Meet the staff: Louisa Mamalis, Monitoring & Evidence Manager

Louisa Mamalis (she/her/hers) has recently joined our Nature Reserves team as Monitoring and Evidence Manager. We caught up with her to find out more about her and her role. 

Tell us a bit about yourself

I have always enjoyed being outside exploring, even from a young age where I enjoyed being outside with scouts or searching for woodlice and snails. I grew up in Surrey so have been lucky enough to have access to some really special areas of nature, including in Sussex. I lived in Yorkshire for the last five years but have eagerly returned south for this role and now live in Brighton.

I have a background in ecology, studying environmental science and ecology before completing my PhD in conservation management. My project focused on the landscape scale conservation on the Giant Ibis in Cambodia. I also spent time working as an ecologist and teaching ecology at the University of York.

I class myself as a naturalist who loves rooting around looking for new species, a conservationist, where I love to collect data and use that evidence to make positive change, and I also love the role of sharer and educator, sharing my passion and interest in the natural world from this privileged position. I am really excited to have joined the Sussex Wildlife Trust and look forward to learning a lot through my role and working with some really inspiring people in some incredible landscapes!

And your role at the Trust – how does it differ to the Senior Ecologist role we used to have?

This is a new role and part of the changes to the wider management of Sussex Wildlife Trust nature reserves. It will be more strategic, focussing on delivering monitoring across the portfolio of all reserves. This will begin with taking stock of what biodiversity (all habitats and species) that are present within each of nature reserves. This will allow us to get a baseline idea of the condition of our reserves and will feed into the reserve management plans. The aim is to deliver an annual standardised monitoring programme tailored to each reserve. This data, or evidence, will feed directly into our decision-making processes to determine the most effective conservation management. The repetitive nature of this monitoring will mean we can be flexible over time and respond to things that work and those that don’t.

This role has a larger management component and broader scope. It will be mainly desk-based role and, instead of conducting a large amount of the data collection myself, we will work with others, such as contract ecologists and volunteers, to collect the data. Despite this, a key part of my role will be visiting reserves and getting to know them as much as possible.

What’s your favourite species (of things that can be found in Sussex) and why?

One of my favourite species (because who can pick just one!) is a small, unassuming, often overlooked species. It is a small plant with a determination to live in tricky environments. I have chosen Ivy-leaved Toadflax, which can be found at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve. This is a creeping plant which loves to live on human made structures such as walls or pavements. They have cute purple and cream flowers that make me smile whenever I see it trailing down a wall.

My favourite thing about it is that I can see it everywhere! I really like species that can thrive alongside humans and gives me a little everyday reminder of the resilience of the natural world.

What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday afternoon?

I try to spend as much time outside as possible so my ideal Sunday would involve a nice long trail run or walk through some nature areas (including a dip in the sea if possible!) ending with a pint and chips.

Tell us something about yourself most people won’t know

I am lucky enough to have lived in several countries apart from the UK, including Tanzania, France, Portugal, Brazil and Cambodia. I lived there for various reasons including jobs, studying and fieldwork. I think one of my favourites was probably Brazil due to the amazing habitats and wildlife I got to visit and work in. I also really enjoyed the fun music and dancing!