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 Albatross Task Force and Coastal Seabirds projects. Alistair has a background in applied marine ecology with a special interest in solution-driven approaches to seabird conservation.

Andrea Angel
Albatross Task Force Manager
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.

Philip Faure
Coastal Seabird Project Manager
philip.faure@birdlife.org.za

Philip Faure has a diverse conservation background, with field experience across Africa and the Middle East. His work includes camera trapping for species such as the Critically Endangered Arabian leopard in Saudi Arabia, GPS-collaring mammals, and deploying PTT trackers on Asian houbara to study movement patterns. Skilled in R programming, Philip has developed software for processing camera trap data and conducts ecological analyses using large datasets. He holds an MSc from Nelson Mandela University, where he studied carnivore densities and habitat use in mixed-use landscapes. Captivated by the ocean, he is deeply committed to making a meaningful contribution to seabird conservation.