Interviews Senior Level December 31, 2015 1 min read

What’s it like to work for The Shadowview Foundation?

Are Drones the Future of Conservation? 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

Dr Nick Askew
Interviews Senior Level December 31, 2015 1 min read

What’s it like to work for The Cambridge Conservation Initiative?

How to work for the Cambridge Conservation Initiative? 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

Dr Nick Askew
Interviews Senior Level December 31, 2015 7 min read

The Wildlife Trusts: An Interview with Ian Rickards

The 47 Wildlife Trusts are the UK’s largest people-powered environmental organisation, working for nature’s recovery on land and at sea. The organisation manages some 95,000ha of British land across the the UK, the Isle of Man and Alderney. They run over 11,000 events annually, helping more than 380,000 people connect with nature in their local

Rosie Hynard
Interviews Early Years December 31, 2015 6 min read

Volunteering at Home: Accessible for all

My interview with Kat Machin from north-west England identified volunteer experience as key evidence that you can deliver and work within a conservation team. Experience in Seychelles offered unique opportunities to work on globally significant projects for both Kat and myself. But local conservation in our home towns in England has been equally important. Kat

Adam Moolna
Interviews Senior Level December 31, 2015 4 min read

Introducing the International Network of Next-Generation Ecologists

This week we’re talking to Dr Peter Søgaard Jørgensen and the working group from the International Network of Next-Generation Ecologists (INNGE). Peter Søgaard Jørgensen is a biologist studying the macroecological consequences of global environmental change and sustainable solutions that may improve biological food, resource, health and environmental systems in the 21st century. This is currently studied

Dr Nick Askew
Interviews Mid Career December 31, 2015 3 min read

How can the Field Studies Council help your conservation career?

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

Dr Nick Askew
Interviews Celebrating Diversity in Conservation December 31, 2015 4 min read

Keys to Success from a King of Conservation: Professor Brendan Godley

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

Matt Nicholson
Careers Advice Top Tips December 31, 2015 2 min read

Going pro with GoPro

In order for conservation to be effective, we need to engage audiences by using as many tools as we can.  This includes writing, photography, and videography.  While the written word and still images are extremely powerful, as we continue to move into this new technological age, creative videography will become more important in capturing the

Matt Nicholson
FAQs Careers Advice December 31, 2015 1 min read

How to get a job in conservation?

Top ten tips for getting a job in conservation So you want to work in conservation? Great! With wildlife in crisis all around the world and numbers of threatened species at an all-time high, the natural world needs your help. The good news is there are a growing number of jobs available in conservation – it’s become a professional industry

Dr Nick Askew
Interviews Senior Level December 31, 2015 1 min read

What’s it like to work for the WWF?

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

Dr Nick Askew
Interviews Scientist December 31, 2015 1 min read

What’s it like to work for CORDIO?

Marine research in Africa with Joan Kawaka 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

Dr Nick Askew
FAQs Careers Advice December 31, 2015 1 min read

Do I need a Masters (or PhD) to work in Conservation?

Top ten tips for getting a job in conservation So you want to work in conservation? Great! With wildlife in crisis all around the world and numbers of threatened species at an all-time high, the natural world needs your help. The good news is there are a growing number of jobs available in conservation – it’s become a professional industry

Dr Nick Askew
Interviews Senior Level December 31, 2015 6 min read

Getting your debate on: a career in conservation policy

With the power to protect local species, control national deforestation, or guide sustainable development globally, environmental policy is one of the most influential fields a conservationist can pursue. Conservation Careers talks with Nick Phillips of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) about what it takes to work in policy and why it’s

Kristi Foster
Interviews Senior Level December 31, 2015 6 min read

Volunteering in Seychelles as part of a Zoology degree

I recently interviewed Adrian Skerrett, Chairman of the Island Conservation Society (ICS) in Seychelles, and discussed the experience that volunteers can gain to help launch their careers. When I worked with ICS we organised for two zoology undergraduates from the University of Manchester to spend one year work experience placements with us. The university offers

Adam Moolna
Careers Advice Top Tips December 31, 2015 7 min read

50: 50 – Working While you Study

We all know how difficult it can be to finance those hefty academic fees. Some of you may be lucky enough to win a scholarship and some might simply have two very generous parents. However, the majority of us are left with the choice of giving up on furthering your education on the simple basis

Emma Ackerley
Interviews Senior Level December 31, 2015 5 min read

Sustainable tourism ecopreneurs: transforming the way the world travels

Tourism and conservation might seem at odds, but with more than 1.1 billion tourists travelling every year and a growing demand for environmentally and culturally responsible tourism, the sector is poised to have a positive impact on nature – if the right people get involved. According to Leonie Bowles, Corporate Partnerships Officer with Conservation Volunteers

Kristi Foster
Interviews Mid Career December 31, 2015 2 min read

Nikita Shiel-Rolle – creating change one wave at a time!

Nikita Shiel-Rolle is the founder and Director of the Young Marine Explorers in The Bahamas. She completed her Undergraduate degree at University of Miami and is currently working on a Masters of Science at the University of Edinburgh. Here she tell us about her conservation career so far… Why do you work in conservation? I

Dr Nick Askew
Interviews Animal Welfare December 31, 2015 7 min read

Ten questions with Zoo Education Curator Rick LoBello

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

Naima Montacer
Volunteer & Internships Careers Advice December 31, 2015 7 min read

How can conservation volunteering help you?

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

Hannah De Frond
FAQs Careers Advice December 31, 2015 1 min read

What’s it like to work in Conservation Science?

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 a

Dr Nick Askew
Interviews Celebrating Diversity in Conservation December 31, 2015 1 min read

What’s it like to work for BirdLife International?

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

Dr Nick Askew
Interviews Senior Level December 31, 2015 1 min read

What’s it like to work for The University of Exeter?

Keys to success from a King of Conservation: Professor Brendan Godley 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

Dr Nick Askew
FAQs Careers Advice December 31, 2015 1 min read

How do I switch careers into Conservation?

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

Dr Nick Askew
Interviews Mid Career December 31, 2015 6 min read

Talking whales and dolphins with ORCA’s Rachael Forster

Rachael Forster is the Community Wildlife Officer for ORCA, an organisation working to protect the UK’s whales and dolphins from threats such as shipping, fishing, noise pollution and marine litter. ORCA’s work has helped the UK government identify whale and dolphin hotspots, contributed to the conservation status of species found in UK waters and created

Hannah De Frond
Interviews Mid Career December 31, 2015 10 min read

The Pros and Cons of Being a Primatologist

When you hear the word ‘primatology,’ there’s a good chance you’re picturing either Jane Goodall nose-to-nose with a chimp, or Sir David Attenborough huddled amongst mountain gorillas in Rwanda. But beneath its romantic portrayal is a field so challenging, so diverse and so close to our own hearts (and DNA) that it couldn’t possibly be

Kristi Foster
Mid Career Expeditions December 31, 2015 7 min read

Adventurer at heart: exploring the marine world with Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic’s Alyssa Adler

If you think dream jobs don’t exist, read no further. There are limitless reasons to set aside our true passions: the job market is too poor, competition is too fierce (surely no one can acquire that many degrees and that much experience by age 25?) and social pressure cautions us against idealistic pursuits. Safe decisions

Kristi Foster