The Wildlife Conservation Society appealed to Jupiter,and she later began to work for the organization beginning as an Associate Conservation Scientist,then the Fiji Country Program Director,and as Melanesia Regional Director since 2014. [4]
Research
In 2009,Jupiter began to realize how harmful flooding could be as she witnessed water destroying houses and roads on the island of Fiji. [2] After some preliminary research,Jupiter realized that large floods spread many waterborne diseases. This discovery led Jupiter to ask herself if members of local communities would strive to do something if they realized their well-being was at risk. [2] Environmental advocacy became Jupiter's mission.
Jupiter works primarily in Melanesia,an area containing much biodiversity. According to Jupiter,many people in the Pacific do not separate themselves from nature as Westerners tend to do,so she's looking for ways to conserve the environment. [2]
Although Jupiter is experienced in marine science,she knew little about the culture of Fiji upon first arriving. [2] Jupiter strives to work alongside fishermen and villagers to learn from them firsthand and collect scientific research from her observations. Many Melanesian communities use a method called tabu (a periodic closure to fishing) to manage coral reef natural resources. Working alongside villagers and observing processes such as tabu,Jupiter attempts to help local communities decide when,where,and how long to close off the areas of the reef. With this research,Jupiter believes the sustainability of thousands of tabu areas across the southwestern Pacific could be improved. Her research also links both the land and sea by considering the effects industries such as logging and mining have on coral reefs. With the help of other collaborators,Jupiter has shown how the rise of logging and mining not only have negative effects on the water quality of coral reefs,but they also increase the risk of transmitting waterborne diseases like typhoid. [3]
