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
Are you fascinated by the secret lives of plants? Would you like to study the building blocks of most of the planet’s ecosystems, from microscopic algae to towering trees? Find out how to become a botanist and start your wild career! As a botanist, you could help conserve, restore and enhance species and special sites;
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic I was fortunate enough to steal an hour of time from Rupert Koopman, the Conservation Manager for the Botanical Society of South Africa (BotSocSA). Prior to this role Rupert spent more than a decade as a botanist with CapeNature, focusing on Fynbos, threatened species and habitats in the
“Plants are these primary producers that can take energy from the stars and turn it into food, and when you’re considering things from a conservation perspective I think it just makes sense to make them the centre point.” Within conservation, plants are a vital but often overlooked component and the hugely energetic Matt Candeias is on a mission to change that.
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
Are you searching for more meaning in your career? Do you want a job that matches your values? Today, over one third of Conservation Careers members are career switchers – professionals (and graduates) who are switching careers into conservation from different job sectors. If you’ve always had a passion for wildlife and want to work in nature conservation, but don’t know
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 have experience in health care? Do you want a career that promotes health and wellbeing but also enhances the environment? Thrive’s revolutionary therapy centres are integrating nature and health care. Will you join them? Talking to Mark Lang, Thrive’s Communications Manager, it’s easy to feel the strong team ethics Thrive encourages. This was
Housing and caring for 68,000 plants is no joke! It takes a dedicated team of over 1,000 staff to look after the world’s largest botanical collection. Home to some of the most endangered plants in the world, Kew Gardens has made news headlines year after year for their devotion to plant conservation. Kew’s amazing horticultural
Orchids may be delicate, but they need tough conservationists to stand up for them. The Colombian Andes are home to the highest number of orchid species in the world – and the highest number of threatened species. Together with the rest of the tropical Andes, this global biodiversity hotspot will face the greatest effects of
They may not have cuddly fur or feathers, but plants are crucial to the planet and its ecosystems and to us. Carlos Magdalena is the Tropical Senior Botanical Horticulturist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the largest botanical collection in the world. He has rescued several rare plants from extinction including Café Marron, brought back from
Do you enjoy getting out into the field, identifying plants, animals, insects and more? And would you like to be paid for doing this and spend your career surveying for protected species and habitats whilst implementing the law to identify and avoid harmful impacts on them? Then a career as an ecological consultant might be
How do you grow a conservation organisation from 5 staff to over 500 in just over two decades? Why might Greta Thunberg be wrong to avoid air travel, and how is the conservation industry changing the way it hires staff in the 21st century? I discuss these issues and many more with today’s guest Mark Rose – Chief Executive Officer – Fauna &
In 1968 the global population of a small brown bird called the Seychelles Warbler, according to Nature Seychelles, was down to just 30 individuals. Habitat destruction and predation by introduced species like rats had driven the birds to the very edge of extinction and it was listed as critically endangered. Cycle forwards 50 years to
Elana Mostert began her career in conservation with a 14 month stint on a sub-Antarctic island, along with 21 strangers. She spoke to us about how she ended up here, some of the highlights and challenges of this role, and how it equipped her for her current career as an environmental consultant and ecological specialist
David Bevan didn’t fully realise is passion for plants until he was 40 years old. Now aged 75, he has devoted the last 35 years of his life to studying botany, caring for local green spaces and inspiring a love for nature in others. A retired natural history teacher and former Conservation Officer for the
It is estimated that in Australia alone there are a quarter of a million species of fungi. As our understanding of the largely undiscovered and often overlooked world of fungi grows, volunteers and researchers in mycology continue to make new and interesting discoveries that have huge impacts on conservation. One such researcher is Pam Catcheside.
Steve is the Species Conservation Assessment Officer in the Herbarium at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The post is based in the Geographical Information systems (GIS) Unit, which is part of the Biodiversity Informatics and Economic Botany department. Also known as Kew Gardens, the non-departmental public body is more than just a pleasure garden; it
From edible wild fruits to traditional land management systems, ethnobotanist and ethnoecologist Dr Nancy Turner’s work centres on the relationships between people, plants and environment. Focusing on work with indigenous plant experts of northwestern North America, the Distinguished Professor studies traditional knowledge and resource management systems that can help inform modern sustainability. Her words remind us all to take
As a devotee of amateur nature recording with a passion for trees and woods, it’s fair to say that Citizen Science Manager for the Woodland Trust, Dr Kate Lewthwaite, is in her dream job. She tells us how a combination of biding her time and being proactive got her to where she is today, talks
What’s it like to work as a environmental consultant? Mark is Head of Ornithology at APEM – Europe’s leading independent environmental consultancy specialising in freshwater and marine ecology and aerial surveys. We offer work of the highest quality and scientific integrity, together with excellent service. WHY DO YOU HAVE A CONSERVATION JOB? I think that the
Dr Colman O’Criodain is the wildlife trade specialist at WWF. He trained as a botanist and spent much of his university days look at fens in Ireland. After a bout with the Irish civil service and the European Commission, he now represents WWF at CITES (Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species – the
