Thinking of pursuing a career in conservation?
The annual Zambian Conservation Careers Fair provides a platform for students and employers to connect and demonstrate to young educated Zambians that conservation is a rewarding and viable career path to take. The 2020 Fair was hosted virtually and took place from the 5th to 8th October.
A lot of questions were asked – one prominent question that was frequently asked by our participants to almost all the speakers was – How can I become a conservationist?
A conservationist is anyone who dedicates a substantial portion of their time and/or resources to conserving biodiversity, single species, or habitats anywhere in the world. So, what should you do as an aspiring conservationist? Our speakers shared a few tips:
- Figure out where your passion and talent lie
“Find a job that you love and enjoy doing , not only will you succeed or propel in your career but you will find fulfilment in it’ Peter Simuliapondo , Senior Consultant at Precision Recruitment International Zambia
‘’It takes passion and interest for one to be a safari guide and excel in that field’’. Mpunga Nayangwe, Former Safari Guide and now Front Office & House Keeping Manager at Anabezi Lodge, Lower Zambezi National Park
- Find mentors, partners, collaborators that can help you advance in your field of interest.
‘’It is particularly important for one to have a mentor in their life, as this will help them in their Career Development. A mentor is someone with which you can develop a long-term relationship that is centred around building the mentee’s growth and development. A mentor does not work on a day-to-day basis to help a mentee make decisions, but they are there to serve as someone who can offer support, wisdom, and teaching over time’’. Tim Phiri, Co-Founder of Mizu-Eco Care
- Be creative, think out of box
‘’We as Creatives need to think outside the box and contribute towards the conservation world, let us use our intelligent ways to create more awareness in conservation’’ Seya Fundafunda, Film Director and Production Manager at Spring TV
- We can all be conservationist
‘’You do not have to have studied anything related to conservation for you to contribute to conservation. It should be almost everyone’s responsibility to preserve our environment and nature. We need to intensify efforts that develops an environment that ensures maintaining our natural resources’’. Chanda Mwale, Operations Manager at Wildlife Producers Association of Zambia
Conservation needs to become part of real life, not a fringe activity and for that to happen it needs to move out of science and become part of our everyday lifestyle. We need to create a culture of conservation. And remember, there are a lot of paths to becoming a conservationist, no matter your chosen vocation.
You can watch all the speaker’s talks again at Conservation Careers Zambia Facebook page or Conservation Careers Zambia YouTube page