Reem AlMealla is a Bahraini nature lover by default, a marine biologist by profession, a climate advocate by concern and the brain behind bnature – Bahrain’s first environmental online platform. She has had the privilege to work on reefs and other marine ecosystems in countries such as Bahrain, Indonesia, Madagascar, the Seychelles and South Africa.
In Bahrain, Reem has a rooted and deep history in the environmental sector – some of her contributions include serving as the National Project Manager for the Revision of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) Project, which brought together all stakeholders onto the negotiation table as part of a two-year process. She also worked on establishing the preliminary foundation for the Implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety at a national level. Moreover, she is well known for being a “builder” and an “initiator” as she possesses a natural talent at creating foundations for things that never existed for future generations – leave alone being one of the first Bahraini woman marine biologists who have worked on the field.
Reem led the first socio-economic study of its kind in the country on the Northern Hayrat in Bahrain which was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, created the first national biodiversity database in Bahrain, was a co-founder of the Arab Youth Climate Movement – the first platform of its kind in the MENA region for Arab youth to come together to address climate issues in addition to many other achievements.
Reem is a recipient of the Motivational. Empowering. Inspirational (M.E.I) Women’s Award and the Abel Imray Prize from the University of Essex, UK. She has been involved in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) processes since 2012. Lastly, Reem is determined to contribute towards creating the necessary shift in the region to bring environmental protection, conservation, climate justice and their connection to human well-being into the world’s priority list.