Skills

Conservation

  • I focus on protected area management of rain forests, mountains, game parks, and wetland ecosystems.
  • In particular I aim to improve management of sites and establish new protected areas where necessary.
  • I am proficient in many biological skills and possess a good general knowledge of current wildlife and conservation issues.
  • My knowledge and skills are supported by a significant amount of conservation fieldwork, especially in Africa.
  • I developed and delivered Ecological Monitoring Programmes.
  • I have designed and carried out many baseline biodiversity field surveys and biological inventories of protected areas.
  • I am proficient in the use of appropriate data analysis and ecological modelling skills.
  • I am also involved with Wildlife Crime and was a State Witness in a high profile illegal logging court case in Malawi. See https://www.lilongwewildlife.org/2017/09/18/lengweloggers-appeal-sentences-doubled/
  • I have personally discovered over 20 species new to science, including 3 new species of snake (e.g. Atheris mabuensis), 4 new species of chameleons (e.g. Nadzikambia baylissi), 2 new species of bats (e.g. Rhinolophous mabuensis), 1 new species of frog, 3 new species of freshwater crab, 8 new species of butterflies and 1 new species of Iris flower.
  • I am a Lepidopterist. This has been one of my earliest interests from a young age. For example I have discovered 8 new species of butterfly – see: http://www.barcodinglife.org/views/taxbrowser.php?taxid=187503
  • I highlighted the largest continuous tract of mid-altitude rain forest in southern Africa (at Mount Mabu, Mozambique) to the international community – See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mni8mSS4KDU

 

Research

  • I have extensive research experience covering many aspects of Conservation Biology and Ecology. Over the last 25 years l have undertaken scientific research focusing on single species studies, interactions between species, ecosystem modelling, and the use of advanced technology towards conservation management.  Such studies have ranged from pure ecological research to conservation management strategies.  I have published over 30 scientific papers – See ‘Scientific Papers’ section for further details.

 

Project Management

  • I have strong project management, data collection, and integration skills.
  • I have over 25 years of conservation project management experience. For example I have developed and successfully delivered conservation projects in Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Tanzania, Uganda, Madagascar, Malawi, and Mozambique.
  • I am experienced in budget management and the necessity to operate within financial constraints. All projects that I have managed have operated within the specified budget.

 

People Management

 

IT

  • Advanced knowledge of GIS (QGIS, ArcMAP), GPS, and remote sensing software. Through my PhD I have advanced knowledge of GIS functionality.  This gave me considerable experience in GIS ‘predictive’ modelling capability and database creation.  I also analyse satellite imagery to create land use databases within a GIS platform.
  • I am an experienced drone pilot (DJI Mavic Pro) and use this tool for surveying sites
  • I am proficient in the use of camera trapping (many models) and use this tool for assessing population dynamics.

 

Communications (including media)

  • I possess excellent communication and diplomatic skills and enjoy working with a wide range of people and organisations. Good communication skills are vital for my current job.
  • I have a wide range of professional contacts in both governmental and non-governmental organisations.
  • I regularly give presentations and deliver training workshops.
  • I have organised and facilitated many meetings, workshops and fora.
  • I have significant experience of scientific paper and technical report writing (see overleaf for details).
  • I have gained a great deal of experience of working with the media in my current job and from previous jobs, and have given numerous interviews on conservation issues – e.g. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jun/27/mozambique-conservation
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/feb/20/mozambique-conservation
  • I am a reviewer for the scientific journals Biological Conservation, Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Environment, and also for the African Journal of Ecology.
  • I speak English, and basic Swahili and French. I am also learning Welsh.

 

Fundraising

  • I have put together funding bids for a wide range of large and small conservation projects and have been successful in obtaining funding in most cases.
  • On behalf of the Government of Malawi I successfully completed the GEF-6 concept proposal and associated documentation for US$6million linking the management of Malawi’s Protected Area system.
  • Examples of successful funding proposals I have written in the past include:
  • US AID / US Forestry Services – US$1million to extend the FFI Nimba Darwin Initiative project over 4 years
  • Rapid Response Facility – $25,282 to re-habilitate the guard offices of the Office Ivorien Parcs and Reserves for Mt. Nimba (Cote d’Ivoire)
  • STEWARD – $25,200 towards the production of a Collaborative Management Framework for the Nimba Mountains (Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea)
  • Darwin Initiative – £198,000 – 3 year programme assessing the biological status of northern Mozambique’s high altitude mountains (Mozambique/Malawi)
  • Earthwatch – £20,000 plus ongoing project support – Volunteer support to collect the data of the Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust Ecological Monitoring Programme (Malawi)
  • FINNIDA – £50,000 plus 5 yrs support – to undertake biodiversity surveys of the East Usambara mountains (Tanzania)
  • Japanese Embassy – £80,000 – Equipment to support the biodiversity surveys of the East Usambara mountains (Tanzania)