Sara Andreotti, Marine Biologist

Letter of support from Sara Andreotti, Marine Biologist

11 September 2023

Name Sara Andreotti

Andrea (Drea) Burbank, MD CEO, Savimbo Inc. Carerra 6 - Numero #3-21, Villagarzon, Putumayo, Colombia

Re: Savimbo Sentinal species biodiversity methodology

Dear Dr. Burbank,

I am writing to express my support for your proposed biodiversity methodology principle that utilizes sentinel species as a metric for measuring preserved biodiversity in marine habitats.

I come from the perspective of a marine biologist with 15 years of experience in shark population estimates and genetic assessment in South Africa. I have been engaging in conservation efforts with direct communication with local stakeholders, MPAs and governmental departments.

There is a critical need for regulation in markets/economy/science/research to support the traditional relationship between indigenous cultures and the marine environment allowing for a sustainable and potentially non-consumptive use of endangered or understudied marine biodiversity.

The careful adaptation of this methodology to the marine environment could be highly beneficial, not only for the South African marine ecosystem, but also as a blue print to make the conservation of marine biodiversity financially viable worldwide.

It is essential that international markets focused on biodiversity provide a means of livelihood and empowerment for coastal communities while allowing them to preserved their ecosystems. For this reason, biodiversity credits are a reasonable and viable way to generate non-hierarchical and decentralized employment in this population sector, which could focused on conserving and protecting coastal biodiversity.

Sincerely,

Dr Sara Andreotti

Marine Biologist, PhD Lecturer Extraordinary / Researcher Department of Botany and Zoology Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa

original Letter of support from Sara Andreotti, Marine Biologist