Melissa Payne

Melissa, a Sabahan, residing in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia graduated from the University of Adelaide in South Australia, majoring in Geographical and Environmental Studies. She has over 11 years’ experience in environmental consultancy and planning, natural resources and conservation management as well as stakeholder engagement. Melissa has been involved in various environmental impact assessments for biodiversity, water and social assessments, studies and plans for the government and private sectors and has vast experience in coordinating and facilitating engagements across a diverse range of stakeholders.

Melissa joined SEARRP in February 2018 as a science impact coordinator and today, she is currently the Deputy Director of SEARRP. She leads the delivery of science impacts to policy and capacity building through engagements with a suit of government and civil society partners and more recently, in environmental education and outreach programmes. Melissa has been involved in the preparation of key conservation policies and plans including the Sabah Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2012-2022, State Water Activities Management Policy and Guidelines, Kota Kinabalu Wetlands Management Plan and Recognising and Reporting OECMs in Malaysia. Through this experiences, Melissa’s interest had grown and she believes that strengthening partnerships between government, civil society groups and communities is a great start to a lasting, effective conservation effort.