How I made a career in conservation biology

My desire to work towards saving and conserving wildlife started when I was 10 years old. I knew I did not want to be a vet; I wanted to be outside, surrounded by nature! And although this might have seemed a bit ambitious at that time, I decided I was going to save the world! Eventually, I narrowed my focus on to one group of species, the gibbons in South-East (SE) Asia. And this was only the beginning! Gibbons are the singing, swinging small apes; not as big as their great ape cousins, but not monkeys. I was drawn to them because they are understudied and because they have fabulous songs which they use to maintain the bond between the adult pair and to defend their territories.

My conservation work now encompasses several species across SE Asia (with a focus on the Indonesian Borneo). I am co-director for the Borneo Nature Foundation (BNF) and Borneo River Initiative for Nature Conservation and Communities (BRINCC) as well as Vice-chair for the IUCN Section on Small Apes (SSA). But how did I get here?

Unlike becoming a lawyer or a medical doctor, there is no single path to becoming a conservationist. Indeed, you could talk to 10 different conservationists and get 10 different answers. So here is mine in a (largish) nutshell:

• To start with, I received an undergraduate degree in zoology at the University of Edinburgh (honours project on farmland birds)
• I began volunteering at the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project in Thailand
• After this, I got some fieldwork experience in South Dakota, USA (helping study mule and white-tailed deer)
• I then completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge (this involved my work towards the rehabilitation of gibbons from the pet trade in Indonesia)
• I joined Borneo Nature Foundation (previously known as the Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project)
• Post this, I took up a post-doctoral job at George Washington University, Washington DC, USA
• I then took up another post-doctoral job at Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford
• I was instrumental in setting up BRINCC
• I was then appointed as an Associate Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University
• After this, I secured the position of Vice-chair for the IUCN Species Survival Commission Primate Specialist Group Section on Small Apes
• Finally, I took up Teaching Fellow role in Biological Anthropology, Oxford Brookes University

This list covers a span of 20 years and while it includes all my achievements and laurels, it does not include the struggles I had to overcome along the way – the times I had no income, the times our young NGO was struggling for funds, when things went wrong with permits and permissions, when staff members were unhappy, when I felt out of my depth while starting a new project, when I had to deal with illness (both mine and others), etc. Wildlife does not have a voice, so we need to speak for wildlife; to tell their stories, to protect their homes and to help them. Conservation biologists agree it is unscientific to become attached to your study animals, but everyone in conservation also knows you cannot help but become attached to the species you are working to protect. You are allowed a privileged insight into their lives. So, it is impossible not to become attached to these animals, and to be drawn in by their personalities and characters. It also does not talk about the amazing people I have worked with and those who continue to play a big role in my work, the excitement of expeditions and new discoveries, and the sense of achievement when your work is recognized at the local or national government levels and really makes a difference at the policy level. And the fact that no one is ever working alone in conservation really makes me happy!

What I have learned is that your academic qualifications are surely important, but they are not enough. You need practical experience and a willingness to learn more, including balancing budgets, managing people, and managing your own mental and physical health. These days, more and more degrees are available which can help prepare you for a conservation career, both at the undergraduate and Master’s levels (a PhD is not always necessary). Also there is now more awareness of the many roles needed in conservation: researchers, managers, educators, policy managers, communicators, financial experts, grant writers, film makers, zoo keepers, consultants, graphic designers, geographical information systems experts, and many more.

There has been much debate recently that conservation is for the rich: you need disposable income to gain experience by volunteering, to pay for higher education, and to manage your expenses when you are in the inevitable periods of unemployment. There is some truth to this, and it may take time to get a paid job in your ideal field of conservation, but there are positions available out there if you have the time and patience to look. Conservation Careers is a good starting point, but I’d personally also follow organisations on social media to learn about available positions.

In my experience, it has helped me to network at every possible chance and also to be clear about what I was looking for in my career progression, while also being flexible. I’ve found that although, there are many transferable skills that you can learn from conservation jobs, they might not always match the ideal role you were looking for. However, you can try to make a difference by establishing your own NGO/expedition, and seeking out like-minded people. It is also imperative to include local people in these efforts.

There is a wealth of information available online about possible conservation-related career paths. For many conservation job updates, one option is to join your local/national conservation organisation e.g. Primate Society of Great Britain or international ones like Society for Conservation Biology.

So there isn’t one clear path, and there is no single definition of a conservation biologist. However, perseverance, knowing where you want to be, and what you want to work on are the first steps. And you shouldn’t be afraid to reach out to organisations and people to ask for help. Most people who are established are very aware of how hard it was for them to get started, and so they are more than willing to help.