If you’ve spent time in the UK and visited a local nature reserve, then chances are you’ve been to a site managed by one of the 46 individual Wildlife Trusts that collectively represent 2,000 staff, 35,000 volunteers and nearly 1 million members. Helping to coordinate this huge force for nature is the Royal Society of
Eve Grayson, a wildlife conservationist for the North Wales Wildlife Trust (NWWT), shares her experiences working with the trust and offers advice for those looking for a career in conservation. Eve and the rest of the team based in Anglesey and Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, hope that all readers will find the motivation and drive to
South Africa is home to an abundance of frogs and toads (~130 species) and Dr Jeanne Tarrant is taking a lead to be the saviour for these ‘little’ guys. As the manager of the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Threatened Amphibian Programme (TAP), she and her team aim to address a growing need for the involvement of
Abby Crosby is the Marine Conservation Officer for Cornwall Wildlife Trust, working within their Living Seas department which focuses on Cornwall’s diverse marine life, all the way from corals to basking sharks. The Living Seas aim is to collect data, create awareness of threats to marine wildlife, and campaign for better protection of Cornish marine
Megan Shersby is an aspiring naturalist and science communicator. She is based in Dorset, working as a Seasonal Assistant for Dorset Wildlife Trust at two of their centres and is passionate about inspiring others to explore the natural world, and can usually be found in nature reserve examining the local wildlife. Here she shares her fascinating career
The 47 Wildlife Trusts are the UK’s largest people-powered environmental organisation, working for nature’s recovery on land and at sea. The organisation manages some 95,000ha of British land across the the UK, the Isle of Man and Alderney. They run over 11,000 events annually, helping more than 380,000 people connect with nature in their local
The Conservation Professional Development Programme is a totally new coaching programme proven to significantly improve the wellbeing, impact, and career direction of conservation professionals. Following successful pilots with The Wildlife Trusts and RSPB, we’ve launched our first public enrolment with 16 places available until 31st May. Who | The programme is targeted towards early and mid-career
“I would love to see more wildlife influencers, and for them to be as popular and cool as fashion/lifestyle influencers” As of January 2024, around 62.3% of the world’s population are social media users. Communications have always been crucial for spreading conservation messages across the globe, but it seems that now, more than ever before,
After graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 2005, Canadian Aram Kazandjian took the expected route into the corporate sector. Fast forward 12 years and he was living in a national park in Sierra Leone as Manager of Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Aram shares his route into conservation and discusses how typical ‘business’ skills are
In his final year as a university undergraduate, Kumar Paudel founded the non-profit organisation Greenhood Nepal. It created a platform for young people like himself who lacked experience but wanted to contribute to the conservation field. Kumar shares how since its foundation in 2012 Greenhood Nepal and its team have ‘grown up’ together to become
What role does ‘urban greening’ have in the world of conservation? This is one question that Angus Cunningham, horticulturalist and CEO of Scotscape, considers, as he shares his enthusiasm for this new and burgeoning industry. While Scotscape is amongst the market leaders in the UK, the phenomenon is worldwide. “Wherever you are in the world”
Nadia Sherif is an early career conservationist from Alexandria, Egypt, working for Nature Conservation Egypt (NCE) as a Conservation Officer. Having always been passionate about the wildlife that surrounded her in Egypt, Nadia knew from a young age she wanted to forge herself a career in conservation, an unheard of career option in Egypt at
Are you a conservation organisation looking to attract the best possible talent to support your mission? Do you struggle with too many, too few, or low quality applications? We help 1000s of conservationists stand out from the crowd when they apply for conservation jobs. In this article we’re switching things up to show how conservation
In the world of primate research, few scientists get the opportunity to research both Chimps and Bonobos (our least studied close relative) in the wild. Here researchers Miguel Adán Pascual and Daiane Galdino talk about their incredible field experiences in the African forests. They also discuss finding fieldwork opportunities together as a couple, as well
Listening to activist Ofir Drori speak, it is impossible not to be energised by the strength of his passion and determination when discussing his work. Back in 2002 he founded West and Central Africa’s first anti-corruption and wildlife law enforcement NGO, and within seven months his dedicated team of volunteer activists had achieved the region’s
“You can’t care about what you don’t know about.” Ornithologist, environmentalist, diversity activist as well as an author, speaker and broadcaster Mya-Rose has certainly had an amazing career. Not only has she had many accomplishments, but she was by the age of 17 the youngest person in the world to see half of the world’s
I first met Dung Nguyen Van, Free the Bears Vietnam Programme Manager, in Cat Tien National Park (Vietnam) in 2017. He was very much a man on a mission as the brand-new bear sanctuary was due to open that July, and his pride for what they had achieved was unmistakable. What I didn’t realise was
Originally from Michigan, USA, David Mills has had a long relationship with Africa and mammalian carnivores since the 2000s. He started his conservation career in 2002, volunteering and working with cheetahs, leopards, and human wildlife conflict. Years later, for his PhD, David studied African golden cats in Uganda, a species which no one had studied,
The beautiful British Virgin Islands (BVI) are a chain of more than fifty volcanic islands between the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The country is home to a huge variety of rare plant and wildlife species. Nancy Pascoe, Deputy Director for Science, Research and Environmental Policy at the National Parks Trust of the
Like many conservationists, we spend most time focused on supporting people and the planet, and we rarely take time to celebrate our successes along the way. That’s why we’re dedicating this post to celebrating success stories from 2022! We are incredibly proud of what we as a team, our partners and our community have achieved.
As a student in Portugal, a conversation with botanist Jorge Paiva spurred Sara Barrios to apply for an internship that led her to the Herbarium at Kew Gardens. Some 16 years later, fresh from fieldwork in the British Virgin Islands, Sara spoke to me about her role as Conservation Partnership Coordinator for the UK Overseas
In many parts of the world, it’s that time of year again! In this episode we discuss what it’s like to study and work within academia, how to survive it, enjoy it and more..! Joining our host Dr Nick Askew is Dr Fernando Mateos-González of Bioblogía – or Nando he’s often known – and Dr
Insects are fascinating and important creatures. But how do you make people fall in love with bugs? Professor Dave Goulson, a Professor of biology at the University of Sussex, UK, and an author/campaigner, tries to spread his love for insects via his books. If you get as excited as me seeing some bees buzzing about
Emily Cunningham is a key figure in the field of UK marine conservation and works tirelessly as an advocate for healthier oceans. Her vision is for local politicians to recognise the key role they can play in the fight for ocean recovery, and for local communities to feel empowered to protect our seas. In this
Wildlife conservation is all about protecting and celebrating biodiversity. But, when we look at the industry’s workforce, we see a heart-breaking diversity deficit. Making work in the conservation sector accessible and equitable for all will require equally diverse solutions, and improving representation is a key step. “Nature is all about spectrums and understanding differences”. I
In 2021, Ryan Eddowes and Amber Stanley set up Our Cities Wild Islands, an environmental service aiming to rewild green areas within cities, encouraging nature to thrive. Rewilding activities are conservation efforts aimed at restoring and protecting natural processes and wilderness areas, whilst creating a balance between people and the environment. While projects may start
After combining his love of surfing and science to study marine biology, Oliver Clements trained in computer programming, and now works as a GIS expert on remotely sensed Earth observation data. He looks at the planet’s oceans from satellite data to detect patterns in everything from plankton volumes to sea surface temperature. The main barrier
In 2021, Conservation Careers celebrated its eighth year helping conservationists achieve career success. We’re proud to say that we supported nearly 700,000 conservationists this year on their path to helping wildlife thrive. 2021 has been quite a ride, but we’ve seen lots of momentum building. Many aspiring conservationists, career switchers and professional conservationists have used
Do you like the sound of creating new habitats, leaving a positive legacy of nature behind you? That is soon to be the reality of working as an ecological consultant, as the upcoming Environment Bill will make it a legal requirement for new construction developments to have a positive impact – a ‘net gain’ –
You may be wondering what Queer Ecology is and how it relates to conservation?! Well, we have interviewed a pioneering queer wildlife conservationist and educator to show how learning from the natural world can change our societal norms of acceptance, and how whatever your background, you can find a way to connect with nature and
