Said Shee Mohammed is a marine conservationist from Kenya working to protect marine ecosystems, particularly in the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Protected Area. He is a seasoned professional who has earned many accolades, including being one of fifty-one nominees for the Indianapolis Zoo Prize for wildlife conservation in 2023, and the winner of the African Ranger of the Year in 2018 and IUCN-WCPA International Ranger Award in 2021.
In an interview with Nature Seychelles, Said shares how he went from an ocean lover to a marine conservationist. He recalls how a career detour as a visiting warden on Cousin Island Special Reserve in the early 2000s changed him.
Said’s love for the ocean started when he was a child in Mombasa, swimming and watching nature shows.
After joining the Kenya Wildlife Service, he received para-military training for rangers in terrestrial protected areas and thereafter, marine biology training from the organisation’s training institute. From then on, he knew this was what he was meant to do. The more he learnt about marine conservation the more his enthusiasm grew.
A turning point in his career would come with an experience that would leave a lasting impact.
In 2005 Nature Seychelles launched a four-month visiting warden Experience Xchange Program (EXP) on Cousin Island Special Reserve.
This program was very successful and brought together conservation professionals from around the world with island staff to share knowledge and skills.
Under the EXP, reserve managers, biologists, ecologists and many other experienced conservationists volunteered their time to do conservation work alongside the staff. In return the EXP volunteers shared their expertise from countries as varied as Finland, Kenya, Italy and South Africa. Said was one of them.
“It was the highlight of my career,” he says. “For the first time, I was involved in a fully integrated conservation initiative that involved bird surveys, mangroves, reptiles, and coral reef surveys among other education and awareness activities such as conservation education for schools, nature guiding, and invasive species management. This exchange greatly benefitted me in terms of skill and capacity development for marine conservation.”
Said also mentions meeting Dr Nirmal Shah, CEO of Nature Seychelles who provided guidance and motivation that was instrumental in his career.
Since then, he has worked in the marine sector in Kenya and the Western Indian Ocean. He is involved in the certification of marine professionals in the region through the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA).
Today like many marine professionals in Seychelles and beyond Said’s main concerns are about the threats to marine ecosystems, overexploitation and climate change. He loves to talk about these issues especially on social media.
One common misconception he addresses is that the ocean has infinite resources. He says overfishing and pollution is as a result of this misconception.
To address these issues, he is involved in community programs aimed at raising awareness about the ocean’s limitations and vulnerabilities, including developing and providing capacity building for Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs).