Natalie Hayward

Grounded in the science of nature conservation practice, an early career in tourism and hospitality and practice in the conservation field both locally and abroad, Natalie is passionate about nature, its biodiversity, people, and impact. Natalie joined the Cape Leopard Trust in February 2026 and is focussed on achieving conservation outcomes through applied science and adaptive management, operational efficiencies, and project execution in priority landscapes.

A career in nature conservation started as a volunteer with organisations like SANCCOB and SANParks in South Africa, and the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece abroad. Following a stint as a field worker for a consultancy in the United Kingdom, rescuing reptiles and Great Crested Newts on the Thames Gateway Project, Natalie returned to South Africa with a renewed passion for its biodiversity, its landscapes, and its people.

A formal career with CapeNature commenced in 2010 as a conservation extension officer, helping landowners care for nature on their properties and building ecological corridors in biodiverse landscapes. Driven by the ‘why’ and the ‘so what’, Natalie’s career with CapeNature evolved and centred on facilitating the science-policy-management interface, evidence-based decision-making, and balancing resources against outputs planned and outcomes envisioned. As Executive Director: Conservation Operations, her team was responsible for protected area management and expansion, wildlife regulation, education and outreach, and working closely with partners and stakeholders towards common conservation goals. Natalie’s focus shifted to driving strategy and performance through adaptive management, stakeholder engagement, and systems enhancement.

During this time, Natalie completed a MSc in Conservation Science, testing her theory that decision support frameworks, as foundation in strategy formulation, significantly enhance management effectiveness. A practitioner of the Conservation Standards and other adaptive management frameworks, Natalie is vested in evidence-based conservation planning, strategy effectiveness, implementation, and measuring impact.