Dr. Melissa Lewis is the Policy and Advocacy Manager at BirdLife South Africa. Melissa is responsible for spearheading BirdLife South Africa’s policy and advocacy work. Her responsibilities include working to integrate conservation objectives into environmental laws and policies; supporting government in respect of its national and international conservation obligations; and engaging in reactive advocacy work to address the environmental challenges facing BirdLife South Africa’s conservation programmes. She also supports the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the provision of policy and advocacy support to BirdLife partners across Africa, with a particular focus on the East Atlantic Flyway. Before joining BirdLife South Africa, she was an experienced litigator working in Africa and Europe, especially on multi-lateral environmental agreements and, in particular, the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA). Melissa has also worked with the RSPB, BirdLife International and the South African Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries.