From the St Andrews sands to saving sea turtles
Arabella Willing (BSc 2009) explains how a degree in Marine Biology from St Andrews opened doors to an international career in nature conservation, for which she was awarded the Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Environmental Award in 2023.
I have always loved nature and, as a teenager living in Oman, I was presented with a whole new world of scuba diving, turtle nesting and whale watching. At the time my older brother was studying at St Andrews, and he brought home some friends during the holidays. One of them was studying Marine Biology at the University and was so enthusiastic about her course. She encouraged me to think about applying for it myself. The fudge doughnuts I sampled on a visit to St Andrews may also have had something to do with it!
My roots are Scottish and English, but for several generations now, my family have been travelling the world as expats. I grew up living in the Netherlands, Cyprus and Oman and went to boarding school in the south of England. Moving to Scotland to study appealed to me and I’m so glad I made that decision.
Town and traditions
I really enjoyed my time in St Andrews and made lifelong friends here. The size of the town helps you to build connections: you can so easily meet someone in passing, then bump into them at a house party and then be in the queue behind them at Tesco.
Arabella on the pier in St Andrews
I enjoyed the beautiful beaches. I would regularly entertain myself by recreating the famous scene from Chariots of Fire at low tide on the West Sands. I also loved the unique traditions, such as academic families, the May Dip and the countless balls. The biology field trips were also some of my favourite moments.
By the time I reached my final year, graduation loomed, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do for my career. I felt nervous that I was unlikely to make a living centred around my passion for nature. It seemed like all my contemporaries had secured a place on a lucrative grad-scheme and had it all figured out.
A post-graduation adventure
Luckily, my dad spotted an advert looking for someone to work on a remote island in the Maldives, supporting the Ministry of Education to enhance biology teaching in local schools. It sounded right up my street and, as I hadn’t taken a gap year before university, I decided to spend a year having an adventure.
Once I arrived, I managed to tap into the local network of marine biologists, most of whom were employed by the five-star resorts. Once my year of teaching was up, I secured a job as the resident marine biologist at the Park Hyatt.
Arabella meeting the primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall
A couple of years later, I transferred to their resort in Abu Dhabi, where I was tasked with studying and protecting the turtle nesting beach in front of the hotel. The Hyatt was incredible supportive, and I spent six happy years launching a range of conservation and corporate social responsibility projects. In 2019 I joined Emirates Nature WWF and since then I’ve scaled up their citizen science and conservation outreach programmes.
Arabella now works for Emirates Nature WWF
Environmental initiator award
Last year I was honoured to be shortlisted for – and eventually win – the Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Environmental Award in the Environmental Initiator category. I had been in the UAE for 11 years by that stage so to be nominated alongside people who had spent a lifetime working there was unexpected. Everyone who works in nature conservation is led by passion and a collective drive towards making an impact, but nevertheless the recognition from the country’s leadership is incredibly meaningful and motivating.
Winning the Pride of Abu Dhabi award in 2023
With thanks to St Andrews
I wouldn’t be where I am today without St Andrews. I had the honour of being taught in an outstanding faculty by research scientists who were all genuinely passionate about their subjects and the wonder of the natural world. While of course my degree gave me a solid foundation of knowledge, it was the people here who inspired me to go out and in turn inspire others to protect the ecosystems of which we are an integral part.
The UAE has become home now. It is a relatively young and under-studied country so there is still so much to learn. The pace of growth and change in this part of the world is astonishing and I’m hopeful that the work I’m doing will lead that change in a positive direction.