On average every five minutes an albatross dies accidentally behind a fishing boat. Caught on a hook set for a fish, entangled in a net or striking a tensioned wire. During this episode a number of albatrosses will die needlessly. Dr Ben Sullivan has dedicated his career to tackling similar marine conservation issues. Starting with a PhD
When you’re working alone in the bush the last thing you want to see is the outside toilet door opening, but for Department of Conservation ranger Ricki Mitchell, this was an intrusion of the avian variety. The kakapo. New Zealand’s critically endangered flightless parrot, and a welcome relief for her to say the least! After
Since a young age Guido Leurs has been fascinated by wildlife. At first, he was into snakes and reptiles in general, heavily influenced by the late Steve Irwin. Later, his fascination moved to the underwater world and specifically towards sharks. This world inspired him so much that Guido decided to try and get into marine
Bradley Schroder has worked in the Wildlife, Conservation and Tourism Industries for the past 27 years, and gained extensive experience in all departments related to the management of conservation areas. Previously, he was Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Welgevonden Game Reserve and Welgevonden Reaction Non-Profit Companies in South Africa. Recently he moved from
Before Ciara Morton could so much as spell biodiversity she was out in the wilderness searching for species. Growing up in Glasgow, Scotland, Morton’s “hippy” parents were determined to share their love of the outdoors with their children. “[My parents would] always make [me and my siblings] look for species that were rare in an
Rhett Butler is the founder and CEO of Mongabay, one of the largest, longest running and most important environmental news sites online. Rhett started the site just 20 years ago when an area of rainforest he had visited and enjoyed in Borneo was cut down just eight weeks later, logged down for woodchips to supply a
Anik Maxine Levac is a 28 year old conservation biologist from Canada. However, her experiences have taken her all around the world and she has not lived at home for the last 8 years. She has a bachelors degree with honours in Ecology and right now she is working as a research coordinator for Crees
Mark Thomas works as Senior Field Staff for Crees Manu – teaching and training the next generation of conservation enthusiasts, dedicated to protecting the Amazon and its people. Mark is from Brighton, London in the UK and after working in a bank for nine years, he decided he wanted something different out of life. He explained
Before I met Georgina, I’d heard a lot about her. People were always talking about how determined she was to make a difference to the lives of animals around the world. I spoke with her a lot before I met her too. She talked me through three gruelling months of practical welfare work in Vietnam.
With over 800 species of birds in South Africa and over 100 of them threatened, where do you start with trying to conserve them? Growing up in South Africa, Mark Anderson was taken out into the bush for days on end by his grandfather and from an early age he knew that he wanted to
Action for Conservation (AFC) is a youth environmental education charity working to empower young people, aged 12-18, to take action on environmental issues that are important to them. AFC was founded in 2014 with a mission to bring the wonder of nature into all young peoples’ lives, inspiring a youth movement committed to conservation and
There are many times in our lives when we might find ourselves at crossroads looking for purpose and direction. At these times, we might feel stuck and confused and perhaps we don’t know what to do. And if we do have a sense of what we need to do, we might find ourselves lacking the courage
Have you ever considered doing a conservation science master’s course to kick-start your career in conservation? What would completing a masters course (degree) achieve? Is it right for you and would it lead to a conservation job? These are some of the topics covered in a wide-ranging discussion with Brendan Godley, Professor of Conservation Science
In this podcast we’re speaking with Professor Ken Norris, Director of Science at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). Ken leads the ZSL Institute of Zoology, the world’s only university in a zoo, and also oversees the vet teams who look after the welfare of animals at London and Whipsnade zoos. He’s a busy guy!
When the opening line of a story mentions an Aldi bag-for-life full of human poo, you know it’s gonna be worth reading on, right? That story was the winning entry in the Wildlife Blog of the Year competition and written by Gianluca Cerullo. He’s a conservation scientist and writer with a passion for adventure, wildlife
Nick Huisman works for the European Wilderness Society and is based in Austria. His main job is to develop new Wilderness projects with his colleagues for submission to national and international conservation programmes. It may sound like a boring desk job, but Nick and his team play an important role in designating and stewarding Europe’s
Don’t let anyone talk you away from your dreams, says Conservation Biologist Dr Fernando Mateos González, who will be helping deliver our next Kick-starter online training for Early Career Conservationists – open until this Friday. In his free time, Fernando runs Bioblogia.net, where he helps students and early career professionals find their dream environmental job. Whether sharing job
What do you do if you’ve got a great degree, stacks of quality volunteer and intern experience in nature conservation but then spend over six months applying for jobs without a single interview? Having left university, this is what faced our guest today, Chris Thompson. He decided to try a different approach and one which
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
Ever wondered what it’s like to drop academia for a different kind of conservation adventure? ‘Mercenary biologist’ Dr Fernando Mateos-González – who we’re so thrilled to have join us in delivering our next Kick-starter online training for Early Career Conservationists course – did just that. Fernando is a Spanish biologist with a PhD in Behavioural
In this episode we’re speaking to a young, budding conservationist, Ruben Hoekstra, at the very start of his career. Ruben attended the prestigious Future For Nature Awards, where talented young conservationists from across the globe win support for their projects alongside a tasty cash prize of €50,000. Normally in these podcasts we speak with professional
Sara Fee is General Manager of The Fernan-Vaz Gorilla Project, a multi-faceted conservation NGO based in a remote region of Gabon, Central Africa. Having spent much of her career in zoos, Sara talks about her transition into the field and the important role zoos played in her conservation journey. Describe your current role? “My role
Are you working in something totally unrelated to conservation and dreaming of switching into a career helping wildlife to flourish? Well that’s exactly what today’s guest has done successfully, and right in at the top. Dominic Jermey OBE worked as a senior British diplomat for over 20 years in countries such as East Timor and
Heather McFarlane is Former Director of Communications and Fundraising at the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) and is responsible for growing the income and the number of supporters for the UK conservation charity. What are you most proud of achieving in your work? I’m really proud of our Big Bat Map, which is a website that
Joan O’Shaughnessy is a Conservation Scientist who switched from Laywer to managing the Dixon Prairie and the Skokie River Corridor with the Chicago Botanic Garden. Joan bravely decided to leave her stable (if personally unfulfilling) career as an attorney to achieve her dream of working outside, in the elements, with plants. Joan’s story demonstrates that
In conservation, a gender gap can be evident, with women being under-represented in many countries. Often, the barrier to entry is not due to a lack of intelligence and education for the science roles, or a lack of strength for the fieldwork, but a lack of respect and belief from others. Females face stereotypical perceptions
A big appeal of conservation work is the opportunity to travel. But, increasingly, countries are favouring to hire internally. Obviously, this approach is commendable, as governments understand the importance of community buy-in. It has, however, meant those who want to work in these countries find it tougher to gain access and employment. Yet, you needn’t give-up
David Hetherington works as the ecology advisor at the Cairngorms National Park Authority. His career goal is to help ecological restoration in the Scottish Highlands through consensus and collaboration with a range of people, including land managers, conservationists, scientists and the wider public. In addition to his day job, through a growing network of colleagues
Dr Ada Grabowska-Zhang is the Course Director for the Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in Ecological Survey Techniques. Here she tells Conservation Careers about the exciting one year, part-time course providing the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to conduct effective ecological field surveys and data analysis for a range of key taxa… What is the Ecological Survey
In this episode we’re speaking to a rising star in conservation, Jack Randall. Jack is a global adventurer on a quest to find, study and promote the world’s most amazing animals. He began sharing his wildlife stories as a wildlife filmmaker and cameraman whilst traipsing through the jungles of the Amazon researching anacondas. And since
