Have you ever wondered if you could be a wildlife journalist but not known where to begin? Conservation Careers Blogger, Charlotte Rixon, shares the wisdom of six successful but very different nature writers. Just like a perfectly captured wildlife photograph, a beautifully crafted piece of nature writing can be thrilling to create or behold. But
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
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
If you want to be a conservation volunteer, there are many different types of experiences available for budding nature enthusiasts. Conservation Careers Blogger Sarashka King reveals some of the main types of voluntary work available in this second in a three-part topic… Residential/working holiday This is a good opportunity to have a holiday where you are trying something new or
If you want to be a conservation volunteer, there are many different types of experiences available for budding nature enthusiasts. Conservation Careers Blogger Sarashka King reveals some of the main types of voluntary work available… Fundraising/ events Sarashka King at local Wildlife Trust stand helping to recruit members at the Cambridge Botanical Gardens Festival of Plants 2014, credit to
Yes. No. Maybe. Well, it depends. A survey done of 146 professional conservationists found that 61% had a master’s degree or higher. Conservation Career Blogger, Naima Montacer, gives us some insight in to figuring out if you need your master’s degree to work in conservation. As a gal with a Master of Science in Biology
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
On 5 and 6 September 200 young people will come together in Cambridge for the UK’s first ever youth conservation conference. The event, A Vision for Nature, is being run by the youth conservation organisation A Focus on Nature, and is being supported by Conservation Careers. Lucy McRobert, Creative Director of A Focus on Nature,
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
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
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
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
How I started in conservation communications Lucy McRobert is a talented conservation communicator, and 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?
Mike Tomkies was born in 1928, and following a period serving in the Coldstream Guards became a journalist, landing interviews with stars such as Elvis Presley, John Wayne, Ava Gardner and many more. After moving to the wilderness in Canada and later writing of his experiences there he emerged as one of the greatest nature writers
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
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
Conservation doesn’t have to be just about science… Derek Niemann shows how he has used his creative flair, passion, writing skills and wildlife knowledge to inject some imagination and originality into the world of science and editing, bringing wildlife and conservation into the hearts of adults and children. What is your current job title? Youth
For anyone who thinks that they can’t make a difference in the world, Dr. Andrew Weaver will convince you otherwise. As a lead author on four Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, a professor at the University of Victoria for 20 years and Deputy Leader of the Green Party of British Columbia, Canada, just
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
Conservation Careers Blogger, and RSPB volunteer Karen Langley, shares her top tips for how conservation volunteering can help you… In an increasingly competitive job market it’s important to try and make yourself stand out. Many people consider volunteering to be highly important, especially within an organisation that has links to the area in which you wish
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
Conservation Careers Blogger Naïma Montacer speaks with Matt Wagner, Deputy Director of the Wildlife Division at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, about his fascinating career… I sat in a small room overlooking the coast of Texas, listening to Matt Wagner speak about what’s new in wildlife conservation around the state. I was intrigued by Wagner’s enthusiasm, not
What if you could help protect a rainforest ecosystem by telling the story of an ecolodge’s composting system? Or help safeguard a biosphere reserve by promoting a sustainable tourism initiative? The answer is, you can. In this interview, Tartan Group President Deirdre Campbell shares how communicating sustainable tourism can support environment, business and community – and
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
Roz Evans is a wildlife science communicator and community events organiser, who recently featured in Exeter University’s 41 most inspirational women in science. She is also the brains behind the amazing new nature magazine BIOSPHERE, which reports on the latest discoveries from the fields of ecology, conservation, climate, behaviour, evolution and physiology. Conservation Careers chatted
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
Building a career in conservation can be as difficult and frustrating as it can be rewarding. Having ambition, an end goal to aim for, ideally a match of your passions and skills, is an excellent driver to get where you want to be in the future. From one stepping stone to another on short term
