Robin Maritz, PhD - Conservation Alpha

David brings over two decades of experience in wildlife conservation across Africa and the Middle East, with a focus on carnivore ecology, rewilding initiatives, and human-wildlife conflict mitigation. He holds a Ph.D. in Conservation Ecology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where his research focused on niche partitioning in African tropical forest carnivore communities, with a focus on the little-known African golden cat. David’s career has taken him from the deserts of Botswana and Saudi Arabia to the tropical forests of Uganda, where his work has aimed to understand and protect some of the world’s most elusive and endangered carnivores.

David brings expertise in strategic conservation planning, community engagement, and capacity building. He has a proven track record in conservation leadership, having previously managed carnivore conservation programs across Southern Africa, reintroducing apex predators into ecosystems and developing conflict resolution strategies between wildlife and local communities.

He is passionate about amplifying conservation impact through collaboration, fostering new talent, and inspiring care for wildlife through his photography.

Dolapo has worked in the design and implementation of donor funded projects and programmes. Dolapo has supported the implementation of two World Bank financed projects to mitigate environmental degradation and reduce disaster risk, executing impact assessment studies, stakeholder engagements and developing strategies for environmental and social risk mitigation. He has also supported the implementation of finance solutions for biodiversity with UNDP’s Biodiversity Finance Initiative.

He holds an MSc in Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health from the University of Edinburgh, where his research focused on the improvement of Impact assessment practice across Sub-Saharan Africa.

At Conservation Alpha, Dolapo supports the Strategy and the Nature Finance teams. Dolapo’s experience aligns with tasks for the development of theories of change for protected area management. He also supports the development of innovative financing mechanisms for mobilising and catalysing finance for biodiversity.

Ned is a conservation finance professional with a background in the banking and land management sectors. Ned is ACA qualified, starting his career at PwC London in banking audit in 2019, working for some of the largest global financial institutions. Whilst at PwC, Ned was recognised in the 2022 Annual Report for his work on social value and spent time working for the Disruption & Innovation team (Strategy&) on the Net Zero Future50 initiative.

After PwC, Ned completed an MSc in Environmental Technology at Imperial, specialising in Environmental Resource Management. His research focused on managing competing objectives for land, balancing food production, climate change and nature. Ned also chaired the Selections Committee for the Climate Investment Challenge, the largest student-led climate finance pitching competition in the world, alongside industry professionals from Standard Chartered, Quinbrook, CANDRIAM and the Grantham Institute.

Ned is working part-time for Greensphere Capital LLP, a UK-based private equity firm that was the UK Green Investment Bank’s first investment in 2011. Greensphere is deploying a nature-based solutions impact fund that seeks to commercialise and scale investment in nature-related technologies, in strategic partnership with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Zoological Society London (ZSL), and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH).

Robin has been with Conservation Alpha since 2022, where she applies her expertise across the entire portfolio of work. Her skills in data science, study design, validation, analytics, and engineering help clients convert raw data into actionable insights. Her technical guidance on the development and management of impact monitoring systems and data management pipelines enhances Conservation Alpha’s ability to deliver high-impact, scientifically grounded, and data-driven solutions.

Robin holds a PhD in Genetics from Cornell University, which provides her with a strong academic foundation. She relocated to South Africa in 2016 and has been actively involved in ecological research since then. As an affiliate research fellow at the University of the Western Cape, Robin continues to conduct research and mentor students within the biodiversity conservation sector.

At Conservation Alpha, Robin leads the development and maintenance of monitoring and evaluation systems, overseeing the data science team to ensure rigorous sourcing, management, and analysis of data. Her work is critical for the transparent calculation and verification of impact, particularly for initiatives like the Wildlife Conservation Bond and other outcomes-based financing initiatives.

Robin’s passion for bridging scientific research with practical conservation applications drives her to develop data-driven approaches and systems that support the transparent tracking of conservation outcomes and impacts, benefiting both conservation and funding agencies.

Jurene is a Data Scientist at Conservation Alpha, where she leverages her expertise to advance data-driven conservation initiatives. She holds a PhD in Ecology and Evolution, specialising in desert flora from the University of Stellenbosch, and she was awarded the prestigious Newton Fellowship from the Royal Society of London, providing a strong scientific foundation for her role.

Jurene worked previously in the corporate sector, where she applied data science techniques to build predictive models and extract actionable insights. Her proficiency in statistical modelling, machine learning, remote sensing, and data visualisation enables her to communicate complex findings effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.

At Conservation Alpha, Jurene conducts rigorous analyses to evaluate historical trends, develop models for measuring impact, and forecast future trends. Her work is essential for ensuring robust science underpins nature financing products and outcomes-based conservation programmes. Jurene’s unique combination of ecological expertise and data science significantly enhances Conservation Alpha’s ability to develop and support informed conservation strategies through precise and reliable data analysis.

David has worked in conservation since 2011, having worked in the academic, NGO and now private sector. His early career focused on the research, management and conservation of large, endangered carnivores, obtaining his PhD in wild dog behavioural ecology. David coordinated the Wild Dog Advisory Group of South Africa (WAG-SA) for several years, and remains an active member, serving as chair of the Research sub-Committee.

Over the last seven years, David has specialised in the development of strategic, robust and impactful conservation projects across southern and eastern Africa, focusing on developing strategies for conservation organisations, protected areas and species. This work has included working with a diverse array of clients and partners to develop best-in-class strategies to ensure large-scale impact. David marries extensive, practical implementation with skills in conservation strategy development, design of robust systems for measurement of conservation impact, design and implementation of M&E frameworks, and facilitation of multi-stakeholder workshops.

David is adept at developing protected area management plans, including reviewing data, literature and historic management plans to develop state-of-the-art plans with implementable actions and associated long-term budgets. In addition, David is experienced in management effectiveness assessments using the IUCN Green List and iMET. David has a passion for strategic conservation planning to help ensure the long-term survival of species, habitats and ecosystems.

Chris Gordon has worked in conservation in both Africa and Asia over the last 20 years. He has managed successful conservation projects in Africa, including five years as the Kenya Country Director for the Zoological Society of London.

He was instrumental in the design and issuance of the Wildlife Conservation Bond and has been a technical adviser to the Government of Uganda and TotalEnergies in the design of a Collaborative Management Partnership for the Murchison Falls Protected Area. Over the last decade, Chris has spent time focused on innovative financing for biodiversity, designing funds and facilities, biodiversity offsets and credits, and conservation investments. He understands the practicalities required for conservation success on the ground, and the importance of stakeholder engagement and relationships for achieving this, often set against difficult political contexts.

His competencies include project management, protected area management, species conservation, innovative financing, collaborative management partnerships, governance, law enforcement, human-wildlife conflict, disease management, project development, and fundraising

Mike has been connecting corporate and institutional clients’ financing needs to innovative solutions for over 18 years. Mike gained exposure to global capital markets, spending several years on the London equity trade floors of Morgan Stanley and UBS.

Thereafter Mike moved to an emerging market finance environment in South Africa, first within investment management and then in the corporate and investment banking space.

Most recently Mike served as the Regional Director for the Western Cape of Rand Merchant Bank’s corporate client business.

Mike has a lifelong interest in the protection of biodiversity and is passionate about leveraging financial resources to create solutions that serve both investment and conservation goals.

Melissa has worked in the conservation NGO and academic sectors since 2015. She holds a PhD in savanna ecology from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Melissa has led and overseen projects in protected area expansion and investigating the roll-out of Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in South Africa. Her research interests have focused on the interactions and conservation of threatened birds and their habitats with a particular focus on the Endangered Secretarybird.

Melissa is a visiting researcher in the School of Animal, Plant & Environmental Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and has taught and supervised a number of students within the ecological science sector.

Melissa’s range of analytical, project management, presentation skills and experiences gained in academia and conservation provide a dynamic mix of strengths which further Conservation Alpha’s mission to create innovative, measurable impact that drives enhanced performance and catalyzes investment in biodiversity conservation.

Melissa is driven by a passion to promote well-designed, sustainably financed, integrated conservation landscapes which support the survival of species and maintain the health and functionality of ecosystems.

Horris is a conservation scientist, with over 10 years of experience working as a scientist with Kenya Wildlife Service in Tsavo, during which time he supported Conservation Alpha to develop practical and verifiable rhino impact measurement systems.

More recently, Horris worked for Space for Giants leading their conservation monitoring and technology work, building capacity on quality data collection and management through SMART & Earth Ranger.

Horris is an accredited member of the IUCN African Rhino Specialist Group and an affiliate fellow of both the ZSL EDGE Fellowship and the Tropical Biology Association of Africa.

Under his role at Conservation Alpha, Horris has been seconded as the NATURAL STATE Research Team Lead, developing efficient and effective data flows for impact measurement of Carbon and Biodiversity.

Chris Barichievy has provided scientific advice to conservation management agencies in countries across Africa and the Middle East over the past decade. Chris is a dedicated conservation scientist who has worked for state and the NGO sector.

Chris has worked internationally, providing research support and management advice to address real conservation problems.

Chris’s competencies include the development of conservation management strategies, the design and development of novel strategies and methods to measure impact, the design and analysis of biological and law enforcement monitoring strategies, and investigations of effectiveness.

Chris brings technical expertise and his primary role in Conservation Alpha is ensuring that the outcomes frameworks, monitoring and evaluation systems are rigorous, auditable and verifiable to ensure confidence in the outcomes.

Andrew has spent the past 20 years working to advance conservation in Africa. He has extensive experience in both private and public PA management, having worked as CEO of Welgevonden and Sabi Sands Nature Reserves before joining African Parks where he worked firstly as Operations Director overseeing park management in Malawi, Zambia and Rwanda and later as Conservation Director to drive the growth and development of African Parks. Andrew joined Conservation International in 2018 as Senior Director of Conservation for Africa.

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