Have you ever considered a career helping businesses manage natural resources, conserve biodiversity, adapt to climate change or become more sustainable? Tracey Edwards is a Sustainability Coach and Entrepreneur from Jamaica and founder of Plakortis, an environmental sustainability coaching service for businesses across Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. With over 15 years experience in the
Interviewing early career environmentalists there’s a common challenge in moving from being a student to a paid career. Gaining experience alongside your studies or immediately after, often as a volunteer, is core to almost all the life stories of people I talk to. Kat Machin managed to get her life changing experience as part of
The Bénoué ecosystem in northern Cameroon is the hotspot for lions in West and Central Africa. However in this area, which includes three national parks – Faro, Bénoué and Bouba-Ndjidda – and 32 hunting zones, only 250 lions remain across the vast 30,000 km² landscape. The region has faced severe threats from habitat loss and
“If we want to conserve wildlife, maybe we need to eat it.” This is a surprising and provocative statement to my ears, but perfectly logical to Francis Vorhies, a Conservation Economist of more than three decades. Having worked in multiple countries, from private enterprises to NGOs and international agencies including the International Union for Conservation
“Some of the choices that you make are conscious and pre-planned. Very often, they’re by happenstance, and it’s taking advantage of those opportunities when they come through.” Paul Gosling is a specialist environment and sustainability recruiter with over 25 years of experience. He currently works as the National Director for Sustainability at Hays recruitment company,
Flavia Tirelli is a Brazilian research scientist and conservationist focused on mammalian carnivores especially small wildcats. After completing her Masters at Federal University of Rio Grande o Sul (UFRGS) and her PhD at the private university (PUCRS) in Brazil, Flavia continues to follow her passion by monitoring wildcats and addressing issues of human-wildlife conflict that
“I had a yellow rain jacket that was just white with guano, and I learnt pretty quickly that I had to close my mouth when looking up”. They do not teach you everything in school; sometimes the field turns into your school. Mathieu Charette, an ornithologist from Montreal, Canada, and director of the Toucan Ridge
Jetske Bouma is a Dutch environmental economist working for PBL, the Environmental Assessment Agency the Netherlands (Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving). With over twenty years of experience in research and policy evaluation in this field, Jetske has worked internationally on important environmental economic projects from Costa Rica to India. As a teenager wanting to make a
Campaigning, communications and engagement are key tools in conservation work today, and they almost always rely on digital technology! Emma Marsh is the Executive Director of Digital Technology and Communications at RSPB, where she oversees the charity’s global digital technology, communications, campaigning, and engagement work. Emma shared her experience of switching careers into conservation as
“The future depends on what we do in the present”- Mahatma Gandhi There are many ways in which individuals can make a difference in turning the tide against the biodiversity and climate crisis, from becoming politically active to eating less meat and with the seasons, riding a bike to work or staying local for holidays
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
“At first, I loved. Then I observed. Finally, I photographed” Some years ago, I was visiting an important photography contest in Milan, when my attention was caught by a photo on display showing a Marsican bear crossing a street in a small village inside Abruzzo National Park. It was a beautiful wildlife portrait but also
Mara Huang is a Master’s student in Animal and Rangeland Science at University of Nevada in Reno, United States. Her focus is on rangelands and currently she is carrying out research on Snowstorm Kochia, a non-native plant species in the Western US. Her field work positions as a technician and field crew lead in several
In recent years business leaders and board rooms across the globe have put sustainability and environmental towards the very top of their priorities. In response an industry is forming rapidly to service their needs, both in house or as consultants. With generalist and specialist roles evolving all the time to keep up with the growing
Isidoro Hazbun is a conservationist whose career focuses on preserving biodiversity, and empowering communities of the Amazon rainforest that have protected some of the wildest places on earth for centuries. Many people enter careers in conservation as they want to work with wildlife and are driven by their love for animals or natural habitats. These
What unique challenges do women in conservation face? How can women better manage ‘imposter syndrome’? Is perfectionism a form of self-sabotage? Can women have it ALL – career, personal and family life? Explore the barriers and opportunities for the women who’ve dedicated their careers to conserving ‘mother Earth’! Join us for Women in Conservation Part
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
Dr Fabiola Quesada is a veterinarian and wildlife conservationist based in South Africa. As the CEO of Wild Spirit and co-founder of Wild Spirit Fund, Fabiola used her veterinary background to pave the way for veterinarians interested in wildlife conservation. Read more to hear about Fabiola’s work with Masai tribes, her life as an entrepreneur
In the quest to safeguard our oceans, it’s vital that we understand marine life so that we know the best ways to protect it. Academics are crucial to this mission, providing the expertise and research that ultimately informs local, national and international policy. Prof. Steve Simpson, currently a professor at the University of Exeter, is
Read on to hear the journey of Sibylle Riedmiller, founder of Chumbe Island Coral Park (CHICOP) – the world’s first privately managed marine protected area (MPA) fully funded by ecotourism. In her words, this is the “career of an activist”, and her journey is one which has been achieved through pure passion and relentless drive.
Understanding and safeguarding our oceans has never been more important. We now know Jacques Cousteau of marine legend was wrong to call our oceans “a silent world”. Thanks to the research of Prof. Steve Simpson, we’re realising just how vital sound is in the lives of marine creatures. Currently a professor at the University of
If you’re like me, you’ve been missing exploring new landscapes and cultures during the pandemic, and you’re itching to travel again. But have you ever struggled with how to travel ethically? Travel has come under the global spotlight recently – and for good reason. There is growing awareness about the negative impacts travel can have
Conservation Careers Blogger Beth Beale shares some positive impacts COVID-19 has had on the planet, and how we can keep supporting nature after the pandemic. 2020… What a year it has been! Despite concern over the uncertainty of what might happen to us all, the lockdowns caused by the Pandemic have actually been a welcome
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
What unique challenges do women in conservation face? Are self-sabotage and imposter syndrome more common in women? How can women conservationists gain more support in their careers? Explore the barriers and opportunities for the women who’ve dedicated their careers to conserving ‘mother Earth’! Join us for a free webinar with Kirsty Crawford and Laura Cuppage of &
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
How do you go from being an athlete playing on varsity football and basketball teams in Canada and Europe to setting up your own ecotourism operation, which helps to conserve wildlife in both Guyana and Belize? That’s the journey that our guest today, Jordan Flagel, has been on in his career so far. Jordan is
Have you ever picked up a can of fish in the supermarket and wondered what the MSC certified symbol actually means for the tuna in the can? Most of us know it means the fish is from sustainable stocks. But how is this judged and verified and how did the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) manage
Emmanuel G. Smith’s role as Project Coordinator working for the Society for Conservation of Nature in Liberia (SCNL) has been key in promoting alternative livelihood programmes such as beekeeping and sustainable cocoa farming to support local communities and protect the Gola forest of Liberia. His work has been central in helping with the establishment of a community forest, which will function as an important biodiversity corridor, linking
“Follow your passion and you will find a way to serve” It also started with a simple curiosity. As a child Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh followed in the footsteps of his uncle, the first Palestinian Zoologist. He now carries on his uncle’s legacy as the Founder and (Volunteer) Director of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and
