Interviews Celebrating Diversity in Conservation December 31, 2015 7 min read

Three Steps to Changing the World: an interview with Climate Scientist Dr Andrew Weaver

For anyone who thinks that they can’t make a difference in the world, Dr. Andrew Weaver will convince you otherwise. As a lead author on four Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, a professor at the University of Victoria for 20 years and Deputy Leader of the Green Party of British Columbia, Canada, just

Kristi Foster
Interviews Senior Level December 31, 2015 7 min read

The human side of conservation: an interview with Dr Philip Dearden

Dr Philip Dearden has worked in Africa for 10 years and still doesn’t call himself an African expert. But as Leader of the Marine Protected Areas Working Group for Canada’s Ocean Management Research Network, co-author of Parks and Protected Areas in Canada: Planning and Management, and with more than 25 years’ experience working in Southeast

Kristi Foster
Interviews Senior Level December 31, 2015 7 min read

Biodiversity conservation gets a business edge

Mining and energy operations have some of the most transformative impacts on the planet, with the power to strip landscapes, alter ecosystems and forever change societies. In this interview, Fauna & Flora International’s Business & Biodiversity Director, Pippa Howard, explains how working with business can create large-scale conservation benefits and how to join this emerging

Kristi Foster
Interviews Senior Level December 31, 2015 6 min read

Storytelling for a sustainable world – a career marketing tourism

What if you could help protect a rainforest ecosystem by telling the story of an ecolodge’s composting system? Or help safeguard a biosphere reserve by promoting a sustainable tourism initiative? The answer is, you can. In this interview, Tartan Group President Deirdre Campbell shares how communicating sustainable tourism can support environment, business and community – and

Kristi Foster
Interviews Mid Career December 31, 2015 10 min read

The Pros and Cons of Being a Primatologist

When you hear the word ‘primatology,’ there’s a good chance you’re picturing either Jane Goodall nose-to-nose with a chimp, or Sir David Attenborough huddled amongst mountain gorillas in Rwanda. But beneath its romantic portrayal is a field so challenging, so diverse and so close to our own hearts (and DNA) that it couldn’t possibly be

Kristi Foster
Careers Advice December 31, 2015 9 min read

The Pros & Cons of Working in Primatology – Part 2

In this second installment of interviews with three primatologists, Kaitlin Wellens, Dr Kathryn Shutt and Dr Alejandro Estrada explain what it takes to be a primatologist, how to find opportunities and why more people are needed in this challenging field. When people think about primatology, what is most often misunderstood? Kaitlin: As with any exotic

Kristi Foster
Interviews Senior Level December 31, 2015 7 min read

Sharing indigenous knowledge for a more sustainable world

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

Kristi Foster
Interviews Senior Level December 31, 2015 5 min read

Sustainable tourism ecopreneurs: transforming the way the world travels

Tourism and conservation might seem at odds, but with more than 1.1 billion tourists travelling every year and a growing demand for environmentally and culturally responsible tourism, the sector is poised to have a positive impact on nature – if the right people get involved. According to Leonie Bowles, Corporate Partnerships Officer with Conservation Volunteers

Kristi Foster
Mid Career Expeditions December 31, 2015 7 min read

Adventurer at heart: exploring the marine world with Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic’s Alyssa Adler

If you think dream jobs don’t exist, read no further. There are limitless reasons to set aside our true passions: the job market is too poor, competition is too fierce (surely no one can acquire that many degrees and that much experience by age 25?) and social pressure cautions us against idealistic pursuits. Safe decisions

Kristi Foster