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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Rab Nawaz is WWF Pakistan’s Director of the Sindh Region. Here he shares his passion for conservation, the Western Tragopan and Pakistan’s wildlife with Conservation Careers Blogger, Zehra Zawawi. What is your role at WWF Pakistan and what are your main duties? My title at WWF Pakistan is Director Sindh but I also look after
Internationally renowned wildlife photographer David Cottridge has travelled the world, photographed most of Europe’s bird species and worked with the likes of Bill Oddie, Nick Baker and Chris Packham. He tells Conservation Careers Blogger Charlotte Rixon why wildlife photography matters and how to follow in his footsteps. How did you get started as a wildlife photographer?
After meeting Dr. Julian Bayliss at Cambridge University back in 2011, shortly after he discovered what is known as the Google Forest, he inspired me to study Zoology after telling me about some of his adventures. Now featuring in his own Google explorer advert he’s inspiring others by showing that new discoveries are still out
Conservation Careers Blogger Marta Calix reports live from the Ara Project in Costa Rica where she is working as a volunteer. The Ara Project is dedicated to saving Costa Rica’s two native macaws: the endangered Great Green Macaw and the Scarlet Macaw. In this first of a series of videos sent live from the field,
Conservation Careers Blogger Marta Calix reports live from the Ara Project in Costa Rica where she is working as a volunteer. The Ara Project is dedicated to saving Costa Rica’s two native macaws: the endangered Great Green Macaw and the Scarlet Macaw. In this second in a series of videos sent live from the field, Marta wakes up early
What’s it like to work for WWF? WWF have 58 offices around the globe and around 6,203 staff. Mary Ellen Swenson is a Human Resources Coordinator at WWF and is based at the headquarters in Gland, Switzerland. Her role involves a lot of work in social media, promoting our vacancies, shortlisting and doing interviewing. In
What’s it like working in conservation fundraising? Nick Askew is the Fundraising and Communications Manager for BirdLife Pacific – a flourishing network of seven national conservation organisations based in Fiji, Palau, New Zealand, Australia, Cook Islands, New Caledonia and French Polynesia. They are supported by the BirdLife Pacific Secretariat which manages regional projects and assists in
How do you become a conservation officer? Alex is Senior Conservation Officer for BirdWatch Ireland – a voluntary conservation organisation in the Republic of Ireland, devoted to the conservation and protection of its wild birds and their habitats. It was formerly known as the Irish Wildbird Conservancy. WHY DO YOU HAVE A CONSERVATION JOB? Initially, because
What’s it like to work in European fisheries policy? Amelie Knapp is a Policy Officer at European Commission Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. Here she tells us what it’s like to work on fisheries policy within the European Union, and she shares her career secrets. What work do you do? I work to ensure
Durrell Conservation Academy – helping conservationists everywhere! 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
Influencing Governmental Policies and Strategies for Conservation – Brendan Costelloe’s Story 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
Finding Your Career 2.0 in Conservation Science: One Woman’s Story Everyone’s career path is different, but much of what we hope to glean from our work is the same. We all want to love what we do. The poet Kahlil Gibran wrote that ‘to work with love is to charge all things you fashion with
Being a naturalist, broadcaster and wildlife detective with Ed Drewitt 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
Helping Kew put Conservation on the Map with Steve Bachman Steve is the Species Conservation Assessment Officer in the Herbarium at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The post is based in the Geographical Information systems (GIS) Unit, which is part of the Biodiversity Informatics and Economic Botany department. Also known as Kew Gardens, the non-departmental
Julia Marton-Lefèvre: Making things happen 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
A career helping whales and dolphins with Catarina Fonseca 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
The Bare Bones of Conservation with Ben Garrod 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.
Zoë Randle: The Butterfly (and Moth) Effect 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,
