You cannot put a price on passion

  • Co-Founder

    Eternal optimist and passionate nature conservationist. Melissa has dedicated her life to reconnecting everyday people with the natural world and empowering them to make nature-positive choices.

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  • Co-Founder

    The ultimate advocate for conscious consumerism and kitchen ninja. Lara’s passion for sustainably sourced food and how to turn it into delicious meals will leave you drooling for more and inspired to take on your own good food journey.

Dr Melissa Whitecross

Dr. Melissa Whitecross is a passionate environmentalist with a PhD in savanna ecology from Wits University. She has dedicated her career to conservation, particularly focusing on strategic support for protected and conservation areas. She has an unwavering passion for birds of prey and continues to support research and conservation efforts for species such as the Endangered Secretarybird. As the former Landscape Conservation Programme Manager at BirdLife South Africa, she led efforts to protect threatened species and habitats. Now a Senior Conservation Officer at Conservation Alpha, Melissa bridges the gap between impact finance and conservation strategy. She is an avid birder, bird ringer with the Wits Bird Club, and nature photographer, sharing her skills and knowledge through webinars, workshops and talks. Melissa has been fortunate to see over 770 of southern Africa's birds, you can follow her adventures on Instagram @melissa_reconnect.

Conservationist

With a deep passion for nature, in particular birds, Melissa serves and supports several conservation projects across South Africa, with a particular focus on the Endangered Secretarybird and its Grasslands, the Overberg Renosterveld Conservation Trust, Mabula Ground Hornbill Project, BirdLife South Africa and the Wits Bird Club.

Public Speaker

Melissa has presented hundreds of public lectures, workshops, popular interest talks, radio interviews and webinars. She broadened her speaking skills as the original founder and host of Conservation Conversations with BirdLife South Africa. Melissa passionately shares her love of the natural world with every given opportunity.

Activist

Melissa strives to make this world a better place for ALL life that calls it home. She is working to awaken a nation of ‘conscious consumers’ who are aware of what their impact on this planet is and make decisions based on minimising the negative and unsustainable production of consumer products by choosing to support nature-positive enterprises.

Academic

Melissa completed her PhD in Savanna Ecology through the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (WITS) in 2017. She remains a Visiting Researcher with the School of Animal Plant & Environmental Sciences (AP&ES) where she continues to supervise post-graduate students and provides undergraduate lectures.

Detailed Speaker Bio - Dr Melissa Whitecross

Melissa has worked in several realms of conservation including the NGO, academic, and private sectors since 2009. She holds a PhD in savanna ecology from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (WITS). Melissa remains a Visiting Researcher in the School of Animal, Plant & Environmental Sciences (AP&ES) at WITS where she teaches and supervises a number of postgraduate students within the ecological and ornithological science sectors. Her research interests focus on the conservation of threatened birds and their habitats, with a particular focus on the Endangered Secretarybird, the phenological dynamics of savannas, as well as bridging the conservation finance gap. Melissa has led and overseen conservation projects in threatened species conservation, habitat management and protected area expansion. She led the first provincial pilot roll-out of Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in Southern Africa through a Nedbank Green Trust grant while at BirdLife South Africa. Melissa’s range of analytical, strategic development, project management, presentation skills and experiences gained provide a dynamic mix of strengths which further her mission to create innovative, measurable impact that drives enhanced performance and catalyses investment in biodiversity conservation. Melissa is currently employed by Conservation Alpha as a Senior Conservation Officer coordinating projects in protected area management and impact finance for nature. Melissa is driven by a passion to reconnect people to nature and enhance our understanding of and value for why biodiversity matters. Melissa’s work aims to promote well-designed, sustainably financed, integrated conservation landscapes which support the survival of species and maintain the health and functionality of ecosystems, while enabling humanity to derive benefits in a long-term, balanced manner. Melissa’s mission is to inspire a generation of ‘conscious consumers’ who support sustainably sourced, nature-positive products and encourage others to do the same while making a positive difference for the planet through their everyday actions.