Following the advice from Sarashka King’s ‘How to become a Conservation Volunteer?‘ Conservation Careers Blogger Hannah De Frond explores the many positives that you can gain from a volunteering experience, and why she would recommend it to anyone, especially those aiming to pursue a career in conservation. Field Skills You can gain many field skills
Conservation Careers Blogger Marta Cálix had the pleasure of interviewing Francis Cabana, who is a PhD student researching the nutritional requirements of slow lorises as part of the Little Fireface Project near Jakarta. Francis is also the Research Coordinator for the project and he´ll be staying there for the next 14 months. In this interview he
Paul Furnborough is a Conservation Officer with Froglife where he works as a reserve warden on the Hampton Nature Reserve – home to 30,000 great crested newts – and coordinates volunteers and manages projects. He is now studying for a Masters by Research, and his dream conservation job includes working outdoors, studying wildlife, learning species
Save the Rhino International are now looking for applicants to be the ninth Michael Hearn Intern at Save the Rhino, a one year fixed contract, paid internship based in London. Here we speak with the outgoing Intern Rory Harding about his experiences and career path to date. What’s your job title? I am the Michael Hearn
Pablo Elizondo partners up with local communities to protect endemic species in Costa Rica. Conservation Careers Blogger and former Costa Rica Bird Observatories volunteer Stella Diamant speaks with Pablo about his daily work, the importance of reaching out to local people and why budding conservationists should not give up. What is CRBO? CRBO stands for
James Walker is currently employed as a summer bird surveyor for Manx BirdLife, so for his first assignment as a Conservation Careers Blogger he decided to interview their new CEO Dora Querido. Dora originally hails from Portugal and has worked on conservation projects in several countries. Why did you choose conservation as a career? It is actually quite
Conservation Careers Blogger Naima Montacer was excited to speak to her friend and former boss Rick LoBello about his past. Rick LoBello is Education Curator at the El Paso Zoo. He has also worked in several National Parks including Big Bend, Yellowstone, Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns and now is the current Education Curator at the
While he is probably best known for his research with marine turtles, Brendan Godley is also the Course Director for the Biodiversity and Conservation MSc at the University of Exeter Penryn campus. Brendan co-coordinates two modules on that course (Africa field-course and marine biodiversity and conservation), as well as one module on the undergraduate level. Conservation
Joan Kawaka is a Marine Research Scientist working with CORDIO East Africa (www.cordioea.net) and a proud mother of two. She has over six years of experience working with East African coastal communities and in the marine ecosystems of the Western Indian Ocean. Conservation Careers Blogger Michael Murunga interviewed her to hear her fascinating story. How
E.J. is course leader for the Masters in Conservation Science at Imperial College London. With so many of the top conservationists around the globe graduating through the course, we’re delighted to be able to share her insights with you. How would you describe the MSc in Conservation Science at Imperial College London to someone who’s
Dr Josh Tewksbury is Director of the WWF Luc Hoffmann Institute. The Luc Hoffmann Institute was created by WWF, one of the world’s largest and most experienced global conservation organizations, to respond to the most important questions facing conservation and sustainable development. How would you describe the Luc Hoffmann Institute to someone who’s never heard
From Scuba Diver to Drone Operator with Steve Roest. Steve has over 20 years of experience in conservation and is one of the co-founders of Shadowview Foundation, a company specializing in UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) – or drones – and using them for conservation. He is also an UAV Operator and has been involved in projects
Today we meet Lindsey West, Director of marine conservation organisation Sea Sense. The NGO, initially established in Mafia Island, Tanzania, in 2001, works closely with coastal communities in Tanzania to conserve and protect endangered species, including sea turtles, dugongs, whales, dolphins, and whale sharks. Lindsey is also a member of the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist
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
John is the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Conservation Coordinator for Trout Unlimited. Trout Unlimited is a USA based NGO with about 180 professional staff and 150,000 grassroots members whose mission is to conserve, protect and restore North America’s trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds. Why do you work in conservation? As a young student in
Butterfly Conservation Survey Officer Zoë Randle talks to Conservation Careers Blogger Charlotte Rixon about why moths and butterflies matter, meeting Sir David Attenborough and dispelling those jumper-munching myths. How did you get into conservation? I got into conservation by lucky accident. I’d never wanted to go to university, because as far as I was concerned
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
Brendan Costelloe is the Senior Policy Officer at the largest nature conservation charity in the UK; the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). Here he tells us how and why he got into conservation, some of the important work he has done and some advice on how to get into this line of
Ben Garrod is an evolutionary biologist with a huge interest in primatology and bones! He has presented his first 6 part television series ‘Secret of Bones’ on BBC4, and has around 6 months left before he finishes his PhD in primate evolutionary biology at University College London. He is also a part-time lecturer at Anglia
Catarina Fonseca is the Researcher and Volunteer Coordinator for AIMM – Associação para Investigação do Meio Marinho / Marine Environment Research Association – in Portugal. Here she tells Conservation Careers her watery story… Why do you work in conservation? Since I was a child I’ve dreamed about working with dolphins. I started studying Biology after
One of the best ways to start a career in conservation – or just to find out if you really want to pursue a career in this sector – is to volunteer on one of the many interesting projects worldwide. How would you know which one to choose? Here are 8 key considerations… 1)
Julia Marton-Lefèvre is the Director-General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s largest conservation membership organization, which brings together states, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, scientists and experts in a unique worldwide partnership. She is the longest serving Director General, and has led the organization for over 7 years. Julia shares with us
Ed Drewitt is a naturalist, author, broadcaster, tour leader, birder, photographer, public speaker, bird ringer, zoologist, diver, feather expert, and Peregrin researcher. Here Ed kindly shares his conservation careers advice… Why do you work in conservation? I´ve always been interested in wildlife, particularly birds, since I was six or seven – and was encouraged by my family
Theo Blossom is the Training Coordinator for Durrell Conservation Academy based in Jersey, UK. Durrell are world leaders in conservation training – offering a unique learning experience wherever you are in your career. Theo kindly takes some time out of his busy schedule to tell us about Durrell Conservation Academy… What is Durrell Conservation Academy?
Elizabeth Allen is the Collaborations and Communications Manager for The Cambridge Conservation Initiative. CCI is a unique collaboration between the University of Cambridge and leading Internationally-focussed biodiversity conservation organisations clustered in and around Cambridge, UK. It represents a critical mass of expertise — on a scale unparalleled anywhere in the world — at the interface of
Scottish Wildcat Action is an ambitious conservation project launched to implement ‘The Scottish Wildcat Conservation Action Plan’. The action plan identifies the best remaining areas for wildcats and conservation strategies to ensure the preservation of viable populations in the future. More than twenty major organisations have signed up to the plan and were actively involved
Mel Cousins from the Field Studies Council talks to Conservation Careers about the Field Studies Council, and how they can help you along your chosen career path. What is the Field Studies Council? We’re an environmental education charity, offering opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to discover and learn about the natural world
Alienor Chauvenet is a quantitative ecologist and recent winner of the RSPB Conservation Science Award. She works as an ecological modeller for the National Wildlife Management Centre in York, and as a research assistant at the Institute of Zoology in London. With two jobs in two cities 250 miles from each other, she lives a
Danny Heptinstall is a 24 year old birder, naturalist and aspiring conservationist currently researching red kites at the University of Aberdeen. Here he presents a shortened version of an article that asks“Where is the UK’s Youth Conservation Movement, and what can be done to find it?” I’m a young conservationist, and I get annoyed every
Andrew Snyder is a conservationist and photographer currently working on his PhD in Biology in the U.S. He has been doing field work in tropical rainforests for several years, focusing on amphibians and reptiles, and is involved with Operation Wallacea, a conservation research organization that gives young people the opportunity to do volunteering in tropical
