Chief Executive Officer of the Sustainable Seas Trust

Location: Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Janine’s career is an ongoing pledge towards the protection and health of our oceans – from her work with the Namibian government as an intertidal biologist, to expanding the sustainable seafood movement in South Africa with the WWF-SASSI Programme, to driving recycling behaviour and sustainable waste management practices amongst consumers and others with Petco, the South African PET Plastic Recycling Company, and now, as CEO of SST, with a mandate to work with and guide all continental and island states of Africa towards Zero Waste to Seas.

Janine has a passion for the sustainability agenda. With experience working in the NGO, corporate, government, and not-for-profit company sectors, she is deeply motivated to bring about meaningful change through the work that she is involved in.

Education
Master of Science (MSc) Applied Marine Science, University of Cape Town, 2010 BSc (Honours – Marine Biology), University of Cape Town, 2003
BSc (Zoology and Oceanography), University of Cape Town, 2002
Skills & Expertise
Environmental Strategy Development and Project Management Education and Awareness Campaigns
Sustainability and Conservation
Networking and Relationship Management
Stakeholder Mapping
Communications and Marketing
Impact at SST
Janine is responsible for all aspects of the running of SST, including the strategic direction, projects, fiscal management, and reporting to trustees and stakeholders.
Since joining the organisation in 2021, she has led the finalisation of a thorough Theory of Change to guide the long-term organisational strategy in achieving specific marine conservation and societal objectives. The Theory of Change also provides a comprehensive fundraising strategy to diversify income streams and unlock further financial growth for the organisation.
She has further spearheaded the finalisation of the necessary internal and external governance structures to ensure appropriate employee relations and contracts management, and that SST remains compliant to legal standards and requirements of the countries it operates within.
Publications/Research
Jaco Barendse, Janine Basson, Samantha L. Petersen, Kerry J. Sink, The sustainable seafood movement viewed as a maturing social-ecological issue using a South African case-study, Ocean & Coastal Management, Volume 151, 2018, Pages 178-192, ISSN 0964- 5691, https://doi. org/10.1016/j. ocecoaman.2017.08.015.
Barendse, J., Basson, J., Petersen, S. L. & K. J. Sink. (2017) The sustainable seafood movement viewed as a maturing social-ecological issue using a South African case-study, Ocean & Coastal Management. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2017.08.015.
Omardien A., Basson J., Tilney C. and Petersen S. (eds.) (2014) TEN YEARS OF BEING SASSI: A documentation of the sustainable seafood movement in South Africa. WWF technical report. 64pp.
Jaco Barendse, Janine Basson, Samantha L. Petersen, Kerry J. Sink, The sustainable seafood movement viewed as a maturing social-ecological issue using a South African case-study, Ocean & Coastal Management, Volume 151, 2018, Pages 178-192, ISSN 0964-5691, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2017.08.015.
Nicola C. Okes, Samantha Petersen, Liziwe McDaid, Janine Basson, Enabling people to create change: Capacity building for Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) implementation in Southern Africa, Marine Policy, Volume 36, Issue 1, 2012, Pages 286-296, ISSN 0308-597X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2011.06.007.
J. Basson (2011) Not all seafood is equal. S Afr J Sci. 107 (5/6), Art. #718, 3 pages. doi: 10.4102/sajs. v107i5/6.718. https://archive.sajs.co.za/index.php/SAJS/article/view/718/692
J. Basson, S.L. Petersen, A. Duarte & D.C. Nel. (2007) The impact of longline fisheries on pelagic and demersal sharks in the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem. In Petersen S., Nel D. & Omardien A. (eds). Towards an Ecosystem Approach to Longline Fisheries in the Benguela: An assessment of impacts on seabirds, sea turtles and sharks. WWF South Africa Report Series – 2007/Marine/001. https://wwfeu.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/longline_fishing_africa.pdf