Meet the Team

Seabird Conservation Programme

Dr Alistair McInnes
Seabird Conservation Programme Manager
alistair.mcinnes@birdlife.org.za

Alistair is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the core seabird projects including the ATF, Coastal Seabirds, and Mouse Free Marion projects. Alistair has a background in applied marine ecology with a special interest in solution-driven approaches to seabird conservation.

Nini van der Merwe
International Liaison and Communications Coordinator
nini.vdmerwe@birdlife.org.za

Nini works in Island Restoration. She is currently working with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on the Gough Island Restoration Programme (GIRP). She forms part of the core team responsible for delivering the project and is the South African contact point for the various logistical aspects of the operation. She also works on the biosecurity component of the project. Closer to home, she manages the fundraising website and communications for the Mouse Free Marion project.

Andrea Angel
Albatross Task Force Leader
andrea.angel@birdlife.org.za
Andrea is a Chilean national, but a Capetonian at heart. She is responsible for managing the Albatross Task Force team in South Africa and lead BirdLife International policy and advocacy at the South East Atlantic Fisheries Organisation. Her role also includes engaging with BirdLife’s Common Oceans project and leading on the new BLI global programme to eradicate mice from SA’s Marion Island.

Reason Nyengera
Albatross Task Force Project Manager
reason.nyengera@birdlife.org.za

Reason is responsible for our multilevel engagements with South African fisheries by working directly with fishers at sea, collecting scientific data, conducting port visits and developing Bird Mitigation Plans tailored to the various types of fishing vessels within the fleet. He assesses the level of seabird by-catch in our target fisheries, conducts at-sea experiments and promotes the use of seabird bycatch mitigation tools. He also works in collaboration with the Ocean View Association for Persons with Disabilities (OVAPD) on the manufacturing of bird scaring lines.

Christina Hagen
Pamela Isdell Fellow of Penguin Conservation
christina.hagen@birdlife.org.za

Christina Hagen is responsible for BirdLife South Africa’s attempt to establish new African Penguin colonies. She has worked on the African Penguin for almost 10 years, focusing on a lack of food as the key threat to the species. Christina has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the University of Cape Town’s Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology. Her thesis on the foraging ecology and physiology of the Cape Gannet kickstarted her career in seabird conservation.