Heather Koldewey is the co-founder of

Project Seahorse Project Seahorse is a marine conservation organization committed to the conservation and sustainable use of coastal marine ecosystems in general, and seahorses in particular. It is based at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (University ...

and head of marine and freshwater for the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park. History On 29 ...

- London Zoo Aquarium. She additionally serves as an honorary professor for

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...

and a National Geographic explorer. Her research interests focus on marine and freshwater conservation, seahorse biology and genetics, and the impact of the aquarium trade on wild populations of fish and aquatic invertebrates.

Education

Koldewey obtained a B.Sc. Biological Sciences (Marine and Fish Biology) at the University of Plymouth with First Class Honours in 1989. She then went on to receive a Ph.D. from the

University College Swansea , former_names=University College of Swansea, University of Wales Swansea , motto= cy, Gweddw crefft heb ei dawn , mottoeng="Technical skill is bereft without culture" , established=1920 – University College of Swansea 1996 – University of Wa ...

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

in 1993, where her thesis focused on the genetics of brown trout populations in Welsh rivers.

Career and Research

In 1997, Koldewey became the Curator of the Aquarium and Reptile House at the

London Zoo London Zoo, also known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for science, scientific study. In 1831 o ...

, and has worked to advance the role of aquariums in fish conservation globally. She was also involved in designing and building Biota!, an aquarium in Silvertown Quays in London. In September 2009, the landowner London Development Agency withdrew from the agreement, effectively ending the project. Beginning in 1998, she co-chaired a series of workshops that established the first co-ordinated conservation breeding programmes for fish and aquatic invertebrates in European aquariums. She has been engaged in marine and freshwater conservation efforts, including programmes in the UK, Philippines, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Nepal and Mozambique.

Zoological Society of London

Currently, Koldewey is the Section Head of Global Programmes at the

. Koldeway uses collaborative approaches with ZSL to communicate and engage people in marine conservation. This includes Project Ocean - a partnership with Selfridges to bring ocean conservation to new audiences and change consumer buying habits, and One Less - a campaign working to make London the first capital city to stop using single-use plastic water bottles.

Project Seahorse

In 1996, Koldeway co-founded

with Dr.

Amanda Vincent Amanda Vincent is a Canadian marine biologist and conservationist, one of the world's leading experts on seahorses and their relatives. She currently holds the chair of the IUCN SSC Seahorse, Pipefish and Seadragon Specialist Group and is the ma ...

. Koldewey is Chair of the Fish Section of the IUCN Re-introduction Specialist Group, and a UK government zoo inspector. She is the Section Head for Global Programmes at ZSL.

National Geographic Society

In research focusing on

plastic pollution Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects and particles (e.g. plastic bottles, bags and microbeads) in the Earth's environment that adversely affects humans, wildlife and their habitat. Plastics that act as pollutants are catego ...

in Earth's waterways, Koldeway was appointed as a National Geographic fellow in 2018 and now serves as a National Geographic Explorer. She additionally acts as an Expedition Co-Lead for the National Geographic “Sea to Source: Ganges” river expedition.

Selected publications

*Koldewey, H.J., Curnick D., Harding S., Harrison L.R., Gollock M. (2010) Potential benefits to fisheries and biodiversity of the Chagos Archipelago/British Indian Ocean Territory as a no-take marine reserve. Marine Pollution Bulletin. *Koldewey, H.J. and K.M. Martin-Smith (2010) A global review of seahorse aquaculture. Aquaculture 32:131-152 *Koldewey, H.J., Atkinson, J. and Shaw, A. (accepted). Threatened Species on the Menu? Towards sustainable seafood use in zoos and aquariums. International Zoo Yearbook. *Koldewey, H.J., Jones, R., Shaw, A., Zimmerman, B. 2005. A New Approach to a New Conservation-led Aquarium. Proceedings of the International Aquarium Congress, USA.

References

External links

Project Seahorse websiteHeather Koldewey profile (Project Seahorse)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koldewey, Heather British marine biologists Women marine biologists Zoological Society of London Alumni of the University of Plymouth Alumni of Swansea University Living people Year of birth missing (living people)