Meet the team

Hugh Doulton

National Coordinator

Hugh has a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford, and a Masters in Environment and International Development from the University of East Anglia. He has been developing projects in the Comoros since 2004, and has lived on Anjouan since October 2007, when he started as Comoros Project Coordinator for BCSF. Hugh likes to dream of the day when his ‘to-do’ list doesn’t stretch to several pages.

Katie Green

Head of Ecological Monitoring and Research

Katie has a Master’s in Zoology from Sheffield University and a Master’s in Ecological Conservation from Cranfield University. Before coming to the Comoros she spent a year conducting biodiversity surveys in the north of Madagascar and two years in the south-east of Madagascar designing and implementing a community-based conservation project for littoral forest. As Ecological Officer for the project Katie spends her time climbing Comorian mountains in the search for butterflies, reptiles, and birds (when she’s not analysing data, that is).

Joris Backaert

Head of Agricultural Development

Joris has a Masters degree in Land Management and Forestry from Ghent University in Belgium.  He joined the project in December 2010 bringing with him 9 years of experience working on agricultural projects in East and Central Africa. He manages a team of three local agricultural technicians to deliver the project's agricultural support and works with the rest of the team to develop agricultural and natural resource management strategies. Outside of work, Joris' interests vary from ornithology, to cyclo-cross, to website development.

Dr Andrew Terry

Head of Field Programmes at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

Andrew has a PhD in animal communication and conservation from the University of Copenhagen and before joining Durrell in 2007, worked for the IUCN in Brussels as a Scientific Advisor and programme manager. He now manages a portfolio of 45 conservation projects in 14 countries. Andrew supports the overall implementation of the project, with a particular focus on the development of a new non-governmental organisation.

Dr Richard Young

Head of Conservation Science at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

With a PhD in Ecology and a Masters in Conservation Biology, Richard has worked in applied research for wildlife conservation and management for the past 12 years. He now manages the science programme that supports Durrell's field and ex-situ conservation. Within the project, Richard guides the development of the biodiversity assessment and ecological monitoring programmes which support forest conservation planning and actions.

Dr Gill Shepherd

International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Adviser on the Ecosystem Approach and theme lead on ‘Poverty, Livelihoods and Landscapes’ for the Forest Conservation Programme.

Gill has a PhD in Social Anthropology from the London School of Economics (on labour migration and the Comoro Islands), and has since spent nearly 30 years on tropical forest issues. From 1985 to 2003 she worked for the Overseas Development Institute in London where she established ODI's Forest Policy and Environment Programme, focussing especially on the relationship between livelihoods and forests. For the last seven years she has been working mainly for the IUCN, advising and leading on several major projects around the world. She supports the development of the project’s sustainable natural landscape management process.

Dr Tim Brewer

University of Cranfield

Tim has over 20 years experience interpreting and analysing remotely sensed imagery and using GIS for a wide range of applications, from temporal change analysis to land suitability modelling and network analysis. He is the Course Director for the MSc in Geographical Information Management at Cranfield University. Tim is providing advice to the project on GPS, GIS and remote sensing.

Badroudine Ali

Facilitator, in charge of the Nindri-Kowet-Moya region

Badrou was one of the first facilitators, starting in January 2008, and in 2010 was made head of the Pomoni-Moya region. He studied natural sciences for his undergraduate degree, before moving into livestock management for his Masters in Madagascar. If there’s anything you need to know about the difficulties of chicken farming in the Comoros, then Badrou’s your man, having spent two years developing a working model in Nindri.

Siti Mohamed

Facilitator

Siti studied philosophy at the University of Toamasina, before specialising in natural resource management for her Masters. She has worked with Hugh and Badrou from the start of the project, and is now in charge of activities in the project’s first small town, Moya, as well as leading on research into family planning. Siti is often the first face seen by new visitors to the project, as she’s usually the one who is nominated to deliver a garland accompanied by a speech in polished English.

Misbahou Mohamed Abdou

Facilitator, in charge of project expansion

Misbahou studied natural resource management at the University of Taomasina in Madagascar. He’s been working with the project since August 2008, and in 2010 took charge of the project’s expansion into new villages. This role involves overseeing the initial analysis phase in a new village in order to support project establishment. He was also in charge of organising the delivery of 270 computers for education and development organisations in Anjouan in February 2010, a donation that the project organised through Computer Aid International.

Badrouzamane Mohamed

Facilitator, in charge of the Salamani-Ouzini-Outsa region

Badrouzamane studied geography at the University of Toliara in Madagascar and helped to run a private school there before joining the project in 2008. In 2010 he took responsibility for the Salamani-Ouzini-Outsa zone. When he’s not wrestling with the complexities of developing communal management associations in the region, he can usually be found helping to tend the crops in the beautiful vegetable garden at Salamani.

Mouhoudhoir Boura

Facilitator

Boura studied geography at the University of Mahajanga in Madagascar, specialising in natural resource management. He joined the team in 2009 and has since worked mostly in the village of Ouzini, which keeps him fit as it is a good hour’s walk up the valley from the nearest road.  In his spare time Boura is developing an association in his own village to apply the project’s approach and activities in a different part of the island, with the support of Hugh and Kitty.

Fatima Ousseni

Facilitator

Fatima joined the project in 2009 having studied natural sciences at the University of Mahajanga in Madagascar, specialising in waste management for her masters. Passing through a village where Fatima is working can be slow, as everyone makes sure to greet her and ask how she’s getting on.

Abdou Mohamed

Facilitator

Abdou joined the team in May 2010. He studied geography at the University of Toliara in Madagascar before doing his masters in social development at the University of Toamasina.  Abdou comes from the same village as Boura and is President of the village association working to apply the project’s approach towards sustainable development.

Bronwen Daniel

Field Biologist (employed by Durrell)

Bronwen studied Zoology at the University of Liverpool and completed a Masters in Conservation Science at Imperial College London.  In between studies Bronwen managed a research camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo and worked on BCSF’s lemur research project in Madagascar.

Bronwen is employed by Durrell to support the ecological survey team to complete their objectives.

Ishaka Saïd

Ecological technician

Ishaka has been with the project from the start in 2008, and knows the forests of Anjouan, Grande Comore and Mohéli and the species they contain like the back of his hand. His wealth of knowledge comes from nearly twenty years working with a range of different research and conservation projects in the Comorian forests. Ishaka can not only identify all the birds of the Comoros by their calls, but can also mimic most of them to perfection.

Amelaïd Houmadi

Ecological technician

Amelaïd studied biology, ecology and animal conservation at the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar, and has since worked and volunteered in a number of different environmental organisations in Madagascar and Anjouan. He joined the team in 2009 and alongside the routine ecological monitoring has worked on the first dedicated Anjouan scops owl survey in support of a British Masters student. Out in the field you’ll spot Amelaïd by his wellington boots.

Daniel Salim

Ecological technician

Daniel is the newest member of the ecological monitoring team. He studied biology, ecology and animal conservation at the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar (with Amelaïd). Since graduating and coming back to Anjouan he has been an active member in a number of local environmental associations and has taught at the high school in Mutsamudu.

Soulaïmana Abdallah

Agricultural technician

Soula joined the project in September 2009. Having originally trained as a teacher and taught high school history and geography for ten years, he decided to change direction and study agriculture in Mohéli. After graduating he worked as an agricultural technician for a project in the Niumakelé region of Anjouan. His role is to give technical support to villagers to improve their yields, particularly by preventing erosion and loss of soil fertility. This involves long days slogging up the mountain to visit different fields, but Soula’s energy never flags.

Moustoifa Ben Said Chaharane

Agricultural technician

Moustoifa went to high school in Sofia, Bulgaria, and after gaining his BAC went on to study agriculture there. Since coming back to the Comoros just after independence Moustoifa has had a varied career working for a number of projects on Mohéli, Grande Comore and Anjouan, including running agricultural demonstration centres. Moustoifa specialises in market gardening and gives technical support to villagers working in this area, a task that requires great patience, something that he possesses in abundance.

Kitty Brayne

Communications Officer

Kitty studied Ecology at Cambridge University before working in public affairs for the RSPB in the UK running events to get people out looking at British wildlife. She joined the project in February 2009 to oversee communications within the Comoros - involving activities such as making films to illustrate project activities - and to let the outside world know what we’re up to. Kitty is also in charge of developing training programmes for each member of the team.

Nourou Houssam

Head of accounting and finance

Nourou is the newest member of the team, joining us in September 2010. She studied communications and development in the Ivory Coast, before working as a facilitator for various social development projects in Anjouan. For the last eight years she has worked as an accountant for Anjouan Stevedoring Company, which operates the main port for the Comoros. Her role is to oversee all financial transactions, manage the budgets for project activities, and assist the rest of the team with financial monitoring. When she can get out of the office, she’ll also be using her experience to work with Kitty on communications.

Youssouf Mari (De Gaulle)

Logistical support and office guardian

De Gaulle (given the nickname because he was born on the day General De Gaulle visited the Comoros) has been working for the project since it started and supports the team on all logistical aspects, as well as looking after the security of the office. Before joining the team he worked for a number of different projects, and isn’t short of contacts in Mutsamudu.