Dr. Dayne Buddo is a marine ecologist with expertise in marine invasive species, fisheries management, and marine protected areas. He is currently the Regional Project Coordinator of the GEF/CAF/FAO/CRFM Project entitled, “Promoting National Blue Economy Priorities Through Marine Spatial Planning in the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem Plus Region" (BE-CLME + Project). This is a project of the Caribbean of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism based in Belize. Dr. Buddo says that he had an early fascination with the sea but like many Jamaicans was initially scared of the ocean and what it may hold. However, he overcame this fear and came to love the ocean and was determined to help protect it, particularly as he studied for his B.Sc. in Zoology and Botany at The UWI. He is the first Jamaican to have done significant work on marine invasive species, through his graduate research on the green mussel Perna viridis in Jamaica for which he earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree from The UWI. Dr. Buddo served the UWI as Lecturer and Academic Coordinator for several years and has been stationed at the UWI Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory and Field Station for many of those years. Not surprisingly, he is certified as a PADI Instructor, an Emergency First Response® (First Aid/CPR/AED) Instructor, as well as a Hyperbaric (Recompression) Chamber Operator and Safety Director. Dr. Buddo has been a consultant for marine projects with CARICOM, the Government of Japan, the World Bank, International Maritime Organization, and the Nature Conservancy, among others. Additionally, he has worked in over 30 countries, closely with agencies such as the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD), International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).