Brooke Porter

Brooke Porter joined NZTRI in February 2011 as a PhD student. Brooke completed a Bachelors of Science in Marine Biology at Florida Tech in Melbourne, Florida and relocated in 2001 to work with a leading marine ecotourism NGO in Maui, Hawaii. Becoming involved in the post-tertiary training of naturalist, Brooke returned to university to gain formal training in applied educational theory. She holds a Masters in Education from Chaminade University, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Having worked in various sectors of the marine tourism industry and using education to ensure sustainability, she has come to realize the unique applicability of marine tourism as an environmental intervention. Her PhD explores the integration of rural marine tourism into the fishing communities of developing countries. The impetus for this research began while on assignment in Eritrea, Africa coordinating an internationally funded Fisheries Development Project. The research seeks to provide developing countries with alternative development strategies for marine resources.