How do you transform landscapes, restore biodiversity and reconnect people with nature – all at scale? And what does it take to build a pioneering conservation initiative from scratch? Today’s guest is Frans Schepers, co-founder and Executive Director of Rewilding Europe. Frans has dedicated over a decade to leading rewilding efforts across Europe, turning ambitious
Xavi Reñé is a Barcelona-based illustrator with over ten years of experience. He illustrates in the field of wildlife conservation art, having worked for various commissioners from sanctuaries to foundations. Xavi currently works as a conservation illustrator and artist for Rewilding Europe, a non-profit foundation working on rewilding on the local, national, and continental level
If you’re interested in conservation, then you’ve probably heard the term rewilding. Over the past decade or so it has represented a growing movement within the industry to restore nature back to its former glory. Sometimes involving reintroducing long lost species back into landscapes. One of the organisations involved in the movement is Citizen
Conservation is about protecting the diversity of life on Earth – or ‘biodiversity’. But is protection enough? At Conservation Careers we believe that conservation should go beyond protection, to restoring and enhancing diversity. This form of ‘progressive conservation’ focusses on how to help ecosystems and landscapes recover after they’ve been degraded, damaged or destroyed. It
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
You may think of rewilding primarily as the reintroduction of large mammals to areas where they have gone extinct. For Elliot Newton and his team at Citizen Zoo, rewilding is more than just that. Yes, it’s about reintroducing key missing species and creating suitable habitats for them to thrive, but it’s also about rewilding people.
Alexandra Lamontagne is one of the founders of Carewildlife who put volunteers in touch with the right project for them. Here is more about her vision and where her passion started. Where does your passion for animals and conservation come from? I have always loved animals and had pet dogs and cats, I have been
Rewilding – creating controversy and excitement in equal measure on the wildlife conservation world. Can we bring back species long lost from environments and learn to live with them? How did we manage to lose so much in the first place? What are the benefits of bringing back certain species, financially, spiritually and ecologically? There
When living in a world where decisions are based on a cost-benefit analysis, one challenge becomes clear: how can we define a monetary value for the many environmental, social, and economic benefits provided by the ocean? Kaija Barisa, Senior Economist at Blue Marine Foundation (BMF), is working to find an answer to this question. In
The majority of environmental news is dominated by depressing, defeatist narratives that describe the decline of nature in every corner of the planet, with humans commonly blamed for this destruction. Helen and Christopher Neave challenge this, as 14 years ago, distressed by the environmental situation, they decided to take action. Although now ‘Make it Wild’
“To work with nature, we need to understand the systems that are in play. The key to success is systems thinking. Taking all parts of the equation into consideration, and looking at how project’s goals fit into and can work with those systems, not fighting against them”. Joshua Muñoz Jiménez is a specialist in regenerative
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”
In the realm of nature conservation, few individuals possess the dedication and passion exhibited by Maggie Muurmans, a lecturer that teaches on the Master of Conservation Biology at the University of Queensland, Australia. Aside from teaching and pursuing a PhD in community engagement, Maggie is also the co-founder of the NGO Ocean Connect based on
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,
Janne Raassina is an entrepreneur focusing on environmental restoration in Eastern Finland. He has a background in forestry and he focuses on restoring landscapes and water systems, such as rivers and lakes, into a more natural state. There’s been an explosion of new projects in the field of environmental restoration in recent years, with newfound
Originally from the UK, Kate Sheridan is a conservation biologist and scuba diver, living and working in the Maldives for a coral restoration and research project, Reefscapers. Although everyday life looks like a tropical dream – marine conservation set in island paradise – we discuss some of the hardships of creating a long-term career in
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.
Rewilding and restoration is an increasingly exciting and popular area of conservation. Whereby land is returned to a more natural state in a bid to let natural processes thrive once more. There are numerous examples of it working quickly and really well – species returning in a matter of years – but have you heard
Imagine if you could create lasting impact for conservation. What would your conservation legacy look like? How would it feel to know you were making a real difference for a cause you care about… whether that be community conservation, rewilding, marine plastic pollution, climate change – or your own personal conservation passion!? A key to
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
Have you ever found yourself reading through job applications and feeling disheartened after seeing requirements such as these? “Physically fit for the demands of this role” “A suitable level of physical fitness for assisting with the capture and restraint of animals as well as manoeuvring tools (including wheelbarrows)” “The role is physically demanding and our
We know that carbon in the atmosphere is increasing at an unsustainable rate, and that half of all native tress on earth have been felled. This is having impacts on our lives, and on wildlife globally. Recent studies have also shown that we have nearly a billion hectares of land suitable for ecosystem restoration. That’s space for one TRILLION trees capturing around 30% of the excess carbon in
Today we’re talking to a hugely inspiring figure within the UK ecology scene, who enjoys disrupting the market, and doing things differently. Professor David Hill CBE is chairman and founding owner of The Environment Bank which he set up because of his concerns at the way wildlife was being treated within the planning and development sector. In this episode we cover a lot
David is chairman and founding owner of The Environment Bank Ltd which he set up in 2006 to introduce the concept of compensation, via biodiversity offsetting, habitat banking and net gain, into the UK because of his concerns at the way biodiversity was treated within the planning and development sector. In this interview for Ecology Jobs
This week we welcomed five new Social Media Officers to the Conservation Careers team as part-time, remote volunteers. How did we select our top candidates, and why? What made them stand out? And why were other applications unsuccessful? We’re sharing a behind-the-scenes glimpse into our the recruitment process, to help applicants understand what conservation employers
Climate change has never been more relevant. In the quest for solutions, one project in Siberia seeks to restore the mammoth steppe, a vast grassland ecosystem that once stretched from Alaska to Europe. This mammoth-sized plan could halt permafrost melt and stop the ticking time bomb of greenhouse gases stored within. The best part? It’s
Looking back, we can hardly believe what happened in 2020. This time last year all was ‘normal’ and here we are in a world filled with face-masks, hand sanitiser and travel restrictions. Nevertheless, 2020 hasn’t slowed us down. In fact, seeing how governments worldwide can enact change quickly, at a global scale, to tackle an
Are you interested in switching careers into conservation? Or perhaps you completed some studies and you wish you’d done something more conservation-y instead? So how do you transition across and how do you reskill? Today we’re talking to Dr Ada Grabowska-Zhang, from the University of Oxford. Ada is the Course Director for the Postgraduate Certificate
At Conservation Careers we’re on a mission to help conservationists find the best training opportunities to launch or boost their careers. That’s why we’re sharing the Top Conservation Training Opportunities worldwide, based on transparent reviews from current and past students. The list of Top Conservation Training Opportunities is drawn from over 1,300 conservation training opportunities
“It really breaks my heart to think of Pakistan’s wildlife disappearing without people even realizing, so a lot of that feeds into my pursuit of wildlife conservation and wanting to break down barriers, especially for Pakistani women getting involved.” Maria Hashmi, 21 years old, has a huge passion for all things zoology, especially reptiles. This
