(he/him)
Hi, I’m Stephen! I’m from New York. Before starting PhD research, I worked across the marine conservation and international policy sectors with the Wildlife Conservation Society, The Pew Charitable Trusts and the United States Peace Corps. Much of this work focused on the designation and improved management of marine protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, to help countries meet their conservation targets under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
I have a BSc in Economics from Wake Forest University (North Carolina, USA) and an MSc in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Johns Hopkins University (Maryland, USA), where my research focused on how the International Seabed Authority governs deep-sea mineral resources beyond national jurisdiction.
Personally, I love to cook and spend as much time as I can outdoors and by the ocean.
Nature credits for oyster aquaculture
University of St Andrews with Dr Carmel McDougall
PhD aim:
Explore how oyster aquaculture in the UK can be integrated into emerging nature credit markets, creating financial incentives for sustainable practices by assigning value to ecosystem services.
PhD objectives:
- Document ecosystem services – Assess and quantify the ecosystem services associated with oyster aquaculture in the UK, with a focus on Scottish waters.
- Evaluate credit models – Work alongside industry partner, NativeAqua, who is developing a potential framework for oyster-related credits, to evaluate the robustness, feasibility, and scalability of their model. This will include assessing economic, ecological, and regulatory considerations.
- Develop a UK framework – Integrate scientific, economic, and policy insights to propose a framework for incorporating oyster aquaculture into UK nature markets, identifying pathways for implementation (voluntary or compliance) and highlighting opportunities for marine net gain.
Contact details:
email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/s-martinelli/