Helping Nature Recover: Careers in Farming and Conservation
As concern for the natural world deepens, more people are considering careers where they can make a meaningful difference to the environment.
Restoring habitats, monitoring species and supporting sustainable land management all offer opportunities for people who want to protect nature.
It’s easy to picture conservation careers taking place on nature reserves or in national parks, but they can happen on working farms, too. With around 70 per cent of the UK’s land used for agriculture, wildlife recovery cannot happen without farmland and farmers playing a key role.
The Countryside Regeneration Trust (CRT) works to promote nature-friendly farming by showing how productive farming and conservation go hand in hand.
For members of the CRT’s conservation and land management team, the sector offers the chance to tackle some big environmental issues.
Helena Darragh, head of conservation, and conservation officers Ruth Moss and Dr Vince Lea came into the sector from different backgrounds, but they share a passion for nature-friendly farming.
Helena’s love of the countryside started early, spending her school holidays herding sheep or walking fields on family farms.
“This made me interested in the agri-environmental space, and what action farmers and land managers can take to support biodiversity,” she says. She believes farming has a vital role in protecting the environment. “Helping farmers transition towards, and champion, nature-friendly farm practices has considerable knock-on impacts for the environmental health of our country.”
Helena describes her work as deeply rewarding, particularly when long-term conservation efforts show results. “I know the work I do makes a genuine difference to nature,” she explains. “You also get to work with many like-minded, passionate and knowledgeable people.”
Ruth’s entry into conservation was driven by a desire to help species in decline.
“I wanted to work outdoors in nature where I could spend time observing and learning about wildlife,” she explains. “With so many species in decline, I wanted a career where I could make a difference to them.”
Growing up on an organic hill farm on the North Yorkshire moors gave her first-hand experience of the connection between farming and nature. “I enjoy working on farmland and with farmers. Exploring how different farming approaches impact wildlife is really interesting work.”
Ruth believes balancing conservation and food production is challenging, but it is also where the greatest opportunities lie. “Farming throws another element into the mix, because the aim isn't solely to support one species but also to promote food production. Balancing the two requires a good deal of creativity. Having an open mind is important, and understanding the frustrations of farmers is necessary for solving farming-wildlife conflicts,” she reveals.
Blending farming and conservation may seem unusual, but Ruth points out that historically the two have worked together. “The pressure on farmers to maximise yields has come at the detriment of wildlife, but to combat the biodiversity crisis, nature and farming must go together.”
Vince’s journey followed a different route. Originally working in science and agriculture, he turned a long-standing volunteer interest into a second career.
“I have always enjoyed nature, and when I found out about the losses that have occurred and problems still happening, I started to do whatever I could to help,” he says. “Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring, was an inspiration and for many years I did conservation work as a volunteer.”
Redundancy gave Vince the chance to rethink his future, and he decided to pursue conservation full-time. Acknowledging that the work can be physically demanding and sometimes frustrating, he also says the rewards outweigh the challenges.
“There is usually a lot of hard work required to turn around deteriorated habitats, and wildlife recovery takes a long time to see. However, this long-term perspective gives a deeper sense of satisfaction when you see wildlife coming back,” he explains. “Finding a way that more wildlife can live on farmland has the potential to be the biggest driver of change for conservation in terms of the abundance of common wildlife species that have disappeared during our lifetime.”
Healthy ecosystems also support farming itself. “Healthy soils full of life can cope with more adversity, while biodiversity has self-regulating systems, which means crop pests and diseases are less likely to get out of control,” Vince adds.
All three conservation officers encourage anyone interested to explore the opportunities available, whatever their background. Helena points out that conservation careers are broader than many people realise.
“Check out websites such as Countryside Job Service, and regenerative farm movements like Groundswell and the Emergent Generation for inspiration and opportunities,” she encourages.
Vince stresses the importance of gaining hands-on experience. “Don’t expect immediate employment but get yourself known to the kind of organisations you might want to work for. There is usually a lot of volunteering to do before you get a paid job, so start at weekends and give any time you can spare.”
Ruth encourages newcomers not to feel overwhelmed by the scale of knowledge within the sector. “It’s impossible to know everything about every species, habitat or farm system, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to people with more experience than you.”
For those who enjoy working outdoors, learning about wildlife and making a tangible difference, conservation can offer a hugely fulfilling career path. The CRT offers a range of opportunities for people to get involved, including volunteering, education and practical conservation work. Whether through a future career or by giving time as a volunteer, there are many ways people can help wildlife recover across the countryside.
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