2000 from the University of Cambridge. Her thesis, titled “Ecology of mammalian frugivores in the Reserve de Faune du Petit Loango, Gabon,” investigated niche separation in relation to frugivory in large-bodied mammalian frugivores, particularly forest elephants, gorillas, and chimpanzees in the reserve.

Before coming to work for the Zoological Society of San Diego, Dr. Morgan was a visiting and teaching fellow in Biological Anthropology at Harvard University where she earned an Excellence in Teaching award. Morgan also worked as an assistant lecturer, supervisor, and examiner for the University of Cambridge’s Department of Biological Anthropology.

Here's more information about Dr. Morgan's current project.

Jennifer Dianto

Senior Program Manager, Seafood Watch, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Jennifer Dianto manages the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program, designed to shift the buying habits of consumers and businesses to support sustainable fishing and aquaculture operations. She previously launched a sustainable seafood initiative with the New England Aquarium in Boston. In addition, Ms. Dianto developed collaborative research projects with commercial fishermen and coauthored Beyond Our Shores, Catching Fish in New England Waters. She also consulted for nonprofit fisheries organizations in New England.

Jennifer Dianto began working on marine conservation issues in Washington D.C. for American Oceans Campaign, a national marine conservation organization, while obtaining her M.S. from Johns Hopkins University in Environmental Sciences. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Florida State University.

Serge Dedina

Executive Director, WiLDCOAST
Serge Dedina, Ph.D., is the executive director of WiLDCOAST, an international conservation team that protects and preserves coastal ecosystems and wildlife in the Californias and Latin America. The author of Saving the Gray Whale, Dr. Dedina received his Ph.D. In Geography from the University of Texas, Austin. At WiLDCOAST, Dr. Dedina was the architect behind the recent deal to protect 140,000 acres (56, 660 hectares) of gray whale habitat in Mexico and has directed the "Don't Eat Sea Turtle" campaign since 2001. Dr. Dedina received the Surf Industry Association's "Environmentalist of the Year" award in 2003.

Abstract

Saving Sea Turtles, Changing Popular Culture: Combining Mass Media, Grassroots Support and Enforcement to Reduce the Black Market Demand for Marine Reptiles in Latin America

Over the past five years, WiLDCOAST has carried out a "Don't Eat Sea Turtle" campaign, a global media and grassroots effort to save sea turtles that has involved Catholic priests, Pope John Paul, celebrity models, rock stars, professional wrestlers, soccer stars, fishermen, and everyday citizens. The campaign, recently referred to by Shifting Baselines founder Randy Olson as "the best ocean campaign in human history," at first specifically targeted black market demand for sea turtle products in Mexico and encouraged governmental enforcement efforts to halt sea turtle poaching. However, due to the organization of the Latino media market, this campaign quickly became global with instant penetration into Central America and the Caribbean as well into the areas in the United States where sea turtles are consumed.