Elitza Germanov

Background

About Elitza Germanov

My broad professional interests concern sustainability and biodiversity conservation. My research centers on the conservation of threatened marine megafauna and the mitigation of anthropogenic pressures on marine ecosystems, especially within maritime conservation zones. My conservation biology work has focused on establishing baselines in understudied populations of threatened species, specifically manta rays and whale sharks to aid species and Marine Protected Area management. I use the flagship approach to conservation (Germanov et al, 2018) in partnership with large-scale citizen science initiatives that I have fostered in Indonesia. So far, the work has enabled an understanding of large-scale manta ray movements (Germanov & Marshall, 2014), habitat use, population dynamics, and anthropogenic threats, including unsustainable tourism (Germanov et al, 2019a) and plastic pollution (Germanov et al, 2019b; Argeswara et al, 2021). In tandem with scientific knowledge building, my projects aim to build scientific capacity with Indonesian marine scientists, especially young women, through hands-on training internships for students from Indonesian higher learning institutions. Further, I engage with the private tourism sector and use public education and outreach to achieve sustainable tourism practices and advocate for improved marine stewardship.