Thinking of a Career in Conservation?
If you are thinking of working in conservation, what do you envisage yourself doing?
According to the National Geographic Society “the Earth’s natural resources include air, water, soil, minerals, fuels, plants, and animals. Conservation is the practice of caring for these resources so all living things can benefit from them now and in the future.” The primary focus of conservationists is to care for and manage existing resources, with a primary focus on sustaining biological diversity.
Whilst conservation tends to focus on human relationships with nature, environmental science is more concerned with natural processes – how complicated dynamics of our air, water, and soil interact. You could say that people working in environmental sciences study overarching causes, whilst conservationists focus on working with the practical effects of those causes. However, in practice there is a significant degree of overlap between these two fields of work.
There are also differences in the programs of study. You will find that environmental science is often more interdisciplinary in nature, including studying mathematics and statistics; science; and, the humanities and social sciences, for instance politics or economics. Whilst conservation programs focus more on the sciences and education, although there is often a social-science component.
Conservation careers
Conservation careers are as broad and diverse as nature itself. So what types of careers can conservationists look for? Here are a few examples:
- Wildlife biologists study animal behaviours, determining their roles within an ecosystem and their interactions with other wildlife as well as with humans. For example, the health of a particular animal population within a set area may be studied. Apart from the more hands on field work, wildlife biologists may also spend time conducting experiments and research in laboratories.
- Horticulturists study flora, applying their expertise in plants in careers such as eco-agriculture; designing ecological landscapes; promoting sustainable, pesticide-free growing; managing green spaces; running a nursery; or, even advising towns and cities on sustainable green practices.
- Sustainability Coordinators are hired by governments and businesses to assist them perform their activities in a more sustainable way. Along with developing, coordinating and promoting sustainability initiatives, they also might find themselves working in education and research. So if you don’t want to work in the wild then this could be the career for you!
- Conservation Scientists manage the quality of an area of land, whether it is a forest, National Park, Game Management Area or private Game Farm. Their work can range from advising on best land practices; establishing plans for resource management; supervising timber activities to reduce environmental impact; or to create fire-suppression programs.
Find out more
Dr James Borrell’s blog The 12 Types of Conservation Career (and how to choose which one is for you?) gives a great overview of the many different types of conservation jobs available. Like us, he aims to encourage more people into working in conservation so it is well worth checking out his website for ideas, tips and information – www.jamesborrell.com
No two days are ever the same!
Whatever field of study you choose you will find that if you work in conservation, no two days are ever is the same. We are sure that when the people who formed the team to make an usual giraffe rescue in Kenya earlier this month, when they were first thinking of which career to choose, they never though they would be floating down a river with a giraffe on a barge!
So, if you are thinking about a career in conservation, do your research and check out the varied and diverse range of jobs that are on offer, not just here in Zambia, but in other countries around the world.