Conservation Careers Podcast

What do you do if you’ve got a great degree, stacks of quality volunteer and intern experience in nature conservation but then spend over six months applying for jobs without a single interview? Having left university, this is what faced our guest today, Chris Thompson. He decided to try a different approach and one which resulted in multiple interviews and job offers within a couple of weeks. Ama...

In 1968 the global population of a small brown bird called the Seychelles Warbler was down to just 30 individuals. Habitat destruction and predation by introduced species like rats had driven the birds to the very edge of extinction and it was listed as critically endangered. Cycle forwards 50 years to today and after island restoration work and translocations of the species there are now over 3,0...

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. He was inspired by what he saw and the people he met and wanted to experience for himself how...

When you think about wildlife and conservation efforts, do you feel overwhelmed by the challenges we face? Saddened by the state of the planet and the rate of biodiversity losses? Upset by the volumes of plastic in our oceans, that slaughter of migratory birds over Malta? Or the clearing of our rainforest for palm oil? Or, do you feel hopeful? Do you feel we can still turn it all around, that cons...

Are you working in something totally unrelated to conservation and dreaming of switching into a career helping wildlife to flourish? Well that’s exactly what today’s guest has done successfully, and right in at the top. Dominic Jermey OBE worked as a senior British diplomat for over 20 years in countries such as East Timor and the United Arab Emirates, ultimately serving as British ambassador to A...

In this episode we’re speaking to a rising star in conservation, Jack Randall. Jack is a global adventurer on a quest to find, study and promote the world’s most amazing animals. He began sharing his wildlife stories as a filmmaker and cameraman whilst traipsing through the jungles of the Amazon researching anacondas. And since then he’s founded Made in the Wild and his team curate, research and f...

In this episode we’re speaking to Dr Mike Clarke, Chief Executive of the RSPB. An organisation with over 1.2 million members, 2,000 staff and 13,500 volunteers, the RSPB is a goliath in the conservation industry and needs no introduction. Mike became a member of the RSPB at age 12 and has worked professionally for them for over 30 years, of which the last 10 have been at the top of the organisatio...

If you’re looking for hands-on conservation experience but don’t know where to start or are feeling overwhelmed by choice; perhaps you’re mid-career looking to take a break from the grind and get back to nature whilst also exploring new career paths. Joining us this week to discuss these matters and more is Steve Gwenin, Chief Executive of Global Vision International (GVI). GVI is an award-winning...

If you’re interested in wildlife conservation and concerned about the loss of species from this little planet of ours, then you’ve probably heard of a term called community-based conservation. But what is it? And how can wildlife conservation provide a pathway to helping people out of poverty? And finally, why have some of the poorest communities in Africa decided to protect nearly a fifth of thei...

Have you ever dreamt about going on a conservation expedition? Travelling to a remote corner of the globe to explore and discover the wildlife found there? Where would you start? What would be the destination and what would be its purpose? Who would you choose to take with you? Perhaps most importantly of all, how would you fund it? These are some of the topics I discuss this week with conservatio...

In this episode of the podcast we're speaking to Justin Lennon - CEO of Conservation Guide and marine biologist at the National Marine Aquarium. In this podcast you’ll hear us talking about what to look for when searching for your next volunteering project, and we also discuss what it’s like to work in marine conservation and how to take the seed of an idea and turn it into a successful conservati...

In this episode we’re speaking to Andrew Lewin, who’s the founder of Speak Up For Blue , a marine ecologist and an Ocean-preneur. He also runs three podcasts of his own so we’ve got a real veteran on today. We talk about marine careers, what the different jobs in the marine environment are and how you can go about securing them. We talk about optimism in conservation too. Whether the future’s brig...

In this episode we speak to Alasdair Davies - Shuttleworth Foundation Fellow and creative technologist on a journey to deliver affordable, open conservation technology for all. We talk about how fast-changing technologies from drones, to sat tags, camera traps and mobile phones are rapidly changing the way we collect and interpret data in the quest to conserve threatened wildlife globally. If like...

In this episode we speak to Anna Kloth, founder of Paradise Interns. Paradise Interns runs free digital marketing internships at leading dive centers in Indonesia. During your time they teach you how to run a successful digital marketing strategy for any company. You then get to use these skills by running the social media and digital presence of a local dive center, whilst also enjoying free divi...

This week in the Conservation Careers Podcast Nick talks to Professor Bill Sutherland - Miriam Rothschild Chair of Conservation Biology, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge. Bill is proposing a 'revolution in conservation practice', and we talk today about his drive to develop a sound evidence base for conservation. Doing more of what is proven to work, and less of what isn’t. Bill also...

In this episode of the Conservation Careers Podcast, Nick Askew speaks to Adam Barlow, Executive Director WildTeam UK WildTeam UK help conservationists to achieve more through expert training in project design and management. In this episode Adam shares his exciting career so far helping to conserve tigers, working with local communities, and now supporting conservationists to be even better. Duri...

In this opening episode of the Conservation Careers Podcast, Nick Askew speaks with Patricia Zurita, CEO of BirdLife International. BirdLife is the biggest conservation partnership on the planet, with charities in 120 countries working from local-to-global to conserve birds and biodiversity. In this episode Patricia shares her career story so far, and how she got from her childhood in Ecuador to b...