Amy Berry

About

Amy Berry is from Annapolis Royal Nova Scotia. She has a BA in International Development Studies from Dalhousie University, and her Honours thesis was on sustainable community-based surf tourism in Ghana. She spent the third year of her degree program studying abroad and interning with Black Star Developments – a  non-governmental organization (NGO) in Busua Beach, Ghana.  Amy has been a surf tourist for nine years, allowing her to compare the effects of tourism in different coastal communities. Her passion for surfing new waves soon blossomed into aspirations to learn about new cultures and become an advocate promoting global equality, sustainability and conservation.

Amy completed an MA in International Development Studies from Saint Mary’s University where she completed a research fellowship with the Community Conservation Research Network(CCRN)  and successfully implemented an environmental education initiative in The Gambia, funded by the Robin Rigby Trust Fund in collaboration with her colleague Meagan Symington and the Nova Scotia Gambia Association.

She is currently employed with the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute, a non-profit co-operative which promotes sustainable natural resource use in the Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve through research and education. Her role within the organization focuses on the human dimension of natural resource management and conservation.

Amy’s areas of interest include: Community-based conservation, adaptation and resilience to climate change, community engagement and needs assessments, participatory research, community economic development, environmental education and environmental policy analysis.