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
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
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
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
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
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
“My passion is to communicate the wonders of the natural world to the widest possible audience”, said Stephen Moss, one of Britain’s leading nature writers, broadcasters and TV producers. He shares my passion of communicating the wonders of the natural world to people of any age wherever they might be. I talked to Stephen and asked
As we walk through life we sometimes don’t know where our current path will take us. Will it be meaningful, and what steps could we take? Seeking out and talking to people who have walked far ahead of us in a line of work that we are interested in could help shape the next steps
Founder of the World Land Trust, a charity which has been running for nearly 30 years; more than a decade as Chief Executive of Fauna & Flora International; and an experienced natural history writer and editor, John has spent his whole life immersed in the natural world and conservation. I spoke to him about his
Lexie Beach is the Communication Coordinator with Sea Turtle Conservancy, the world’s oldest sea turtle research and conservation group. For nearly 60 years, Sea Turtle Conservancy has worked to protect and conserve sea turtles and their habitats from extinction through research, education, and advocacy. Conservation Careers chats with Lexie about her role with Sea Turtle
Biodiversity Ranger Cassie Mealey talks about her work with some of New Zealand’s rarest kiwis. The Haast tokoeka is one of the rarest species of kiwi occurring in the Haast ranges of southern New Zealand. Here, on behalf of the governmental Department of Conservation, Cassie battles steep mountains, temperamental weather conditions and a dodgy
Oh My! Advice from Panthera’s Dr Wai-Ming Wong on producing a strong grant application. If you love your cats big (and small) then you’ll likely have heard of Panthera, an organization dedicated to the conservation of wild cats of the world. Panthera aims to secure a future for these majestic animals through scientific research and
This week Rachel Louise Gunn talks to Dr Dan Exton from Operation Wallacea (Opwall). Dan is currently Head of Research at Opwall and has worked in the marine conservation field for the past 15 years. Opwall is a network of academics who design and implement both biodiversity and conservation management research expeditions around the world. Rachel went
In theory, the cut and thrust of the corporate world is a far cry from the ideal of the conservation industry. But, conservation is a business, and the skills that make a multi-national corporate thrive, can be utilised to boost conservation projects, too. Prior to 2014, Stuart Isham Fairbairns, the Kruger Business Manager for African
The fear bomb – Terror is the only way to describe what I felt the first time I had to stand up in a dusty, old, dim lecture theatre in front of my university classmates and give a 10 minute talk about my research project. A moment before I was feeling confident in what I
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 that EU Member States collect scientific data on their fisheries.
Lucy McRobert is a talented conservation communicator, and ex-Creative Director of a network of young people in the UK looking to start their professional careers in conservation. Here she tells conservation careers her story so far, and provides advice which others can follow… Why do you work in conservation? Most people say that they loved
James Borrell is a writer, speaker and scientist, with a passion for fieldwork and expeditions. He is currently based in London, whilst studying rare species in the Scottish Highlands and promoting conservation. Read his fabulous advice on how to get a job in conservation. **Check out our Ultimate Guide for Conservation Job Seekers here ->
Five years ago, conservation journalist Jeremy Hance found himself on a research project in the Dominican Republic. He was deep inside a forest and night had fallen. In his hand was a bag which contained a solenodon – a venomous shrew-like mammal, which had been caught to be collared for a research study. Typically, this
Dr Paul Stewart, the cameraman behind Planet Earth II’s BAFTA winning snake-iguana sequence, takes a break from filming his latest project in the Peruvian Amazon to share advice and stories from a thirty-year career in wildlife filmmaking. “I like Cinematographer because it sounds way more impressive” Paul jokes as we sit down at our slightly
Judith Lock is a teaching fellow at the University of Southampton. She specialises in the areas of ecology, evolution and animal behaviour. Her role also involves improving links with local organisations to promote opportunities to enhance student employ-ability within conservation careers and beyond. Why do you work in Ecology and Conservation? I grew in Somerset
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 vacancies, shortlisting and doing interviewing. In an interview with Conservation Careers she describes what
