# 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