Empowering youth through coral conservation

Nikita Shiel-Rolle is based on the remote Cat Island in The Bahamas. An Edinburgh graduate and marine biologist, her life is driven by her passion for the the ocean, exploration and education.

Born in Toronto to an Irish mother and Bahamian father, Nikita spent her early years between Canada and The Bahamas. As soon as she was old enough she took a job with a Bahamian dive company where she worked during school holidays.

It took only one summer of diving to convince Nikita that she wanted to become a marine biologist. She told her guidance teacher her dream to work in marine science, education and international relations but was told to focus on one, as to combine all three would supposedly be impossible.

Amongst the coconut trees

Fast forward a couple of decades and Nikita’s office today comprises a desk, overlooking a patio, surrounded by coconut trees and beside the beach. Her current home is Cat Island with a population of little over 1500.

Young Marine Explorers

Nikita is the founder and CEO of Young Marine Explorers, a community organisation aimed to empower Bahamian youth to become local leaders in matters of education and conservation.

Despite being surrounded by ocean Nikita discovered that the majority of young Bahamians were not interested in it. The cause seemed to be poor access to quality education and limited government resources allocated to conservation and environmental awareness.

Her focus became the building of young, active citizens who understand the importance of their environment and its role in supporting local health, economy and lifestyle.

As a YME family we are working together to inspire future generations of game changers. A common belief amongst our YME members is that they are leaders who will make a positive impact within The Bahamas.

Nikita Shiel-Rolle

By inspiring and empowering Bahamian youth, equipping them with leadership skills and an environmental education, the organisation aims to influence big change both on a local and international scale.

The conservation of Cat Island

Nikita is also founder and CEO of the Cat Island Conservation Institute (CICI). It is focused on developing climate resilient communities capable of adapting to and withstanding the changing climate, with an emphasis on small island states and coastal communities. Nikita and her CICI colleagues work with their local community to create a sustainable island where humans are living in harmony with nature.

The EDGE Pillar Coral

Nikita completed her MSc in Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health at Edinburgh via online distance learning, whilst living between the Bahamas and London. She was Fellow of the Zoological Society of London and studied the Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) Pillar Coral.

An EDGE species is the next level on from an endangered species. If we lose an EDGE species such as the pillar coral we lose not just the species but the entire genus. Protecting EDGE species is very important from a biodiversity point of view.

Nikita Shiel-Rolle

The tap of a hat

Although Nikita completed her Edinburgh degree online, she and her whole family came to McEwan Hall for graduation, and they loved every moment.

Nikita describes the experience as amazing and totally different from her undergraduate ceremony in Miami.

She particularly enjoyed the Principal’s speech coupled with the opportunity to meet with her fellow students that she had virtually connected with through the course.

Early career highs

In 2013 at the 40^th anniversary of Bahamian independence Nikita was recognised as ‘one of 40 under 40 that will make a difference in The Bahamas’.

That same year she received the ‘Nicole Avant Award for Science’ for her dedication and hard work in the field of marine biology.

In 2017 Nikita was invited to be a keynote speaker at a UNESCO conference in Argentina. Reflecting on that conversation with her guidance teacher in high school, that career wish list is looking fairly healthy.

In February 2020, Nikita sat on a panel called 'Planet in peril: Transforming the course of climate action' at the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel in Paris.

Nikita recalls that it is these career highlights along with her hobbies of diving and photography that have helped her through some

A seat at the table

Nikita explains that establishing a financially viable, not for profit organisation has been difficult in a country where a lack of tax exemption does not actively encourage people to donate.

She recalls having to work very hard to be offered a seat at the table and accepted by political colleagues.

Whilst small in size, Nikita describes the political landscape of The Bahamas as very complex and the good working relationship she has with politicians today have been slow in the making.

The status of Young Marine Explorers as an an established and well recognised organisation has certainly helped things along. Today, Nikita and YME are official UNESCO partners.

Connecting people with the ocean

In her own words, "Nikita lives each day to the fullest, laughing until her stomach hurts, and spending every possible moment connecting people to the ocean"