Guided by a background in photojournalism and a passion for marine conservation, Shaahina worked closely with the Maldivian government to formalize recreational diving standards and establish a dive center. She is the first woman to work professionally in the Maldivian dive industry. Shaahina’s dedication and extensive knowledge of the environment, people, culture, history, and geography of the islands are an immense asset to any project she undertakes and led her to receive a President of the Maldives Green Leaf Award for her work creating environmental awareness among school children.

Louise Heaps is WWF’s global lead on sustainable blue economy, with a focus on influencing mainstream finance and policy enablers, as well as addressing the barriers to delivering an inclusive sustainable blue economy at coastal community levels. Louise has worked in ocean conservation and natural resource management for over 25 years, leading ocean policy and field-based programmes in the global north and south, with 5 years in the Pacific Islands region as the Conservation Director of WWF South Pacific.