ABOUT ME
"As long as I am breathing, I will try to make a difference!"
Christine Figgener (TIME Magazine)
Hi, I am Christine!
I am a marine conservation biologist, author, and science communicator working at the interface of research, conservation practice, and public understanding.
For nearly two decades, I have combined hands-on sea turtle research in Central America with applied conservation and science communication to protect marine ecosystems.
For nearly 20 years, I have worked with sea turtles in Central America, applying ecological research directly to conservation practice. My fieldwork spans long-term population monitoring, research projects, habitat protection, and capacity building.
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I hold a PhD in marine biology from Texas A&M University, where my doctoral research focused on the trophic and movement ecology of sea turtles. I am the founder of Namaka Conservation Science SRL, a scientific consultancy, and the Costa Rican Alliance for Sea Turtle Conservation & Science (COASTS), a grassroots non-profit based in Costa Rica. Through these organisations, I design and implement science-based conservation projects, mentor students and early career scientists, and work to reduce barriers to participation in conservation, particularly for people from the Global South and other underrepresented communities.
Today, my work centres on translating marine science into public understanding, making clear how human lifestyles impact ocean health and where meaningful change is possible.
At this point in my life, I am passionate about building an informed public that understands how human activities and our modern lifestyles shape ocean ecosystems. An informed public can become a community of change makers, but only when conservation is grounded in scientific evidence, context, and best practices. I use sea turtles as ocean ambassadors to help people understand how large-scale human pressures translate into real ecological consequences, and where both individual decisions and systemic change matter.
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In 2015, I filmed and shared a video documenting the removal of a plastic straw from a sea turtle's nose during field research in Costa Rica. The footage went viral and became a catalyst for the global anti-straw movement, contributing to plastic straw bans adopted by major international companies. The video is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the modern anti-plastic movement and created an unexpected platform for science communication.
Plastic pollution is one of the most visible consequences of our lifestyles, but it is only one of many pressures affecting marine life. Since that moment, I have focused on using science-based storytelling to explain how a range of human-derived factors, including climate change, fisheries, coastal development, tourism, light pollution, and plastic waste, impact ocean health and drive biodiversity loss.
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My research and conservation work have been featured in international media and documentary productions, such as National Geographic and the BBC. In recognition of my outreach and science communication work, I was named a Next Generation Leader by TIME Magazine in 2018 and was a finalist for Texan of the Year by the Dallas Morning News.
Together, we can prevent the extinction of sea turtles. But visibility alone does not protect species.
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My work spans multiple formats and sectors. I have served as Director of Science and Education for the Footprint Foundation, consulted as a subject-matter expert on video games, and worked as an on-camera expert for international documentary productions. Across all of these roles, my focus remains the same: translating science into understanding, and understanding into informed action.