Sefano Moon Katz is a coastal tropical applied social ecologist, working on multi-sector developmental programs in seascape systems. Sefano is based in Fiji, as the program director of the Beqa Lagoon Initiative (BLI) that he co-founded in 2016 with the NGO Pacific Blue Foundation (PBF).
The BLI aims at conserving the cultural and biological diversity of the Beqa-Yanuca Seascape, Fiji’s largest enclosed circular lagoon, famed for its natural wonders and traditional heritage. With the PBF team and partners, he develops innovative and applied projects that span across cultural preservation, ecosystem conservation, community development and enhancing education in remote maritime communities, supporting co-management of the seascape.
Sefano had started his professional career developing coral reef restoration methods in the Red Sea. Before moving to Fiji, Sefano spent 5 years in Australia where he undertook a variety of research work and expeditions, investigating the microbial ecology of corals and coral reef health. Some of his exploration included sailing the Eastern and Northern Australian seas and coasts, and some of the islands between Fiji and Tonga. Sefano’s memberships include The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations' Global Hub for Indigenous Food Systems and the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area Network. Sefano is an associate member with the Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research.