Maui's dolphins project: the people

Who's leading the marine threatened species programme?

Caren Schröder has worked for WWF for the past 3 years. She is dedicated to the protection of the Maui's dolphin.

What are your ambitions for the future?
In New Zealand we've had many years experience managing threatened species on land, but in the marine environment we're a long way behind.

My main ambition is to see marine threatened species gain a higher profile and the government show a stronger commitment to manage species recovery.

It's no use for us to invest in research if the government isn't prepared to make the tough decisions required to reduce threats. We still have a long way to go if we are to save Maui's dolphin from extinction!

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to do what you do?
Working in conservation science is fun because it goes further than undertaking research.

In fact that's where the main part of the job starts - making sure the science is heard and that research findings make it into government policy and decision making.

This can also be a frustrating process as government tends to work slowly and often more conservatively than we like.

So you need a lot of perseverance and at the same time good humour and networking skills. Of course you'll also need a keen interest in science to start with.