Angie Willemse from Boots on the Ground arrived in South Africa four years ago to continue her training in wildlife and travel photography. She now lives near Kruger National Park and has looked extinction in the eye, travelled through warzones in Mali and met the gorillas of Rwanda. While travelling through southern Africa, Angie filmed
My Labrador can do “sit” and “salute” … and that’s about it, but there are some much better trained pups out there with well-respected jobs; those who act as seeing-eye dogs, hearing dogs, therapy dogs, avalanche rescue dogs, and those I want to talk about; conservation dogs. Conservation dogs are taking on increasingly vital roles
Dale Wright is the Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA) Conservation Implementation Manager for BirdLife South Africa, where he focuses on the safe-guarding of South Africa’s Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), as well as the direction of conservation programs within these areas. How did you first become interested in conservation? Was it something you
Elana Mostert began her career in conservation with a 14 month stint on a sub-Antarctic island, along with 21 strangers. She spoke to us about how she ended up here, some of the highlights and challenges of this role, and how it equipped her for her current career as an environmental consultant and ecological specialist
Karen Mitchell is the Relationships Manager for Trees for Life, a re-wilding charity based in Scotland. She is passionate about conservation communications and fundraising; getting the message out and raising support. She told Conservation Careers how to get your foot in the door, and key ways to make an impact… Starting out in conservation communications
Renowned zoo architect, director and consultant, David Hancocks, has long provided controversial yet credible commentary on the captive animal industry. Having authored ‘Animals and Architecture’ and ‘A Different Nature: The Paradoxical World of Zoos and Their Uncertain Future’, in addition to other works, he is currently heavily engaged in writing a new book but was
Shannon Wild is an Australian wildlife photographer and passionate conservationist. She has worked all over the World, capturing the beauty and diversity of wildlife on Earth. In the interview below I ask for her advice and knowledge on the industry… What is your current job title/role? I am a wildlife photographer and cinematographer. How did you
Interdisciplinary conservation scientist Dr Charlie Gardner holds a portfolio type career. With much of his work focussed on Madagascar, he has held various roles from Field Biologist to Consultant and Scientific Advisor for organisations such as WWF and has also been increasingly involved in communicating conservation as a Researcher and Guide for the BBC, Specialist
Anyone with a passion for wildlife and the land probably looks at the bounty of the Scottish Highlands in awe, I know I do. As a deer lover, I specifically wanted to find out more about a deer management career, so spoke with Land and Deer Manager (and blogger), Megan Rowland (Wayfaring Hind), about her
Niall McCann has had a whirlwind of a career. When researching his background prior to our interview, there were so many different aspects to consider that I could have chatted with him for hours! He’s been on multiple expeditions, completed a PhD, filmed documentaries, and even broken his back whilst speed flying; there’s no denying
It’s mid-June and, in Chinko National Park, deep in the heart of the Central African Republic (CAR), the wet season is approaching. The atmosphere is hot and humid. The air black with thick swarms of mosquitoes and tsetse flies, their thirst for blood insatiable. Andrew Russell is just one month into his placement here. He has
Sometimes Eve can’t quite believe where she has ended up in life. She’s the director of the Laos Conservation Trust for Wildlife set deep in the heart of rural Laos and she’s not even 30 years old. I’ve known her for years and will sometimes catch up with her online. Our conversation will go something like
Step into the shoes of a conservationist tasked with saving an endangered species from extinction in Conservation Crisis, a game with a purpose where you play to save wildlife. It is a lesson in real-world conservation efforts, requiring you to think quickly and develop the right strategies to save a species from extinction. Tunza Games,
Dr Valeria Boron is a conservation scientist who is passionate and committed to wild cat conservation. Starting off volunteering with ocelots in Bolivia to studying jaguars for her PhD, Valeria is now Regional Manager (Brazilian Amazon) for WWF UK where along with her other responsibilities she continues to be involved with jaguar conservation. Due to
During my recent visit to Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya I met Moses Muthoki, the head of community development. Community-based conservation is huge part of the work of the conservancy. Here Moses shares his experiences and career advice for those wishing to follow his footsteps and work in community-based conservation… Moses’ role as head of
I spoke with James Lowen. Nature Lover, Author, Wildlife Photographer, Travel Guide amongst other things. I asked him about his love of nature and where it all began, his writing and photography and what advice he could give people… What first got you interested in nature and did you consider when you were younger that
Claire Thompson is author of ‘Mindfulness and the Natural World’ and has dedicated her career to the protection of our natural world. She has worked World Land Trust and BirdLife International. Here she speaks to Conservation Careers about her career and the importance of reconnecting to the natural world through mindfulness, meditation, yoga and Buddhism… Why do you
Ol Pejeta Conservancy, located in Northern Kenya is home to the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa, the last two remaining northern white rhino, a thriving wildlife community, thousands of domestic cattle, eco-tourism and many community projects. Ol Pejeta is tearing up the rule book of traditional conservation and combining conservation, community development, livestock
Veterinarians working as conservationists are classified into the field of Conservation Medicine. This field also overlaps with many other areas such as human medicine, biology, zoology, ecology, etc. As a veterinarian who has been lucky enough to study a semester of Conservation Medicine at university, I would like to give you an insight into how
Richard Thomas is responsible for all the outputs of TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, a leading NGO working globally to combat illegal / unsustainable trade in animals and plants. All information they pass into the public domain and to many of their donors goes through Richard and he also oversees updates to the website
Dr Kerry Kriger is the Founder and Executive Director of Save The Frogs. This USA based charity is on a mission to protect amphibian populations and promote a society that respects and appreciates nature and wildlife. For the last 10 years, their staff and volunteers have created over 2000 educational programs in 57 countries. They
Lydia Tiller works for Save the Elephants and is the Research and Science Manager for their Human-Elephant Co-Existence Program. Save the Elephants are working to preserve vital migration corridors, maintain elephant-friendly landscapes and promote tolerant relationships between elephant and man. There is an increase in pressure on elephants due to the rising human footprint thus
Sarah Morgan studied ecology at Cardiff University, now she is a free-lance science communicator running her own business; Eco-explore education. Her business provides science workshops to schools, community groups and for events, specialising in making science accessible for children with additional needs. I spoke to her about her experiences and what it’s like to be
Never underestimate the impact of the 2 am wake-up call. For, in the dead of night, when there are no distractions, re-evaluations take place. In 2015, Quin Clark, then a technical programme manager in the financial sector, woke one morning and decided he did not want to be an armchair conservationist anymore. Sickened by the continued onslaught
For many budding wildlife biologists, being paid to research a species as rare and elusive as the snow leopard is the dream. For Imogene Cancellare, a PhD student at the University of Delaware, this is her reality. Imogene kindly spoke with me about her journey to this position, and shared some advice for others starting
Scott Trageser is the Director and Co-founder of the Creative Conservation Alliance (CCA) and is a member of the Board of Directors for The Biodiversity Group. Having grown up in the United States but now living an itinerant lifestyle, Scott now calls the world his home. As a conservation biologist and photographer behind NatureStills, he
Director and head scientist for Reef Explorer (Fiji) Ltd, Victor Bonito has traveled the globe studying and exploring reefs including throughout Micronesia and U.S. Pacific Territories, Southeast Asia, Hawaii and Madagascar – and of course, Fiji. Conservation Careers fishes for career advice for anyone ‘cray-sea’ about marine conservation. The worlds’ reefs are in deep trouble, but
‘Capturing our Coast’ (CoCoast) is an ongoing citizen science project aiming to discover more about the species that live in our seas and how we can protect them. CoCoast believes that the responsibility for protecting our seas and wonderful marine biodiversity belongs to all of us. Here, I speak to Dr Siobhan Vye, project officer,
For more than two decades Dr Iain Staniland has worked for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), carrying out research on Antarctic wildlife and producing numerous scientific publications. He created the blog – Antarctic Dad and has spent a combined total of four years living in the great white south… Keep reading, we may be some
South Africa is home to an abundance of frogs and toads (~130 species) and Dr Jeanne Tarrant is taking a lead to be the saviour for these ‘little’ guys. As the manager of the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Threatened Amphibian Programme (TAP), she and her team aim to address a growing need for the involvement of
