Interviews Early Years November 20, 2019 3 min read

How to turn volunteering into a paid conservation job

Luke Stahl is a hands-on conservationist who is not afraid to get close to venomous snakes, biting caymans and stinging wasps. He is currently a Senior Field Staff member for Crees, an organisation focused on education, research, and sustainability located in the Peruvian Amazon on the borders of Manu National Park. Luke is originally from Mornington, Victoria,

Brandon.fox.burgess@gmail.com' Brandon Fox Burgess
Interviews Early Years September 24, 2019 5 min read

Testing out conservation | Honest insight from an intern in the Amazon

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

Mackenzie McDermott
Early Years Podcasts July 9, 2019 48 min read

Podcast: Gianluca Cerullo | Wildlife Blogger of the Year

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

Dr Nick Askew
Early Years Podcasts May 27, 2019 27 min read

Podcast: Ruben Hoekstra | Future For Nature Academy

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

Dr Nick Askew
Interviews Early Years January 22, 2019 4 min read

Bag of poo delivers conservation message | Wildlife Blogger of the Year

A conservationist’s account of fieldwork in Borneo – starring a bag full of his own poo – packs a powerful message of hope for biodiversity in heavily degraded, yet surprisingly resilient tropical rainforests, winning the 2018 Wildlife Blogger of the Year competition (sponsored by CC). Destruction of tropical rainforests often seems like a one-track countdown to biodiversity

Dr Nick Askew
Interviews Early Years December 20, 2018 6 min read

Emma Pooley | Hedgehog Conservation Detective

Hedgehogs are in severe decline all over the UK, Emma Pooley was tasked with trying to map London’s hedgehog population to monitor their population numbers and movements. She has just completed a year long project as the Hedgehog Conservation Officer for London Wildlife Trust. Hedgehogs are shy and nocturnal, and they don’t leave clear field

Catherine Hunter
Interviews Early Years September 3, 2018 6 min read

Elana Mostert | Environmental Consultant

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

Tessa Cooper
Interviews Early Years July 11, 2018 6 min read

Andrew Russell | Building Chinko National Park from scratch

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

Kathleen Retourne
Interviews Early Years April 19, 2018 4 min read

Chasing the elusive snow leopard dream

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

Sophie May Watts
Interviews Early Years March 6, 2018 5 min read

Flying in to save flightless birds

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

Patrick Pester
Interviews Early Years July 27, 2017 7 min read

From Environment & Sustainability undergraduate at Keele University straight to employment as Sustainability Project Officer

Interviewing early career environmentalists there’s a common challenge in moving from being a student to a paid career. Gaining experience alongside your studies or immediately after, often as a volunteer, is core to almost all the life stories of people I talk to. Kat Machin managed to get her life changing experience as part of

Adam Moolna
Interviews Early Years April 17, 2017 7 min read

‘Carrion’ in Conservation! – An Interview with a Raptor Ornithologist

I first met Katherine Smith just over a year ago at a VuPro conference in Hartbeespoort, South Africa. Since interning at VulPro she has achieved fantastic heights in her career, recently being involved in a Parahawking organisation in Nepal, dedicated to creating awareness about the plight of endangered vulture species across the world. Parahawking you

Emma Ackerley
Early Years Interviews January 24, 2017 3 min read

The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre – with Emily Dunning

Emily worked as Assistant Programme Officer at The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. UNEP-WCMC is the United Nations Environment Programme’s specialist biodiversity assessment arm. They provide authoritative information about biodiversity and ecosystem services in a manner that is useful to decision-makers who are driving change in environment and development policy. Emily studied Geography at Trinity Hall, Cambridge

Dr Nick Askew
Interviews Early Years January 17, 2017 5 min read

Naturewatch – a student-led online wildlife series

This week we spoke to Peter Cooper – a 22 year old postgraduate studying MSc Biodiversity & Conservation at the University of Exeter Penryn Campus – about the new online wildlife series Naturewatch. Peter is script editor on Naturewatch and committee member for the UK youth nature network, ‘A Focus on Nature’. He’s also life-long

Dr Nick Askew
Interviews Early Years December 31, 2015 2 min read

Monitoring Bird Diversity in Cusuco National Park with Sam Jones

I was recently in Honduras, working as a field ornithologist on an Operation Wallacea expedition. Operation Wallacea conducts field conservation research all over the world, and provides young people with the opportunity to experience this research first hand, by bringing school students and university research assistants along with the scientific staff. Sam Jones is the

Marta Cálix
Interviews Early Years December 31, 2015 5 min read

Where is the UK’s Youth Nature Conservation Movement? by Danny Heptinstall

Danny Heptinstall is a 24 year old birder, naturalist and aspiring conservationist currently researching red kites at the University of Aberdeen. Here he presents a shortened version of an article that asks“Where is the UK’s Youth Conservation Movement, and what can be done to find it?” I’m a young conservationist, and I get annoyed every

Dr Nick Askew
Interviews Early Years December 31, 2015 6 min read

Conservation Research in Indonesia with Francis Cabana

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

Marta Cálix
Interviews Early Years December 31, 2015 1 min read

Ara Project Vlog : Introduction to the project

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,

Marta Cálix
Interviews Early Years December 31, 2015 1 min read

Ara Project Vlog : Breakfast time for the parrots

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

Marta Cálix
Interviews Early Years December 31, 2015 1 min read

What’s it like to work for Froglife?

It’s a Frog’s Life with Paul Furnborough 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

Dr Nick Askew
Early Years Scientist December 31, 2015 1 min read

What’s it like to work for The Little Fireface Project?

Conservation Research in Indonesia with Francis Cabana 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

Dr Nick Askew
Interviews Early Years December 31, 2015 1 min read

What’s it like to work for World Conservation Monitoring Centre?

What’s it like to work at the World Conservation Monitoring Centre? Emily worked as Assistant Programme Officer at The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. UNEP-WCMC is the United Nations Environment Programme’s specialist biodiversity assessment arm. They provide authoritative information about biodiversity and ecosystem services in a manner that is useful to decision-makers who are driving change in

Dr Nick Askew
Early Years Volunteer & Internships December 31, 2015 1 min read

Ara Project Vlog : Feeding the parrots

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 third in a series of videos sent live from the field,

Marta Cálix
Interviews Early Years December 31, 2015 1 min read

Ara Project Vlog : The Great Green Macaws

Conservation Careers Blogger Marta Calix reports live from the Ara Project in Costa Rica where she is working as a volunteer. Today she takes us to see the Endangered Great Green Macaws. 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

Marta Cálix
Interviews Early Years December 31, 2015 1 min read

Ara Project Blog : The Punta Islita Hotel

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 fourth in a series of videos sent live from the field,

Marta Cálix
Early Years Interviews December 31, 2015 1 min read

Ara Project Vlog – How to get involved?

Conservation Careers Blogger Marta Calix sends in her final report live from the Ara Project in Costa Rica where she is working as a volunteer. In this Vlog Marta tells us how you can get involved in the project. The Ara Project is dedicated to saving Costa Rica’s two native macaws: the endangered Great Green

Marta Cálix