Articles and Features
Library of in depth features covering a wide range of subjects across the many different areas of the countryside, conservation, wildlife sectors as well as looking at careers and how to get a job. Many articles are written exclusively for CJS. Some articles were originally sourced for CJS Focus, others have been written exclusively for CJS by our
Featured Charities, you'll also find
profiles of relevant organisations and charities.
There is a wealth of information from across many different areas. This page has the most recently published articles and features, to view the full index of features covering several years click here.
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Further Education provider Moulton College has a long and rich
history in land-based studies. Originally founded in 1921 as an
agricultural institute, its range of courses has since expanded to
include Countryside Management, Arboriculture, Animal Welfare, Equine
Studies, Horticulture, Floristry, and Construction.
Today, Moulton College is training its cohort of land-based students to make their mark on more contemporary challenges facing the UK, including biodiversity loss, climate change, and increasing pressure on rural landscapes.
A new tool used by the public to highlight obstacles encountered in the outdoors such as blocked paths, overgrown vegetation and livestock in fields has got off to a good start. The Community Alerts tool in OS Maps app has had over 20,000 reports made of issues people have encountered while out and about in the countryside and remote areas across Britain.
Across the UK, conservation teams are grappling with a stubborn reality: nature is still in decline. Habitat fragmentation, degraded soils, pollution, altered hydrology and under-resourced land management continue to limit recovery. Many funding streams remain narrowly focused, administratively heavy or insufficiently tied to the ecological processes needed for long-term resilience. Natural World Fund (NWF) works to address these gaps: restoring land using ecological science, unlocking habitat recovery without the need for expensive land purchases and working in genuine partnership with those who manage the countryside every day.
The downward trend in insect abundance has been hitting the news in recent years with headlines of “insectageddon” and “collapse of nature”. These may seem a bit over dramatic, but with figures to back them up like over 75% decline in flying insect biomass over 27 years in Germany, and the abundance of larger moths declining by 33% over 50 years in Britain, you can understand the reason for this attention grabbing.
The Centre for Mountain Studies (CMS) at UHI was founded with the aim of understanding the unique socio-ecological dynamics of mountain systems and their communities. Engaging with the often contentious debates on upland land use in Scotland, CMS research has focused on land ownership and land reform, and the challenging balance of multiple land use objectives such as sporting, biodiversity conservation and habitat restoration.
For over 40 years, Groundwork has been bringing communities together
to take practical action in order to tackle multiple challenges
affecting people and the planet. Starting life in Merseyside in 1981, we first invited local people to ‘Join the FROGs’ (Friends of Operation Groundwork) and kickstarted our mission to change places and lives where it was needed most.
Made up of a federation of 14 Trusts based around the UK, we combine local knowledge with national reach to build capacity and resilience in communities through connection with each other, with opportunity and with nature. Through this, our charity is helping to shape a fairer and greener future in which people, places and nature thrive.
We asked Sarah Freeman, a volunteer photographer at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust a few questions for International Volunteer Day
How long have you been taking photos, how did your interest start?
I've been taking photos more seriously for about 15 years, although I have always been interested in photography. I needed a hobby to help me get outside when I was studying for my PhD, so I bought a bridge camera. I already enjoyed nature and the two hobbies go well together! I started volunteering at WWT Martin Mere as I lived in Manchester at the time and when I moved south I switched to WWT Slimbridge.
Nature should be accessible to everyone, however, for many individuals and communities, experiencing the natural world is far more challenging than it should be. While it is easy to assume that everyone has the freedom and ability to spend time in the great outdoors, the reality is that physical, social and systemic barriers often prevent equitable access.
Scotland’s forests are under growing pressure from climate change and new pests and diseases. These challenges could make it harder for our woodlands to keep providing the benefits we rely on – from timber and fibre to flood risk management and wildlife habitat. That’s why it’s becoming more important than ever to make our forests tougher and more resilient for the future.
Silviculture is the living heart of forestry. It is the discipline that shapes how we establish, tend and renew our forests. It combines science, practice and philosophy; and guides how we grow trees not only for timber, but for biodiversity, carbon, and community benefits. In its truest sense, silviculture is about ensuring that the forests we inherit can adapt, endure and thrive for generations to come.
The UK countryside is dotted with recently planted trees. An observant driver would note plots of stake and tube units along the roadsides and scattered through fields. What’s often not observed is the people planting the trees. Forestry is a well recognised and respected term in the UK. Tree planting, completed at the speed and scale of companies like Tomorrow’s Forests, is a growing component of the UK forestry industry.
Now in its 50th year, National Tree Week is an annual celebration of trees across the four nations of the United Kingdom. Traditionally marking the start of the winter tree planting season, National Tree Week encourages communities, charities, schools, local authorities, and individuals to come together to plant, protect, and appreciate trees.
The future of the countryside depends not only on protecting our landscapes but also on developing the people who care for them. As the environmental sector grows, there’s an urgent need to inspire and equip young people with the skills, confidence and imagination to build greener careers, to fill the gaps in skills shortage roles by promoting careers that care for both the countryside and the planet. That’s where Another Way comes in – a youth-led charity helping people live with kindness towards our planet, and showing that sustainable futures start with education, empowerment and opportunity.
During Self Care Week in November, organisations across the countryside, environmental, and wildlife conservation sectors are seeking evidence-based wellness approaches that resonate with their nature-focused missions. Forest bathing: known scientifically as Shinrin-yoku: presents a compelling opportunity to support staff wellbeing while leveraging the very landscapes these professionals work to protect and preserve.
The Gardens Trust is the only national charity whose sole aim is to research, protect and conserve parks and gardens and other types of historic designed landscapes in the UK. We undertake research of historic parks and gardens as a way of protecting them in the present. Currently we are a statutory consultee in the English planning system and are required to respond to applications that may affect sites on Historic England’s Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.
Across the UK, rural communities are home to millions of people who keep our countryside, environment and heritage alive. Yet the very places that sustain our food, landscapes and nature-based economies are also among the hardest to live and work in. For those employed in conservation, land management and countryside services, these challenges are far from abstract.
Climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution are increasingly acknowledged as a triple crisis threatening lives and livelihoods globally. As we continue to inflict unsustainable demands on our planet, causing extreme pressures on global processes and resources, the need to provide solutions, alternatives and remedial action also increases. Yet who will deliver these, and how will we cultivate the skilled professionals required?
BTO currently offers a one-week work experience placement for GCSE and A-level students, aged 15 to 18. This placement follows a structured approach focusing on BTO’s scientific work, as well as giving an opportunity to engage with social science and communications. During the placement, you will work alongside a project lead and write up an individual report, based on your chosen project focus (e.g. BTO Garden BirdWatch, BirdTrack or other BTO surveys). We will also provide networking opportunities with BTO staff, a guided walk around BTO’s Nunnery Lakes Reserve (on site), a bird ringing demonstration and group conservation practices, such as nest finding and citizen science surveys.
In this article we explore what mentoring is and how a mentor can help you reach your career goals. ‘Mentoring’ is a relationship in which a person with more experience (mentor) supports another person (mentee) to help them develop skills, knowledge, and experience they need to progress/to reach their goal. The mentor will encourage and support a person to make the most of their career and develop their personal skills. They do this by providing impartial, non-judgmental guidance and support.
Career flexibility has become ever more common. Gone are the days of staying in one role for life and workers increasingly take steps to enter new sectors that match their interests and values. This can, nonetheless, be challenging and scary though studying to gain the skills and qualifications that enable a switch has never been easier. Whilst at one time, a higher education course meant studying full-time at a college or university campus, a rise in flexible study options opens opportunities to a far wider range of people.
A new mission to bring nature to urban neighbourhoods in towns and cities across the UK was recently announced, to benefit millions of people over the next decade.
Nature Towns and Cities is a coalition of organisations united by the ambition to enable everybody to experience nature in their daily lives, particularly those places and communities currently lacking access to quality green space.
Rhys speaks about how he combines working on his family farm with
lobbying for a more nature-friendly farming future with the NFFN. Rhys Evans holds a unique position within the Nature Friendly Farming
Network (NFFN), combining his role as NFFN Cymru manager with life as a
farmer on his family’s land in North Wales.
Raised on Hengwrt Farm, located near Dolgellau, at the southern end of Eryri, Rhys admits that growing up he never imagined he would one day farm the land himself. “I definitely preferred doing other things than farming, like playing football, listening to music or watching wrestling,” he recalls. “I would help out with jobs on the farm, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it - perhaps because I didn’t really understand or appreciate why we farmed the way we did.”
British Food Fortnight is a time to celebrate what makes our food special – its flavour, its heritage, and the people and animals behind it. At the centre of that story are our traditional livestock breeds. They don’t just give us delicious meat, milk, and cheese; they are part of the landscapes we love and the culture we share. From shaggy Highland cattle grazing windswept hillsides to Herdwick sheep clinging to the Cumbrian fells, our native breeds are shaped by Britain’s weather and land.
Tom was born on this farm and is now in his mid thirties. He tells us he always wanted to farm. He looks after a herd of Limousin cattle and a flock of Welsh Mountain sheep – a hardy breed that’s well suited to life on the uplands. Tom is one of a group of Longmynd commoners who exercise their rights to graze sheep on the common: 10-12 farmers who turn sheep out onto the unfenced hill. He is secretary of the Commoners Association and is enthusiastic about the group, who work together on larger tasks such as gathering and shearing. This task sharing is, he says, a fundamental part of being a commoner.
As a ‘mid life, career change’ entrant to the sector, my role as a Farm Carbon and Soils Project Assistant at Farm Carbon Toolkit (FCT) gives me a unique perspective on how new roles in agriculture are making a difference, helping our planet and food systems be more resilient in the face of climate change.
An upland farmer follows the annual cycle of the seasons with the weather determining tasks on a day to day basis.
I have lived on the North York Moors for 30 years, often a prisoner in paradise; the work is determined by the demands of the animals and environment for whom I am a custodian.
I was asked to describe a day, which at this time of year is changeable, because the routine chores take little time. In the main, the business is run by the computer in the house and the telehandler in the farmyard.
This autumn, British Food Fortnight (26 September – 12 October 2025) returns with a new theme: Strengthening the roots that bind us. Countryside Jobs Service explore why it’s more important than ever for those working in the rural sector to get behind this annual campaign. For those working in countryside and wildlife conservation, British Food Fortnight offers a moment to reflect on the valuable relationships between the food on our plates, the landscapes we manage, and the communities we serve.
Britain’s spring of 2025 was both the hottest and driest since records began. Of course, we didn’t have to cast back far to remember the spring that it surpassed. 2024 was also the hottest and direst spring on record. For the one in ten UK species which depend on wetlands for their survival, abnormally long periods of hot, dry weather are bad news at the best of times. When they occur in spring; breading season for many of these birds and mammals, they can be disastrous for wildlife.
The strawberry patch was looking good with plenty of fruit on the plants - except that they never seemed to ripen and they seemed to be disappearing…
A small woodland owner is shocked and dismayed that the bark has been totally stripped off several of the trees she planted ten years ago…
The cause of these problems is... the grey squirrel of course.
Flora Haynes and Tracey Younghusband work together as Senior Ecologists at South East Ecology. Flora is mum to a three-year-old daughter (Rori) and Tracey is mum to two boys, aged eleven (Rowan) and nine (Kit). They both work part-time and manage family life alongside providing ecological consultancy services. Tracey also works part-time as an ecology teacher at a local school. Being a working parent in this industry is not an easy feat, however there are a great deal of golden moments and we can’t imagine working elsewhere.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is more than a magnificent public garden. Beneath its stunning botanical displays lies a globally significant scientific institution, relentlessly pursuing solutions to critical environmental challenges. We spoke with Professor Philip Stevenson, Head of Trait Diversity and Function at Kew and Professor of Plant Chemistry at University of Greenwich, to hear about his work and how Kew is actively nurturing the next generation of plant and fungal scientists and horticulturists to drive this essential work forward.
My role balances office time and time in the field. On a typical
office-based day, I’ll come in first thing, log on and check for email
updates from our partners in the field. Chester Zoo has partnered with
groups in Madagascar who are undertaking conservation projects. Over the last few years, we have provided financial and technical support to a living fence project that aims to prevent the removal of trees from threatened littoral forests, and helped our Malagasy partner, Madagasikara Voakajy (MV) protect animals like the golden mantella frog and several species of lemur, among other projects.
A UK national study into ‘Sustainability in early careers’ provides insights for employers seeking to attract graduate talent for sustainability-oriented roles and projects. The findings offer particular relevance to roles supporting countryside and wildlife conservation, which struggle to attract and retain talent. For example, roles within community involvement, support services, environmental education, or visitor management that may not explicitly require sustainability-related qualifications and expertise, but inherently provide opportunities for engaging in sustainability-related tasks and projects.
In an era where climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable land management dominate global conversations, the forestry sector stands at a pivotal crossroads. The need for skilled, passionate professionals has never been greater. Yet, for many young people, forestry remains an invisible career path—one they rarely encounter in school or through traditional work experience routes.
Observing the changing seasons is an instinct that we all have, we do it sometimes without even realising it. Did you notice your first bluebell or snowdrop this spring? Or maybe you’ve spotted the first ripe fruits appearing on the brambles and rowan trees? Noticing the timings of nature (known in the scientific world as phenology) is something that is innate and important to all living things and has been an interest of citizen scientists in the UK for hundreds of years. The Woodland Trust has been involved in collecting these data for nearly 25 years, adding to records that began in 1736.
At NatureScot, approximately 10% of all of our employees are under the age of 30. As such a diverse and important group of people that carry out so many different roles across our organisation, it is vital that we are well represented in everything that NatureScot does. That is where we come in – we are the Young Employee Panel at NatureScot, and we run the Young Employee Network to help support our younger members of staff.
Have you ever felt curious about bats? If you’re looking to widen your conservation career skills, it’s worthwhile learning about Britain’s nocturnal flying mammals, for several reasons. There is a range of career paths open for people with bat identification and survey skills. And there are also many socially enriching experiences involved in participating in events organised to monitor and learn about these elusive and interesting creatures of the night.