Josephine, Young Ambassador for the Environment at the IUCN World Youth Summit

''My name is Josephine Pierrat, I am 25 years old, and I live in La Réunion (Indian Ocean, France).

I have always been fascinated by the marine environment and studied tropical marine ecology, then specialized in the ecology of sea cucumbers in the reef environment. I am currently in the third year of my PhD thesis at UMR ENTROPIE (Ecologie mariNe TROpicale des océans Pacifique et IndiEn) at the University of La Réunion. I study the spatio-temporal dynamics of hyper-dense holothurian populations in relation to environmental parameters. I analyze their diet using the metabarcoding technique. Finally, I identify the different clonal lineages within the populations (holothurian species in Reunion Island reproduce asexually by transverse fission).

Today, most of the awareness-raising activities are carried out around emblematic species such as cetaceans or sea turtles, and emblematic ecosystems such as coral reefs. As a Young Ambassador for the Environment, I would like to promote marine species and ecosystems that are not considered emblematic to a large audience and transmit my scientific knowledge to many youths.”