Meet the Team

Our Team Wilder lead has re-located from the English Countryside nestled between the rolling hills of Wiltshire and the Forests of Hampshire, where ancient edible hedgerows and Neolithic landscapes dominated her environment. Abigail's background in training and education varies from the corporate world to offering Transformation and Outreach support to local NHS and Mind organisations, which developed into leading walks and nature activities that improve wellbeing.

Abigail has followed her love of nature by furthering her own education, gaining qualifications within Dartmoor and Snowdonia National Park, becoming a qualified Lowland Walking Leader with Mountain Training, and a facilitator in Nature Therapy and Forest School.

The Community Support Officer role is the perfect opportunity for Abigail to share these skill sets in one place. Community impact and community development are at the heart of her work. The connection we have with our natural surroundings benefits our physical wellbeing and mental health. Abigail is passionate about promoting these benefits and improving access to nature for all.

Working with and supporting the Outreach Officer to develop community engagement and educational activities that bring a deeper understanding, enabling all ages and walks of life to connect to their land, in the hope that we all strive to protect it. If you have a passion for planting, rewilding, advocating or want to know more about how you can support Team Wilder in Alderney, please do get in touch teamwilder@alderneywildlife.org

Responsibilities: Listening / Community Organising / Community Connecting / Fundraising / Volunteer Support / assisting with educational and outreach events

Abigail will focus on listening to the voices of our local community, co-designing the development and implementation of a programme that will meet the needs of the island, inclusive of Alderney's special environment and the Wildlife that cohabits it.

Alex joined the Alderney Wildlife Trust in 2021. He graduated with a BSc and an MRes in Marine Biology from Swansea University, with a focus on field ecology and aquaculture.

Alex is currently the Lead Consultant for the Trust's Environmental Consultancy, AWT Enterprises.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Developing and delivering ecological survey programmes on behalf of clients. 
• Providing pro-bono administration services to the States of Alderney for the Island's Internationally Important Wetland (Ramsar) Site  including the States of Alderney. 
• Boat operations and crew for the AWT's work boat.
• Marine operations including tow sonar deployment.

Lindsay was born and grew up only 35miles from Alderney on the island of Jersey.  She moved from there to London where she developed a career in banking administration, before returning to the Channel Islands and becoming a full time Alderney resident in 2002.  She became one of the AWT's first Conservation Volunteers that same year and was elected its Hon. Secretary in 2005. 

Lindsay is involved in many aspects of the AWT’s day-to-day running, both in the office (including membership, treasury and the shop), and out in the field where she assists with the Conservation Volunteers and is involved in terrestrial survey work, primarily for flora (she is a keen amateur botanist) and for the Butterfly Monitoring Scheme. 

Responsibilities: office administration and accounting / Hon. Secretary / Membership management / Conservation Team support / Botanical survey / UKBMS.

Matt graduated with a BA(Hons) in Natural Sciences (Zoology) in 2019, and an MPhil in Biological Sciences (Zoology) in 2021, both from the University of Cambridge.  Before joining the Alderney Wildlife Trust in 2023, Matt worked for the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), and has also completed internships with the RSPB and United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). Matt’s work has investigated impacts of a warming climate on UK butterflies, the effectiveness of UK protected areas, biogeographic regions of importance for global terrestrial conservation, and the climate change mitigation benefits of achieving global biodiversity targets. Projects involving Matt's work have been featured in publications including the Guardian and National Geographic.

In Alderney, Matt works as a terrestrial ecologist alongside managing the Alderney Biodiversity Centre. He is responsible for making over twenty years of field data accessible online, and, alongside others in the ecology team, translating these data into meaningful information that can inform conservation action and policy. This work forms a key part of the Alderney State of Nature (ASoN) project, which aims to build the island’s wealth of biological data, including AWT records, into an evidence-based, quantitative assessment of how Alderney’s wildlife is changing over time, and informing us of when we need to act to protect it.

Responsibilities: managing the Alderney Biodiversity Centre / delivering elements of the terrestrial and seabird ecological survey programme / implementing the ASoN project

Mel graduated with a BSc in Coastal Marine Biology in 2003 from Hull University and an MSc in Wildlife Biology and Conservation in 2005 from Edinburgh, Napier University. Mel moved to Alderney in 2007, working as the Trust’s ecologist until mid-2008 when she began a PhD with Imperial College London. The PhD examined the influence of marine tidal energy development upon the marine environment, for which was based on Alderney and the Orkney Isles. Her current research interests focus on how marine species interact with natural and anthropogenic pressures and how to quantitatively record mobile species’ behaviour within the marine environment. In between academic life, Mel has worked on a range of marine ecological projects and academic field courses across different tropical and temperate locations, including Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago, France, Scotland and Lancashire.

As the trust’s Living Seas Coordinator, Mel is responsible for delivering the Trust’s Living Seas programme, which comprised implementing marine research and surveys with key groups and universities. This includes engagement activities with local and UK government, other bodies and the public on marine issues (i.e. MPAs, renewables, fisheries and recording marine life). Mel is also responsible for the ecological works associated with the Trust’s consultancy firm, Alderney Wildlife Trust Enterprises Ltd.

Responsibilities: implementing the AWT Living Seas programme/ public awareness of marine activities / AWT ecological consultancy work-streams/ Ramsar support/ Terrestrial Ecologist and ARC support.

Niamh graduated from University of Stirling with a BSc (Hons) in Biology in 2016. Taking an interest in ecology, she went on to study a MSc in Applied Ecology and Conservation at the University of East Anglia, graduating in 2018. Niamh’s interests now lie with island conservation, particularly seabirds, and she is happiest when surrounded by the sea.

Before joining the Alderney Wildlife Trust as Ramsar Ecologist, Niamh worked at the Rathlin West Light Seabird Centre as a Visitor Experience Officer on Rathlin Island, off the north coast of Northern Ireland. While on Rathlin, she also volunteered with the LIFE Raft Project, a conservation project aiming to protect Rathlin’s important seabird colonies by eradicating invasive non-native predators.

As Ramsar Ecologist for AWT, Niamh’s main responsibilities involve undertaking ecological survey work on Alderney’s Ramsar site, including seabird productivity and population counts, and a variety of marine habitat and species surveys. Niamh also leads the AWT’s boat trips and walking tours.

As Communications Lead my main responsibility is to raise the profile of the AWT and the wonderful Alderney wildlife.  I'm actively working on a programme to increase awareness of the Trust's activities, fundraising opportunities and legacy projects which all work towards enhancing and improving Alderney for both locals and visitors. Making the most of my background in marketing and communications, and with my love for Alderney, I'm looking forward to seeing the Trust continue to grow in the coming years. 

Feel free to get in touch: communications@alderneywildlife.org

Before coming to Alderney, Poppy completed a Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma in Land and Wildlife Management at Sparsholt College. As part of this course she learnt about the ecology and management of British habitats and carried out estate work and ecological surveys.

As an additional part of her course she completed over 500 hours of volunteering at Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve, helping the rangers with management of the reserve which included building boardwalks, hide maintenance, and coppicing.

On Alderney, you will find Poppy out cutting footpaths with the tractor, keeping an eye on our conservation grazing herd or organising the conservation volunteers in their twice-weekly sessions. Her favourite parts of the island include walks along Longis Bay, seeing the sunset at Fort Albert and spending time watching the Gannets on Les Etacs.

Responsibilities: Managing the conservation grazing herd, Organising the Conservation Volunteers, Keeping the footpaths open and accessible, Delivering the nature reserves management programme, Updating the reserves management strategy

Roland moved from his position as Conservation Officer for the States of Alderney (the island’s local government) to become the AWT's Manager at its inception in 2002. A graduate of Stirling University, his interests lie across a wide range of conservation and ecological subjects, although he has a passion for  Alderney’s cultural landscape. 

Responsibilities: Overall responsibility to the AWT’s Directors / Development of Conservation Objectives / Management of AWT sites / Staff Manager / Marine Operations / Manager of the AWT's Consultancy (AWTE) 

Tara graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences from the University of Sussex in 2016 and an MRes in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation from Imperial College London in 2018. During her degrees, Tara collaborated with the Climate Impacts Research Centre (CIRC) to investigate the effects of environmental change on plant-pollinator interactions, as well as the Oceans Research Institute to assess the possibility of monitoring wildlife with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles.  

In 2023, Tara graduated from the University of Leeds with a PhD in Behavioural Ecology. Her research was carried out in partnership with Nature Seychelles and centred on the behavioural ecology of the Near Threatened Seychelles Warbler. In particular, she assessed how differences in behavioural traits within this species affected life-history strategies, including dispersal dynamics, survival rates, and reproductive success.

Today, Tara works as a senior ecologist for the AWT, where she assists with multiple ecological monitoring programmes whilst also managing the AWT’s Evidence Base, which encompasses all the AWT’s terrestrial and ecological monitoring programs. She is also part of the team coordinating the Alderney State of Nature (ASoN) project, which aims to use the best available evidence to evaluate how Alderney’s wildlife is faring, and ultimately inform us when we need to act to protect it.

Responsibilities: implementing the Alderney State of Nature (ASoN) project / managing the AWT Evidence Base/ AWT ecological consultancy work streams / delivering elements of the terrestrial and seabird ecological survey programme

Thanh graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London with a Master's degree in Ecology, Culture, and Society in 2023. Prior to joining Alderney Wildlife Trust, Thanh worked in Outreach and Education focusing on animal welfare, specifically Asian elephants and macaques, in Vietnam. During this time, she created educational materials such as talks, leaflets, and picture books dedicated to the welfare of these species. Additionally, she contributed to the promotion of Vietnam's first ethical elephant tourism model and participated in wildlife rescue efforts combating the illegal wildlife pet keeping.

Thanh volunteered for a turtle conservation project in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam, and participated in a waste audit project in the Cu Lao Cham Marine Protected Area, Vietnam. These experiences provided her with insights into marine conservation and waste management.

Responsibilities: creation of literature (such as our membership magazine) / communications / social media / attending the local playgroup and youth group running nature-based activities / appearing weekly on the local radio / website reviewer / writing for the Alderney Journal / blog and article writing / assists with educational and outreach events / assists with ecological surveys