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
Have you considered getting into field-based conservation? Choosing the best type of job that suits you can be challenging, but once you have it is useful to get your hands on some skills that will help you when out of the office and in the field. In this blog, Conservation-Careers Blogger, Zehra Zawawi, reveals some
So you want a career in conservation? Great! Whether you are an accountant who has just decided that maybe conservation is your thing, or you have just finished a degree in Conservation Management, you have come to the right place. You have to start somewhere, and here are some things you will be able to
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
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
Expeditions are undoubtedly one of the most exciting facets of a career in conservation, and whether you’re going through a volunteer organisation or putting forward your own research proposal, the question of how to fund your project should be given due consideration from the outset. Finding your feet Volunteer organisations such as Frontier and Operation
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
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
Ben Phalan is currently a post-doctoral researcher in Conservation Science within the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge. He researches how to balance agricultural demands with the preservation of biodiversity, specifically birds, as well as looking at the trade-offs between conservation and development. What is your job title? I am a post-doc
Conservation is a broad field with many career opportunities that fall under the conservation umbrella. One of the biggest challenges is following your path to discover your niche. Julie Brown spoke candidly with me about her non-linear path to her current role in conservation education. I, as a Conservation Career blogger, was extremely inspired by
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
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
Many of us would like to devote our lives to helping others, but even those with a passion for charity may find it difficult to making a living out of philanthropy. There are countless non-profits throughout the world that actually have paid positions, but the competition for these jobs is fierce. If you are dedicated
One of the best ways for nonprofit organizations to acquire funding is to solicit for grants that come from foundations, trusts, or government departments. Nonprofit grants, government grants, and federal grants generally are given to organizations from the local, state or federal government agencies or private organizations. Many nonprofit organizations are great at fundraising and
Conservation Careers Blogger Zehra Zawawi from Karachi, Pakistan, discusses why she chose a distance learning degree, and how’s helped to launch her career in conservation… “I knew that I always wanted to work with nature but had hardly any clue what tools and knowledge are required to become an environmentalist. The course details provided by University of
The chytrid fungus is a deadly pathogen that is wiping out amphibian populations worldwide, and threatening many species in Panama with extinction. The El Valle de Anton Conservation Center (EVACC) is part of the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation (PARC) Project, and their mission is to save these frogs. The project collects amphibians from the
Rewilding – creating controversy and excitement in equal measure on the wildlife conservation world. Can we bring back species long lost from environments and learn to live with them? How did we manage to lose so much in the first place? What are the benefits of bringing back certain species, financially, spiritually and ecologically? There
It can often feel difficult, and frankly overwhelming, that working in conservation rarely provides a set career path to embark on. Graduates, in particular, often feel pressure to hastily decide their career goals and secure a job in the relevant sector but quickly find that, as far as wildlife and conservation careers go, it’s very
Megan Shersby is an aspiring naturalist and science communicator. She is based in Dorset, working as a Seasonal Assistant for Dorset Wildlife Trust at two of their centres and is passionate about inspiring others to explore the natural world, and can usually be found in nature reserve examining the local wildlife. Here she shares her fascinating career
Matt Williams is a conservationist and wildlife photographer who works as a climate change policy officer for the RSPB and helps to run A Focus on Nature. Here he shares his five key pieces of advice for pursuing a career in conservation. 1. Go beyond 9-5 If you want to really succeed in any sector, you’re going to
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
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
In this second installment of interviews with three primatologists, Kaitlin Wellens, Dr Kathryn Shutt and Dr Alejandro Estrada explain what it takes to be a primatologist, how to find opportunities and why more people are needed in this challenging field. When people think about primatology, what is most often misunderstood? Kaitlin: As with any exotic
As a devotee of amateur nature recording with a passion for trees and woods, it’s fair to say that Citizen Science Manager for the Woodland Trust, Dr Kate Lewthwaite, is in her dream job. She tells us how a combination of biding her time and being proactive got her to where she is today, talks
My last interview was with Kathryn Phillips from the Lancashire Wildlife Trust in north-west England. I run the communications campaign for Kathryn’s Forest Schools project and that interview is part of the work that goes into raising the Trust’s profile, publicising its activities, and strengthening the case for conservation. Writing articles, film-making, and wider communications
From edible wild fruits to traditional land management systems, ethnobotanist and ethnoecologist Dr Nancy Turner’s work centres on the relationships between people, plants and environment. Focusing on work with indigenous plant experts of northwestern North America, the Distinguished Professor studies traditional knowledge and resource management systems that can help inform modern sustainability. Her words remind us all to take
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
With responsibility for conservation programmes and partnerships in Madagascar, Mozambique, the Comoros, Belize and Timor-Leste, Frances Humber, Conservation Programmes Manager, Blue Ventures is the London-based ‘fixer’ who makes sure that projects are on track, looking after the critical behind-the-scenes work of providing technical support to staff in the field and managing relationships with funders. Having completed
Spanish native Kike Calvo, National Geographic Expeditions photography expert, award-winning photographer and journalist, is now based in New York and represented by National Geographic Creative. Having travelled to over 95 countries to compile a portfolio of environmental and cultural documentary photos, in addition to pioneering the use of small manned aerial systems in photography, it
