www.womanthismonth.com IN SYNC WITH MOTHER NATURE It’s no secret that the environment has been gravely affected by the collective actions of the world population over the years. As one of only two female marine biologists in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Reem Al Mealla works tirelessly for the betterment of the environment. We caught up with the inspiring woman to get some insight on the current state of the environment in the Middle East, the environmental effects of COVID-19 and her search for women in the environmental field in the Arabian Gulf. The last time we caught up, you were one of only women two marine biologists in the Kingdom. What’s changed since and what are some of the greatest progressions you’ve made since then? Not much really, I haven’t come across any other women marine biologists especially those who work on the field in Bahrain. On a more positive note, the number of young people coming into the environmental field is definitely growing as I have had a lot of youth doing degrees in environmentalrelated fields reach out to me looking for internships or ways to get into the field which is very positive and exciting! In addition, the number of women divers in Bahrain has increased significantly with diving becoming the latest trendy sport especially for young people. What drove you to pursue a career as an ecologist? With the shores of Bahrain as my playground during my childhood it was hard not to fall in love with the sea. I always knew I wanted to work with nature and learning how everything within an ecosystem connects fascinated me. Ecology is the relationship and interaction among species and with their surrounding environment. However, the real fuel that made me be very committed to pursuing this career is learning and seeing how we as humans are destroying and altering this relationship, which in the end will lead to our own self-destruction. How does having a career in the field of marine biology make you feel? Is this something you’ve always wanted to do? I love being a marine biologist and have always wanted to be one since I was in school although very early on I wanted to be an astronaut. It was either going up beyond the blue or dive deep into the blue that surrounds us. Being in this field makes me feel alive and it gives me a deep sense of purpose. Working on the field excites me and constantly charges my energy giving me that drive to do better. I learn so much about life just by observing other species. We often forget that we are part of nature and not something detached. It is such a gift to be able to experience this life and hence we must do our best to live it fully whilst respecting every other species that we share this world with. When I was younger I always felt like I needed to do so much and would get upset when things don’t go my way but now I adopt nature’s philosophy where I can, like Lao Tzu says, “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” PEOPLE | interview August 2020 5 Picture by Laura Blamey
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