Careers in Conservation

If you're interested in making your life even greener, and doing more for the environment than counting plastic, changing your toothbrush or giving up meat (all of which have their merits, of course), you could go the whole hog and consider a career switch into the conservation sector. 

It's easy to think that all conservationists spend time out in the field collecting rare plant specimens, or tracking rhinos across Africa – and of course there are people who do spend their time in that way. Lucky them!

But there is a whole host of conservation organisations and charities around the world that need people like you, whatever you do. If you're an accountant, you could be an accountant for the World Wildlife Fund. If you're more writerly, how about a spell in the communications department for Birdlife? If you're passionate about making big companies more sustainable, then perhaps you belong in a policy role working for the government. 

If this sounds interesting, it's worth having a look at the Conservation Careers website. It's full of articles about every possible job, internship and career path in the conservation sector. The team behind the website run excellent courses to help you create new career goals and then turn them into a reality. 

Search their blog for articles and interviews with real-life conservationists and you're sure to come across something interesting. Here are a few that I've written, but there are plenty more where these came from:

A day in the life of a Kew Botanist: Sara Barrios

Fresh from fieldwork in the British Virgin Islands after the pandemic, Sara spoke to me about her role as Conservation Partnership Coordinator for the UK Overseas Territories at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Our chat took us from her part-time masters and IUCN Red List assessments, to the importance of fundraising and excitement at the botanical work still to be done.

Kew botanist Sara Barrios collecting leaf samples
of the endangered plant Vachellila anegadensis
 in the British Virgin Islands. 

Ocean colour with Oliver Clements: Analysing our oceans with satellites 

After combining his love of surfing and science to study marine biology, Oliver Clements trained in computer programming, and I spoke to him about his role as a GIS expert on remotely sensed Earth observation data. He looks at the planet’s oceans from satellite data to detect patterns in everything from plankton volumes to sea surface temperature. The main barrier to entering this career is knowing it exists, so our conversation was the perfect opportunity to shine a spotlight on a little-known area of science that continues to grow as technology improves.

Oliver Clements and the team at the
Plymouth Marine Laboratory using
GIS and analysing large data sets.

Habitat creation with Robbie Hawkins 

Do you like the sound of creating new habitats, leaving a positive legacy of nature behind you? I spoke to senior ecological consultant Robbie Hawkins about his top tips for succeeding in a career that is only set to become more important – and more valued – as the upcoming Environment Bill will make it a legal requirement for new construction developments to have a positive impact – a ‘net gain’ – on biodiversity.

Robbie Hawkins with a horseshoe crab 
that he found in a wetland area in 
New York after a hurricane.