About Us

Four Seasons Resorts Maldives have been working with local environmental agency Reefscapers (formerly Seamarc) since 2001, under the ever-watchful eye of the company’s founder, Thomas Le Berre. Our wildlife conservation projects are run from two Marine Discovery Centres by a dedicated team of ten full time marine biologists, ably assisted by our interns and apprentices.

In addition, The Manta Trust charity (formerly the ‘Maldivian Manta Ray Research Project’) – headed by founding director Guy Stevens – has been run from Landaa Giraavaru since 2005, employing marine biologists and seasonal volunteers.

Four Seasons Resorts & Reefscapers – working together since 2001

Reefscapers team photo Marine Savers Maldives at Kuda Huraa
Thomas le Berre

Thomas le Berre

Founder of Seamarc and Reefscapers

French coastal oceanographer and founder of Maldivian environmental consultancy Reefscapers (formerly ‘Seamarc’), Thomas has been spearheading the environmental projects at Four Seasons Resorts Maldives since 2001.
In 1992, Thomas obtained the Baccalaureat-C (Mathematics & Physics) with distinctions in Vannes, France. He was admitted to the ENSTA ParisTech, one of the French engineering “Grandes Écoles”. While studying there, Thomas took part in several exchange programmes and studied firstly at KTH Stockholm (Sweden) and then at James Cook University of North Queensland (Australia).
Thomas moved to SE Asia in 1999 and has been living and working the Maldives and Sri Lanka ever since. Along with Marie Saleem, he founded Seamarc (‘Systems Engineering and Marine Consulting’) in the year 2000, and as well as running the company (now known as ‘Reefscapers’), Thomas is actively and passionately involved in each project.

Dr Katrina Himpson

Dr Katrina Himpson

MDC Manager (at Landaa Giraavaru)

Born and raised in Scotland, Katrina began her career in veterinary medicine; graduating in 2018 from the University of Edinburgh. After practising in both Scotland and South Africa, she completed a Master’s in Biodiversity & Conservation via the University of Exeter (UK) in 2021.
Katrina joined the team at Landaa in 2022 as Resident Veterinarian, and has enjoyed the opportunity to combine her medical knowledge and conservation expertise.
Katrina feels passionately that communities should be connected to their surroundings, and is driven to strengthen this link here in the Maldives. Although she loves caring for all injured animal species, she is also committed to pushing boundaries in conservation research.
Katrina assumed the role of Centre Manager in January 2023, alongside her important veterinarian work.

Read Dr Kat’s blog

Charlie Sleddon-Plant

Charlie Sleddon-Plant

MDC Manager (at Kuda Huraa)

Charlie spent his childhood in New Zealand and the Bahamas as a young fisherman/ free diver. From this, he gained a great understanding of marine life. After his local reef died in the Bahamas, he set out to help restore the reefs he depended on.
Originally from the UK, Charlie returned to complete a degree in Marine Biology at Swansea University. He trained as a Divemaster, and worked around the world with various conservation projects focusing on megafauna, fisheries, coral reefs and turtles. He has a keen interest in photography and film-making, producing a video series to educate a wider audience about marine issues.
He looks forward to continuing his journey of saving coral reefs, whilst educating and inspiring others as a Marine Biologist in Kuda Huraa.
Charlie was promoted to the position of Kuda Huraa’s Centre Manager in February 2023.

Read Charlie’s blog

Akbar Ahmed ‘Aku’

Akbar Ahmed ‘Aku’

Deputy MDC Manager (at Landaa Giraavaru); Fish Lab Manager & Aquaculture Specialist

After graduating from school, Aku worked for the Maldivian ‘State Trading Organisation’, gaining valuable experience in a variety of roles (sales, legal credit, logistics, inventory, accounts).
Aku joined Reefscapers way back in December 2009, and is now one of our longest-serving and most valuable team members. Starting as a marine research assistant, he is now in charge of the Fish Lab and leads all of our aquaculture projects at Landaa Giraavaru. These include our Clownfish breeding programs, as well as refining our techniques in algae, phytoplankton and rotifer production (which are essential Lab-grown food sources).
Aku’s wealth of local knowledge and technical expertise makes Aku the perfect trainer, and he plays an essential role in environmental awareness issues, sharing his knowledge and skills with the younger generation of Four Seasons apprentices.

Margaux Monfared

Margaux Monfared

Coral Biologist

Margaux is a Marine Biologist, Divemaster, Underwater Explorer and Science Communicator from London. She has an MSc in Applied Aquatic Biology (2017) and BSc in Marine Biology (2016), both from the University of Portsmouth (UK). Her passion for coral reefs has taken her to Indonesia (coral reef community surveys), Honduras (video surveys), Italy (target fished species), Maldives (coral nurseries) and Cambodia (community fisheries, artificial reefs, teaching conservation).
The heart-breaking mass mortality of these intricate underwater cities (now shifted to algal-dominant reefs of low diversity) means she is more dedicated to increasing coral reef resilience to climate change through collaboration, research, outreach and media.
Margaux also works part-time as an editor for Women in Ocean Science, a global community created to connect, celebrate and empower women in the Marine Sciences. S
he is excited to return to the Maldives as our Reefscapers Coral Biologist, working with the incredible team at Landaa!

Read Margaux’s blog

Alejandra Woolrich

Alejandra Woolrich

Deputy MDC Manager (at Kuda Huraa) and Coral Biologist

Alejandra completed her Master’s degree in Marine Science and Management in Australia in 2019, after having obtained a joint scholarship from CONACYT- Macquarie University. She also has a BSc in Marine Biology (2016) from Universidad del Mar (México), in which she specialised in Diatom Taxonomy in upwelling locations from the Mexican South Pacific.
Having lived and worked near the ocean her whole life, mostly in the Mexican Caribbean, and witnessing firsthand the terrible effects of climate change on these highly valuable ecosystems, she became involved in coral propagation programs at the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System.
Alejandra is a firm believer that environmental education and local, multi-sectoral engagement leads to effective management, and she is eager to continue to raise awareness, while running the coral propagation program as our Coral Biologist at the Marine Discovery Centre, Kuda Huraa.

Read Ale’s blog

Helen Waghorne

Helen Waghorne

Marine Aquarist

Growing up in Singapore, Helen fell in love with the wonders of the ocean at a young age and began diving as often as possible, earning her SSI Divemaster in the USA. She went on to complete an Integrated Masters (MSci) in Marine Biology at the University of Southampton (UK), focusing on tropical marine biology. While at university she participated in internships, workshops and volunteer programs in Ireland, Malaysia, Bermuda, the Maldives and back home in the UK, covering a wide range of topics. She also worked in guest experience within the aquarium industry, and after graduating moved into animal care as an Aquarist.
Helen is excited to join the team at Landaa (in November 2021) to continue and expand the Fish Lab project and zooplankton surveys, while bringing the joys of the marine world to the resort guests.

Read Helen’s blog

Matthew Gledhill

Matthew Gledhill

Assistant Coral Biologist

Spending his childhood in Singapore, Matthew had the opportunity to explore the diverse tropical ecosystems that surrounded him, as well as experience the numerous threats facing marine habitats. This lead to his passion to understand more and to work towards the conservation of these environments.
After completing a BSc in Marine Biology at Newcastle University (UK), Matthew worked as a wildlife guide on the west coast of Scotland, before joining the Reefscapers team in Kuda Huraa as an intern (Matt’s story). He was subsequently offered a full time position at Landaa Giravaaru.
Matthew is a keen photographer and believes in the importance of sharing both the wonders of the underwater world as well as making people aware of the impacts it is facing. Keep an eye out on our social media for his pictures and videos!

Read Matt’s blog

Bethany Wilkinson

Bethany Wilkinson

Turtle Biologist

Bethany grew up and studied in Scotland. During her BSc in Marine Biology, she realised there is more to the oceans than cold water and rocky shores, and discovered her love for warm tropical waters whilst on study abroad at the University of Hawaii. She gained first-hand experience of how vital public engagement is for conservation whilst working as a visitor services presenter at Scotland’s national aquarium.
After time travelling in Australia, Bethany completed a Master’s in Marine Science and Climate Change at the University of Gibraltar with her dissertation focusing on the abundance and characterisation of microplastics across beaches in the area. In 2022, Bethany joined us as a marine biology intern at Kuda Huraa, before being offered a full-time position as Turtle Biologist. She is excited to combine her enthusiasm for public outreach and engagement, citizen science and conservation.

Read Bethany’s blog

Shona Moore

Shona Moore

Assistant Coral Biologist

Shona graduated from the University of Southampton (UK) with a Masters in Marine Biology and Oceanography in 2020. Whilst at University, Shona discovered her fascination with corals while volunteering in the National Oceanography Centre Aquarium, and her fondness for tropical waters during a field course at the BIOS research station in Bermuda. For her Masters’ thesis, she investigated the effect of dissolved inorganic nutrient uptake on coral growth and symbiont health.
Shona originally joined the Kuda Huraa team in 2022 as a marine biology intern, and was offered a full-time position as our Assistant Coral Biologist. With her return, Shona has brought lots of enthusiasm and innovative ideas. She plans to use her time here to expand and develop our knowledge of coral spawning within the Maldives.

Read Shona’s blog

Alex Burden

Alex Burden

Marine Biologist

Alex was a water baby from day one! His keen interest in the ocean inspired him to study a BSc in Marine Biology at the University of Portsmouth (UK) and become a professional diver.
Having understood the danger that our oceans were in, Alex dedicated the next steps in his life to helping to protect the marine world. These aspirations took him to Mexico (surveying reef health); to Greece and Costa Rica (tagging sea turtle species, and protecting their nests); and to Lhaviyani Atoll in the Maldives (helping with marine programs).
Alex joined the Marine Savers team at Kuda Huraa in December 2022. As Reefscapers resident Marine Biologist, he hopes to continue fighting to protect marine life, and to inspire others to do the same.

Read Alex’s blog

Looking for more ?

Discover what life is really like, working as a marine biologist in the Maldives. Read about the lived experiences of our team members over the years, over on our Blog.

Want to work with us ?

Visit our Employment page to see current job vacancies and learn about the different ways you can work with Marine Savers. And  be sure to sign-up for the REEFSCAPERS newsletter & job alerts.

Looking to get in touch ?

Contact Us by email or quick message.

Reefscapers: working above and below the waves!
‘Meet the Team’ Instagram video (2021) World Environment Day

Marine Savers team video

Be sure to check out the Video Tour of our Marine Discovery Centre at Landaa, to learn more about our marine conservation projects 

Manta Trust logo
Guy Stevens

Guy Stevens

Founder Director, Manta Trust

A member of the Four Seasons Resorts Maldives marine biology team since 2004, Guy now works full-time as the Founder Director of The Manta Trust – a charity dedicated to the global research and conservation of manta rays.

Guy’s conservation efforts in the Maldives have led to the creation of several Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s) at key manta aggregation sites, most notably at Hanifaru Bay, where his work was featured in the National Geographic Magazine (July 2009).
Guy and his conservation efforts have also featured in over a dozen TV documentaries for the BBC, NatGeo, ABC (Project Manta), ITV (Man to Manta), Channel 4 (Big Fish Fight) and 60 minutes Australia.
Guy’s work with manta rays now takes him to other corners of the world, but the Maldives for him will always be the best place to see and study these amazing animals.

Beth Faulkner

Beth Faulkner

Project Manager

Beth grew up near the English coast, and would spend hours exploring the rock pools on her local beach, which sparked her love for the ocean. Beth took this fascination a step further and decided to study marine biology at the University of Portsmouth (UK). After completing her studies, she moved to the Maldives to work as a marine biologist, where she became a PADI divemaster and gained experience in coral restoration, turtle rehabilitation and various nationwide research projects including the Manta Trust’s ID work.
In 2017, after two years building her knowledge and experience, Beth joined the Maldivian Manta Ray Project (Project Manager, Laamu Atoll) and recently moved to the Baa Atoll research base. Whilst working for the MMRP, Beth has been researching the local manta populations, learning more about their biology, behaviour and population dynamics. She has worked alongside other NGOs and resort marine biologists to share this knowledge with local communities, guests and resort staff, inspiring them to conserve the underwater world. Working so closely to these beautiful animals has only increased her appreciation for them and the wider Maldivian marine environment.
In January 2021, Beth was featured on CNN >> Swimming with manta rays could help save them.

Kaitlyn Zerr

Kaitlyn Zerr

Assistant Project Manager

Growing up in the middle of Canada presented limited opportunities to get to know the life beneath the waves, but after completing her Divemaster training in Honduras, Kaitlyn knew she would go anywhere to to pursue a lifetime of protecting the ocean.
Upon completing her BSc in Marine Biology (Dalhousie University, CA) she moved to Baa Atoll (Maldives) for a 3-month internship with the Maldivian Manta Ray Project, followed by a year in Australia working as a Marine Biologist (whale watching) and as a Marine Science Educator (improving ocean literacy in youth).
In 2019, Kaitlyn was reunited with the mantas when she returned to the Maldivian Manta Ray Project as the Assistant Project Manager for Baa Atoll. In addition to collecting data on the population dynamics, habitat use and reproductive ecology of the Maldivian mantas, Kaitlyn has taken on a lead role with “Eyes on the Reef”; a long-term monitoring project that records manta rays when humans are absent.
While she loves being in the water and on the research boat, her role within the team has also allowed her to explore her passion of connecting youth to the ocean by assisting the Education Manager with theory lessons and field trips.

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