2016_04_06_CIE_ixai_salvo

Ixai Salvo graduated in Biology for the environmental branch and went to sea. The practices of business in the high school of Marine Sciences of the CSIC, in Barcelona, and an Erasmus in Plymouth constituted his springboard to reach Tromso, where he specialized in management International Fisheries with a Master's Degree. Once he broke through, he had the opportunity to join several fishing expeditions at the University of Norway. He has now returned to the classroom to do the doctorate at the CETMAR Foundation, while being part of a European project on the social aspects of fishing in the 21st century.

From his whirlwind of projects, he recalls that the anchor was set after his programs of study in Pamplona and his time at the department of Zoology (nowadays Environmental Biology), where he learned"to work in the laboratory and, above all, in fields, rivers and coasts". To get by "in real life".

What is your current work and how does it relate to your Biology programs of study ?
I am currently part of the European project SAF21 (Social Science Aspects of Fisheries for the 21st century, saf21.org). It is a project of the European Union Horizon 2020 that is part of the Early Stage Researcher (ESR) programs that are part of the research Marie-Sklodowska-Curie fellowships. As a member of this project work at the CETMAR Foundation in Vigo, at the same time I am PhD student of the Campus Do*Mar (campus of doctorate international of the University of Vigo).

Although I now work in the social sciences related to the fishing world, until last year I worked as researcher and biologist on board fishing expeditions at the University of Tromso (Norway). In my day to day life I apply the knowledge acquired at degree program in many different ways. As an environmental biologist, I approach social problems from a more environmentally related and pragmatic point of view than my colleagues at Humanities and social sciences. In addition, being involved in the world of fisheries, I can apply my knowledge to evaluate environmental causes or assess the status of different species.

What makes the difference for biologists at the University of Navarra?
The training I got in Pamplona -coinciding with one of the last promotions of licentiate degree- was very complete, both in general biology and in the environmental field. The environmental biologist needs a lot of field work , getting to know the environment..., training at the end of the day. Ideal conditions rarely occur in the environment and this reality must be part of the training of the environmental biologist. This is something they did very well at the University. Field trips in the rain, cold, and even some snow may seem harsh, but they train for real life.

How do you value your time at the department of Zoology (now Environmental Biology)?
The time I spent as a member of the department of Zoology helped me to acquire a more complete training and to develop my skills to work in laboratories and above all, in fields, rivers and coasts. This complementary training , together with the one acquired in the degree program, came in handy later during the Master's Degree and the different jobs I have had, where I discovered that most of the time I was ready to face anything.

Why is a biologist the ideal professional to work in the environment?
Biologists, without disparaging anyone, are among the most suitable people to work in the environmental field because of their understanding of the functioning of ecosystems, their knowledge of fauna and flora, and their skills in recognizing environmental stress.

These qualities give him an advantage in the environmental field, since they provide him with an intermediate vision between the physical environment and its biological components. The biologist acts, or can act, as a mediator between these two parts. And this is thanks to his training, and more so in the case of the environmental biologist, since he knows both parts and how they interconnect in the environment to form everything that surrounds us.

What role will environmental biologists play in the immediate future?
This profile is going to play an increasingly important role in the world we are heading towards. Climate change, massive changes in flora and fauna (both natural and anthropogenic) and the rest of the environmental phenomena that the future holds will require the holistic vision of the biologist, who does not consider the environment as different parts working together, but as a whole.