Cape Town · Ocean Science · Strategy
Marine science, environmental strategy, and a life shaped by the sea.
I am Michael Brown, a marine biologist and consultant working across biodiversity, conservation, policy, and environmental strategy — bringing together scientific depth, strategic judgement, and field-grounded ocean credibility.
About
A scientist with strategic range and an ocean-centred identity.
My background spans marine science, biodiversity and conservation biology, scientific writing, data interpretation, and environmental strategy. I completed my PhD in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology at the University of the Western Cape and have since worked across both academic and consulting environments.
Professionally, I have contributed to work on climate policy, blue economy and marine issues, agricultural data governance, monitoring and evaluation, and international education and humanitarian projects.
Outside formal consulting and research, my life is closely tied to the ocean through diving, sailing, and surfing.
Work
What I do
Marine Science & Research
PhD-trained marine scientist with published work in biodiversity, conservation biology, taxonomy, and marine ecology.
Strategy, Policy & Advisory
Consultant with experience across climate policy, conservation, agriculture, monitoring and evaluation, and cross-sector strategy work.
Field Operations & Ocean Work
Commercial research diver, sailor, and ocean practitioner bringing practical field credibility to analytical and advisory work.
Selected Work
Consulting and project experience.
Seychelles Blue Carbon Policy
Led development of a national blue carbon policy, integrating ecosystem evidence, international best practice, and stakeholder input to create a climate-aligned framework for protecting seagrass and mangroves—supporting national emissions targets and coastal conservation commitments.
Commonwealth Ocean Action Reporting
Delivered a cross-country synthesis of ocean initiatives across the Commonwealth, converting fragmented inputs into a structured report used by policymakers to assess progress and set priorities—informing high-level discussions at Heads of Government level.
Agricultural Data Governance & Business Case
Built the investment case and governance approach for national agricultural data infrastructure across multiple African countries, linking data systems to productivity gains and private-sector incentives—clarifying pathways to close the investment gap in agricultural transformation.
Publications
Research output.
Cautioning the Move from Morphology to Molecules in the Taxonomy of Metazoa: Comments on Lawley et al. South African Journal of Science 118(9–10) (Brown & Gibbons, 2022) http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2022/12590
Swarms of the Hyperiid Amphipod Themisto gaudichaudii Along the False Bay Coastline. Journal of Natural History 56(5–8) (Brown & Gibbons, 2022) https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2022.2089606
Null Models for Null Hypotheses in Taxonomy: A Test Using Scyphozoa. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 134(1) (Brown & Gibbons, 2021) https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blab070
A New Macromedusa from the Coast of Mozambique: Aurelia mozambica sp. nov. Zootaxa 4933(2) (Brown et al., 2021) DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4933.2.5
Contact
Open to relevant work and collaboration.
Available for consulting, research, and ocean-aligned collaborations.