Here at Species on the Edge we recognise that getting a foot in the door into the conservation sector can be challenging. For this reason, we are delighted to have created four full-time, year-long trainee positions. And those positions have now all been filled! So, without further a-do, please meet our four Species on the Edge trainees: Callum, Mhairi, Luke and Lottie 👏🏻
Callum – Community Engagement Trainee, Outer Hebrides
Hello!
My name is Callum and I’m the new Community Engagement Trainee for Species on the Edge working for Bumblebee Conservation Trust. A little about me: I like bugs, specifically wasps! I used to be terrified of bees and wasps and other things like that but about halfway through university I fell in love with insects and they’re still by far my favourite things!
You can usually spot me out and about looking for bugs if the weather is nice – and sometimes when it isn’t, it is Scotland after all!
I studied Conservation Biology & Habitat Management at the University of Stirling and while there I spent a lot of my time being part of the LGBTQ+ society of which I ended up being President in my last year.
I realised studying that I didn’t really like academic work and was much more interested in working with people rather than on research.
Since graduating I have spent a lot of my time volunteering while looking for my first job. I am the communications officer for the ALDER network within the British Ecological Society. I was also a mentor and later a lead mentor at their summer school for undergraduates, where I got to share my love of bugs with anyone who would listen! I was also a wildlife watch leader with the Scottish Wildlife Trust in Glasgow for a little while before I moved out to the Outer Hebrides for my new role.
About my role
Following on from my decision to work with people, my new role is focused on community engagement so is perfect for me! I’ll be working in the Outer Hebrides to help put on events and get people excited about nature. I have already taken part in a few events and I’m excited to do more and learn as much as I can as part of my traineeship!
Why Species on the Edge
I’m super excited to be part of this project as I’ve never heard of anything like this before and I can’t believe I have the chance to be a part of it! The project being comprised of so many organisations and utilising the expertise of all of them to help our target species in the best ways possible is just really exciting to me.
Mhairi – Biological Recording Trainee, Argyll and the Inner Hebrides
What attracted me to the Biological Recording traineeship was the vast opportunity for learning monitoring techniques. I have developed a passion for ecological surveying and monitoring from my time at university and also in my career, but I have not yet had the opportunity to delve into the monitoring of butterflies and moths. Being delicate indicators of overall ecological health, skills in identification and monitoring are invaluable in a career in conservation, so I am excited to learn more. Practical habitat management is another aspect of this traineeship I am looking forward to – particularly running my own work parties.
I enjoy the outdoors in my personal life also – through hiking, running, and birdwatching. I love art too, often using my nature finds as subjects.
Luke and Lottie – Trainee Wardens, East Coast
My name is Luke and I applied to the traineeship at Loch of Strathbeg as it is a great entry point into conservation, allowing us trainees to gain experience of life as an estate worker/warden and undertake a wide variety of practical tasks, as well as being involved with wildlife surveys and managing our own project! I am passionate about helping nature as our wild places and species our shrinking all the time and working in an organisation that puts nature first seems like a worthy cause given the alarming declines in biodiversity and wildlife habitat, increase in pollution and extractive industries, the current and forthcoming changes in climate, and the necessity of making our culture more nature-oriented.
My name is Lottie, and I am currently working as a trainee warden at Loch of Strathbeg in Aberdeenshire. I applied for this traineeship because it presents an incredible opportunity to enter the nature conservation sector, and I was particularly drawn to the variety of work it offers. Since I was 16, I have been volunteering with nature organizations in Cumbria, which reinforced my desire to work outside and engage in practical activities that benefit the environment and wildlife. I have a strong connection to Scotland, having spent much of my childhood on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula and later attending university in Glasgow. The time I spent in nature nurtured my love for the environment and fuelled my passion for conservation. This traineeship is a perfect opportunity for me to develop my skills in a conservation context while being based in Scotland!
As part of our traineeship, we our based in North East Scotland and travel to different sites throughout the year so it’s also a great chance to get out and about and see the many different ways conservation is undertaken and what types of jobs there are. Practical day-to-day tasks on the reserve include repairing fences, boardwalks, and habitat management, as well as work with our herd of Konik ponies; undertaking health checks and moving them around the reserve. As spring and summer approach and migrants start arriving, we will start working on bird monitoring surveys. We are expecting to do a few courses – 4×4 driving, ATV, brush-cutter, and first aid – to give us a good primer in some of the essential skills one might require in a future practical conservation role.
