Ocean Stewards Programme is a Wildlands Conservation Trust initiative partly funded by Grindrod Blue Fund which has been created with a focus on the sustainable development of coastal communities and conservation of coastal marine ecosystems.
Says Marietjie Coertzen, Sustainability Professional at Grindrod, “Third-year and honours marine science and biology students are given an opportunity to do real-life marine research out on the ocean. We have found that a lot of students that reach honours level in the marine field have never actually experienced what they are studying so we try and make it real for them.
“We also try to motivate them to pursue a masters or to excel wherever they find themselves in their careers, be it at Grindrod or government level, taking the knowledge and care and respect for the oceans with them to make good decisions not just from a company perspective, but also from an ocean perspective.
Grindrod has invested in the programme and regards the Ocean Stewards as one of the key CSI projects.
One of the scholars wrote a letter to Grindrod, giving feedback on their experience.
Honours student writes letter of thanks
To the very generous sponsors of the Ocean Stewards Initiative,
I am one of the four Honours students chosen this year to be a part of this incredible and exciting Ocean Stewards Programme.
I have just come back from my leg of the trip, and although I didn’t get to spend five whole days at sea (due to bad weather), I nevertheless had an incredible time and am extremely grateful for being given the opportunity of having had this experience.
As I am from Cape Town and not familiar with Durban at all, I really enjoyed being able to have done some sight-seeing, such as a taking part in a beach clean-up, a trip to the boat museum, the beachwood mangroves and spending a day at the aquarium at uShaka Marine World!
The time spent at sea was a great learning curve. Even though I was sick the first day, I had found my sea legs by the second day, which is very reassuring and I had a fantastic time. I thoroughly enjoyed being out in the ocean surrounded by the beauty of nature, good company and the feeling of being a part of something that is important and so much bigger than me. I now have just a taste of what practical work I may be involved in and that really excites me.
I am also extremely grateful for the amazing scientists and crew members I met. They truly made the experience so much more enjoyable and memorable and I look forward to potentially working with these people in the future.
This programme is a once in a lifetime opportunity, but it is not a once off, as my eyes have been opened to a whole world of possibilites and fantastic opportunities to get involved in.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sponsoring this amazing and rewarding programme and I look forward to seeing what great work and future marine scientists come out from the Ocean Stewards.
Yours Sincerely,
Donia Wozniak