Sam has joined the Great Fen reserves team at an incredibly busy time! They're a small yet dedicated team delivering the restoration of the Great Fen, with Sam's role focused on practical land conservation management related to Peatland Progress. Let's see how he's getting on and what attracted him to a role with the Wildlife Trust BCN!
(Sam is in conversation with Great Fen colleague Danielle Page.)
Danielle ~ Hi Sam! So good to have you on the team. Tell us, what made you want to work in conservation?
My fascination with the natural world, which eventually transformed into my desire to work in conservation, started at a fairly young age for me. When I was growing up, I would often spend days with my family in the nearby Swinley Forest. From there an interest in the natural world began to develop, leading me to appreciate the study and experiences found within nature throughout my time at school.
It was a natural progression to continue my focus with my degree at university. I also coupled this with fascinating periods of conservation volunteering abroad in Greece, South Africa, the Seychelles and Costa Rica. While I was volunteering in all of these fantastically diverse and varied environments I fell more and more in love with the hands-on practices and the engaging challenges and realities of practical conservation, especially when it was paired with seeing turtle hatchlings in the morning in Greece, giant tortoises at midday in the Seychelles and huge flocks of migrating raptors in Costa Rica!
So, when I finished my time at university, I didn’t consider any other path than heading into conservation. It was what had grabbed my interest and passion when I was just a child and kept a hold of me all the way up to now.