Every year, many University of Victoria graduate students set off to do research in countries around the world.
Every year, many University of Victoria graduate students set off to do research in countries around the world. On occasion, they can face some common obstacles, such as achieving legitimacy with local communities and finding reliable translators. For UVic geography PhD candidate Jackie Ziegler, the big difference between her two experiences—in Mexico and the Philippines—was working with a local partner.
Ziegler studies the intersection between tourism and biodiversity conservation, with a focus on the marine environment. She investigated whale shark tourism first in Mexico for her master’s degree and then in the Philippines for her PhD.
“I taught myself how to read and speak Spanish before arriving at the site so I could communicate with people once there,” says Ziegler. “At the time, there wasn't a lot published and most of it was in Spanish.”
“I had to create relationships with local people and companies so I could get access to the tourists for survey collection,” she adds.
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Image via University of Victoria.
