Dr Christiaan Brink

PhD Conservation Biology (UCT)
MSc Conservation Biology (UCT)
BSc Hons Zoology (UP)
BSc Zoology (UP)

Christiaan Willem Brink graduated with a doctoral degree in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute in 2022. His research investigated the role of supplementary feeding sites in vulture conservation in South Africa. Christiaan now works for BirdLife South Africa as a Project Manager where he manages a portfolio of species conservation projects focused on threatened birds of prey. Christiaan is collaborating with the Fitz to conduct the necessary research to enable evidence-based and scientifically informed conservation strategies for his projects.

Christiaan  previously spent two separate years on Marion Island as a field researcher, collecting data on the island’s seal, orca and seabird populations. While he misses the albatrosses, he is happy to be working on raptors, which he has been fascinated with since childhood. He recently led an expedition to Northern Mozambique where the survey team discovered the largest known population of the rare Taita Falcon. Christiaan’s research interests are centered around assessing the effectiveness of conservation interventions and understanding the interface between human and natural systems.

Recent peer-reviewed publications:

2022

Didarali, Z., Kuiper, T., Brink, C.W., Buij, R., Virani, M.Z., Reson, E.O. and Santangeli, A. (2022). Awareness of environmental legislation as a deterrent for wildlife crime: A case with Masaai pastoralists, poison use and the Kenya Wildlife Act. Ambio, 51(7), 1632-1642.

2021

Brink, C.W., Thomson, R.L., Amar, A., Girardello, M. and Santangeli, A. (2021). Prevalence and drivers of poison use by South African commercial farmers and perceptions of alternative livestock protection measures. Ambio, 50(6), 1211-1221.

2020

Brink, C.W., Santangeli, A., Amar, A., Wolter, K., Tate, G., Krüger, S., ... and Thomson, R. L. (2020). Quantifying the spatial distribution and trends of supplementary feeding sites in South Africa and their potential contribution to vulture energetic requirements. Animal Conservation, 23(5), 491-501.

Brink, C.W., Santangeli, A., Amar, A., Wolter, K., Tate, G., Krüger, S., ... and Thomson, R. L. (2020). Perceptions of vulture supplementary feeding site managers and potential hidden risks to avian scavengers. Conservation Science and Practice, 2(8), e237.

Brink, C.W., Krüger, S., and Amar, A. (2020). Potential release sites and strategies for a Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus reintroduction in South Africa. Ostrich, 91(2), 118-128.

2019

Schoombie, S., Schoombie, J., Brink, C.W., Stevens, K.L., Jones, C.W., Risi, M.M., and Ryan, P.G. (2019). Automated extraction of bank angles from bird-borne video footage using open-source software. Journal of Field Ecology 90(4), 361-372.

2018

Dilley, B.J., Schoombie, S., Stevens, K., Davies, D., Perold, V., Osborne, A., Schoombie, J., Brink, C.W., Carpenter-Kling, T. and Ryan, P.G. (2018). Mouse predation affects breeding success of burrow-nesting petrels at sub-Antarctic Marion Island. Antarctic Science 30(2), pp. 93–104.