Staff, Students & Associates

Doctoral Students

Alistair McInnes MSc (UKZN) John Day Building: 2.15 Tel:+27 (0)21 650 3619 Fax: +27 (0)21 650 3295 Email: alistair.mcinnes@uct.ac.za

Alistair has been involved in conservation related work since 1998, initially, in conservation management and research and, more recently, in conservation planning and implementation. He spent five years at the Durban Natural Science Museum under ornithologist David Allen where he was involved in, amongst other things, waterbird censuses and research into the critically endangered White-winged Flufftail. He completed his MSc on the biology of the Grey-headed Gull primarily focused on movements and comparative breeding ecology. After this extended internship, Alistair took up a full time ecologist post in the environmental planning section of the eThekwini (Durban) Municipality. He was responsible for two versions of the open space plan for the city including a fine-scale systematic conservation plan that is currently being implemented.

Alistair is a keen naturalist and conservationist. He played an integral role in the establishment of the only Environmental Special Rating Area in South Africa, the Giba Gorge Environmental Precinct, effectively conserving and managing 360 ha of scarp forest and rare sandstone grasslands. He appreciates the value of applied research especially at fine spatial scales that can be applied to policy and management implementation.

Research Programmes

Island conservation, Seabird conservation, Rarity & conservation of African birds

Thesis Title: At-sea behavioural responses of African penguins Spheniscus demersus in relation to small-scale variability in prey distribution: implications for Marine Protected Areas (Supervisors: Lorien Pichegru & Peter Ryan).

Recent peer-reviewed publications

McInnes A.M. & Allan, D.G. 2011. Distribution, abundance and movements of the Grey-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus in South Africa. Durban Museum Novitates 34: .

Roberts, D., Boon, R., Diederichs, N., Douwes, E., Govender, N., McInnes, A., McLean, C., O’Donoghue, S & Spiers, M. 2011. Exploring ecosystem-based climate change adaptation in Durban, South Africa: “learning-by-doing” at the local government coal face. Environment & Urbanization 24(1):1-29.