An introduction to the Arabian Marine Species Observer (AMSO) Course with Nautica Environmental Associates-Online!

About the Talk:

The rapidly developing Arabian Peninsula hosts a rich diversity of marine megafauna that are under increasing pressure from anthropogenic activities. Many species, in particular marine mammals, are heavily impacted by the noise created during coastal development, seismic exploration, and mere commercial shipping.

Globally, the presence of trained marine mammal observers onboard is a regulatory requirement for many large offshore developments, and this is increasingly enforced in the Arabian Peninsula region. Previously, most regionally employed observers had international qualifications, focusing primarily on the marine species of the UK or Gulf of Mexico. As a response to this regional knowledge gap, Nautica Environmental Associates and Five Oceans Environmental Services prepared The Arabian Marine Species Observer (AMSO) Course; the first regionally specialized marine species observer programme in the Arabian Peninsula.

The AMSO course introduces the marine species observer industry. It is aimed at acquisition of in-depth knowledge, attaining new skills, and achieving competencies in marine species identification, data recording, distance estimation and implementation of impact mitigation protocols. It also helps experienced individuals broaden their knowledge on the site-specific legislative frameworks protecting Arabian marine species. 

The AMSO certification follows the formats of both the existing programmes, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) MMO in the UK as well as the Protected Species Observer (PSO) programme in the Gulf of Mexico with additional unique modules on turtle nesting surveys and responses to injured/deceased sea turtles. The course is accredited by the IMarEST (Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology) as well as ACTVET (Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training).

The AMSO programme content and design is a collaboration between Nautica Environmental Associates, headquartered in the UAE and Five Oceans Environmental Services in Oman, combining 30 years of experience in the region with leading scientists in the field of marine species identification. This talk will be an introduction to the AMSO course and the people behind it. The talk will cover the need for such a course in our region, introduce the course contents and deliverables, provide a glimpse into each module, and discuss ways forward.

About The Speaker:

The AMSO course will be introduced to ENHG by Rebekka Pentti, Nautica’s Training Manager and marine scientist who has played an integral part in the development of the course alongside regional experts. Currently working for Nautica, Rebekka's work includes leading and supervising the collection of environmental samples in the field and comprising the data into scientific reports. In addition, she is a recognised figure in environmental outreach activities and loves to share her passion for the ocean with the youth and the wider community. Rebekka has in-depth ecological knowledge of the processes and annual variations of benthic communities and regional marine megafauna movements, and extensive experience in instructing, scientific diving and coral health scuba surveys. Rebekka is also currently involved in several ongoing environmental monitoring programs, including coral relocation efforts, mangrove assessments, and environmental baseline surveys.

Prior to working for Nautica, Rebekka worked as the SEQ Project Coordinator for Reef Check Australia, coordinating and conducting countless coral health surveys along the coast of Southeast Queensland. Rebekka completed a BSc in Marine Science (Ecology) and Bachelor of Science (Hons) with First Class Honours at Griffith University, Australia. Her dissertation focused on benthic habitat mapping of shallow and mesophotic reefs in Southeast Queensland.