Entering the World of NEYEDC

Starting out in the world of conservation can be incredibly daunting. With so many people wishing for a career in the environment sector, securing a job is a worry that all aspiring ecologists, conservationists, researchers, or data scientists can relate to.

As the second least diverse sector globally, this is even more difficult for some than others. Those who are unable to sacrifice a large portion of the working week to unpaid work or deal with large university debts are excluded from the job market. Alongside this, the level of competition can be off-putting to those who lack confidence or don’t share commonalities with others in the field. This isn’t just a disservice to these groups, but by limiting the pool of people who can access the industry we deprive the field of innovation and different ways of thinking. If you want to read more on this take a look here, here, and here.

The New to Nature scheme, through which I have landed my first job as an Assistant Ecological Data Officer at NEYEDC (North and East Yorkshire Ecological Data Centre), sets out to tackle some of these issues of inaccessibility and lack of representation. The scheme organised by Groundwork, is designed to encourage young people from ethnically diverse backgrounds, at an economic disadvantage, or suffering from disabilities into roles within the environmental industry.

Enjoying the wonders of UK temperate rainforest

Being brought up by my Mum, a first-generation immigrant from India, I grew up hearing tales of pythons swallowing goats, the time she saw a tiger climbing on the roof of her house, and guava and mangoes hanging down from the trees. Connection with the seasons and environment around you is totally unavoidable in India. The rains are desperately awaited to replenish crops, restore water supply, and lower temperatures. The monsoon season transforms dry and dusty ground to wet and luscious vegetation with armies of frogs and birds taking to the airways and roads, a transformation that humans, animals, plants, and all life depend on. In India you have no choice but to notice the living things around you, as you take care at night not to step on a spider, snake or an unfurling centipede the size of your arm. This intrinsic involvement with the natural world cultivates a connection with nature, and results in people feeling they are part of the natural world not merely observing it. Inspired and amazed by the tales told to me as a child, I have always been curious about the world around me and have learnt to find wonder in the plants and creatures of our less exotic UK climate.

Whilst studying I picked a broad range of modules, covering chemistry, genetics, maths and programming, feeling unsure of where I wanted to take my career. The one thing I avoided was ecology and conservation modules, instinctively feeling I couldn’t battle it out in such a notoriously competitive market. After spending many years pondering what my next step would be I realised that conservation was my dream job and avoiding it out of fear of rejection wasn’t getting me anywhere. I found it difficult to get going, spending the years following my graduation working as a commercial gardener, a gardening teacher at a school, and in hospitality, trying to squeeze in volunteering when I could. Time spent working outdoors as a gardener reaffirmed my desire to work in conservation. Whilst I loved to work surrounded by the hum of birds and insects, I hated spraying weedkiller, pulling out wildflowers and filling pots with bedding plants covered in pesticides. Once I asked the head gardener the name of a weed that I had heard could be used as natural fertiliser and was met with the response “it’s a weed, they don’t have names.” I am delighted to have made the first step in a career where weeds are unanimously appreciated, and I am supported to go and learn the names of as many weeds as I can!

Throughout the year, I plan to share my experiences, as a new arrival on the scene and to document what I learn. I hope that by sharing my thoughts and feelings about starting out in the field, I will be able to give confidence to others. Aside from the difficulties in getting a job in the first place, once starting a career it can be easy to feel overwhelmed - many of my peers taking part in the scheme have mentioned imposter syndrome and anxiety during the first few weeks of their placement. For me, as I haven’t covered much ecology in my studies, there has been lots that was totally new to me. At times in the first few weeks, it was difficult to follow the conversations of some of my colleagues as the sheer number of acronyms used can be hard to get your head round (e.g. LWS, SSSI, SPA, SAC, SINC, BNG, LNRS, BRC, NBN…)! I also found the complexity of relationships with different organisations very confusing, having hardly heard of an LERC (Local Environmental Record Centre – of which NEYEDC is one of many), before I came across this job. When thinking of the organisations involved in the sector, it is easy to think of government bodies and large charities (e.g. Natural England and The Wildlife Trust), but there are so many others working to connect these parts together, and all are navigating a complex landscape of underfunding and competition for resources.

Throughout my placement, I will attempt to summarise and explore some of the things I’ve learnt and share knowledge through this blog, in the hopes that it might make it easier for others about to take their first step into a new career. Some of the topics I am planning to cover are beginners botany, Local Wildlife Sites (and other site designations), Biodiversity Net Gain, data flows and more. Watch this space …

If you are interested to chat with me about any of the topics mentioned or to learn more about NEYEDC please don’t hesitate to contact me at seebra.young@neyedc.org.uk.

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Entering the World of NEYEDC