Marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is obsessed with one research subject — the parrot fish. She says there is urgent work to be done to save them and their home, the coral reefs.

About Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist. She has founded or co-founded the following institutions and initiatives: Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank focused on coastal cities; Ocean Collectiv, a strategy consulting firm for conservation solutions; and The All We Can Save Project, a climate initiative. She is also the co-host of the podcast How to Save a Planet.

She previously served as the executive director of the Waitt Institute, where she led the Caribbean's first successful island-wide ocean zoning efforts. Prior to that, she worked on ocean policy at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Johnson earned her B.A. in environmental science and public policy from Harvard University, and her Ph.D. in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

This segment of TED Radio Hour was produced by Fiona Geiran and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Twitter @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadio@npr.org.

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