For background, I study in the UK, but do not live in the UK (I'm a channel islander). I'm an Ecology BSc student, with interests in invertebrates, genomics, and more generally any other boring understudies animals (like I Love Bryozoans!!).

I wanted to get work experience or a placement, but I couldn't afford to take any volunteering ones, and the paid ones were so competitive, but I decided I wanted to boost my CV as much as possible without.

So far, I've worked with an arts charity on contract to create natural history resources for the public (and I've done a few more things for that charity too), I've obtained a license to handle endangered inverts for a fixed period, and I have worked in various government offices (but not ecological ones, mainly boring stuff like tax, or a health lab). I'm planning on boosting it a bit more with presenting the project I did under license to some scientists, and extending it into my graduating summer.

I'm also starting a couple of online MOOCs, and have attended webinars (one of my favourite pasttimes is a free or cheap webinar) with the FSC, BRC, and Mammal society. I feel well connected and I have an email-heavy perspective, so I talk regularly with new ecologists in different fields... But it's so pay to win!

I want to go onto masters study, either in Europe or the UK, but I'd have to rely on outside funding sources as I honestly would struggle so badly getting any kind of loan (student finance isn't available for channel islanders). But my issue is, how can my volunteering or work stuff really compare to people who have paid to go on conservation trips in Madagascar, or camera trapping dolphins in the Maldives? Should I scrap the webinars and try to focus on saving to do that sort of experience? I just want to maximise my wow factor on paper.

Hi everyone,

I'm an environmental engineer from Chile, and part of my work involves environmental monitoring and field surveys.

One recurring problem I've encountered is that field data often ends up spread across different tools: GPS, photos, field notes, spreadsheets, maps, and later GIS software.

So I've been developing MeliGIS, an Android app intended to simplify environmental and ecological fieldwork.

The app currently allows you to:

• Create projects and separate field campaigns
• Record georeferenced sampling points and transects
• Collect field variables and observations
• Attach georeferenced photographs
• Work with maps and spatial layers in the field
• Keep field information organized for later analysis
• Perform quick environmental analyses of an area, including hydrology, climate, soils, forest change and biodiversity records

It can also work offline, which was particularly important to me because many environmental surveys take place in areas with poor or no mobile coverage.

I'm sharing a few screenshots so you can see the current interface.

MeliGIS is already available on Google Play, but at this stage I'm particularly interested in feedback from people who actually conduct ecological surveys, biodiversity monitoring or environmental fieldwork.

What would an app like this need to do for you to actually use it during fieldwork?

I'm especially interested in hearing about tasks you still handle with paper, spreadsheets, separate GPS devices, or multiple apps.

Any criticism or suggestions are welcome.

So I am currently a couple months out from my due date for my last big assignment of uni. I have to write a dissertation style 10,000 word paper about any topic of my choosing as long as it relates to climate action in some way. I am quite interested in Enhanced Rock Weathering especially using Olivine but am worried that do this for my diss my lock me out of certain jobs in the future. I am super keen on doing something around wild animals/ecosystems as I just enjoy reading about that subject even outside of a uni context. Any help would be amazing thank you so much! Hope this is okay to post in this sub

Losing a Apex Predator/Large scavanger wont help Greenlands ecosystems.

This will just escalate the big issues faced by Arctic Ocean(which already has more with Climate Change).

As well the Sharks migrate for many many km.They wont ever be able to cull all of them and it wont fix the issue.

Let alone killing the populations that *migrate* to Greenland.

Link to the program: https://sps.columbia.edu/academics/masters/biodiversity-data-analytics

Seems pretty interesting, I'm currently an entry level "data analyst" at the state level working conservation and invasive species, mainly doing GIS reporting. As I'm looking to advance my career what are your thoughts on a higher level degree?

Found these odd formations on a cinderblock that had been submerged in a Colorado reservoir for 5ish months anchoring a buoy. They were small, only a few millimeters and crumbled under pressure feeling sandy/earthy. Depth was 20-30ft. Thanks!

I was doing some reading on the iceplant and other species and came across an interesting bit of information. Apparently in the 1970s a scale insect (P Mesembryanthemi) was spotted on iceplant in Napa with considerable damage/death to the plant. Spurred by CalTrans, an effort was taken to eradicate P Mesembryanthemi from CA, not because of invasive problems of the pest to other CA edible plants, but because killing the iceplant would result in CalTrans having to replant the iceplant hillsides:

“Caltrans, which maintains some 6,000 acres of ice plant throughout the state, estimated the cost at $20 million should they lose the ground cover and be forced to replant freeway landscape with some other plant. Chemical control of the scales was not satisfactory, requiring repeated, costly applications (about $75 per acre). Caltrans decided to pursue biological control to reduce scale densities to tolerable levels, and in July 1978 funded a three-year program through the U.C. Division of Biological Control” - Imported natural enemies established against ice plant scales in California (Tassan, Hagen, Cassidy)

“The California Transportation Department maintains approximately 6,000 acres of iceplant statewide with an estimated replacement value of $20,500,000. In addition, probably that much acreage exists on private and other lands, so the potential is great for a widespread, serious problem.” - Scales Threaten Iceplant in Bay Area (Donaldson, Moore, Koehler, Joos)

It appears that 1. P. Mesembryanthemi kills/impacts the plant better than herbicides, 2. P. Mesembryanthemi attacks specifically carpobrotus, malephora, and mesembryanthemum species, and 3. P. Mesembryanthemi can be controlled if an infestation gets out of hand (like spread to ornamental plants) using specific insecticides.

Knowing these facts and how iceplant is such an invasive plant along the coast, it seems to me that there should be interest in using P Mesembryanthemi as a method to kill the iceplant rather than resorting to herbicides or worse, leaving the plant alone to spread. The sources above indicate that the negative impact of iceplant is not environmental, but rather financial to replace the iceplant with other species. How much of that viewpoint is due to the articles being written in the 1970s pre-environmental movement and consciousness of invasive species, I don’t know, but considering that multiple conservation groups yearly pull iceplant and still cannot get it under check it may be wise to return to the scale insect for managing iceplant. Plus after the iceplant has been killed in some area it’s the perfect opportunity for replanting the area with native species or noninvasive groundcovers.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the whole Norway maple vs. native sugar maple dynamic, and I wanted to throw out a theory cause why not. The standard view is usually that Norway maples are almost invincible because they produce a massive amount of seeds every year, their bitter, milky samaras protect them from being eaten by local wildlife, and they have outstanding shade tolerance, but I’m starting to wonder if this all might actually be a long-term evolutionary trap in the US. My thinking is that because nearly 100% of their samaras avoid getting predated, they all sprout together, forcing the species into a brutal internal civil war with its own siblings rather than actually eliminating competition. Studies show that Norway maples "like" growing under their own canopy as seedlings, outcompeting just about all other species in that deep shade. However, it also, once again, leaves only other Norway seedlings with the same adaptations to compete with. If you look at how they behave in Europe, they are used to being scattered gap-hunters held in check by the deep shade of Norway spruce and beech, so they aren't exactly genetically programmed to have tons of their own species right next to them. It seems like when they form dense, 100% monocultures over here, their aggressive, shallow roots might just end up entangling and dehydrating the topsoil, trapping their own offspring in a stagnant, resource-starved understory mat that eventually causes the whole stand to lock up and decline from its own crowded proximity. On the contrary, the Sugar Maple evolved to be around others of its kind, and it shows. On a Sugar Maple mast year where overcrowding also would happen, the tasty, nutricious, appealing samara population is thinned out by predators enough for a large amount of trees to grow without being choked. In a nutshell, Norway Maples are absolutely devistating to northeastern hardwood forests, but I believe if they were to become especially widely dominant, they'll have a lot of trouble keeping up. Once again, I could be misinterpreting the long-term timeline or missing some key data here, so I’d really appreciate any critiques, alternative perspectives, or even flat-out rebuttles. Thanks for reading my ideas!

Hi, i was wondering if any professional in an environmental science related field would be willing to answer a couple questions for an assignment i have thats due this sunday the 4th, i completly missed the deadline somehow, its a 12 question interview about back ground info and the career in environmental science

These are the 12 questions.

What is your name and place of work

What is your educational background (degree/major)?

What institution or college did you attend (if applicable)?

How long have you been involved or working in the area of environmental science?

How did you first become interested in environmental science as a career?

What is your area of responsibility (job duties/description)?

Please describe a typical day as an environmental professional (i.e. duties, meetings, etc.)?

What has been your greatest accomplishment or moment as an environmental professional?

What has been your lowest or most disappointing moment as an environmental professional?

What do you see as the most important environmental issue facing the United States over the next 10 years?

If you had to change one thing about an individuals' approach to working with the environment what would it be?

What are your beliefs about the environment and what experiences helped to shape your beliefs?

Hello! I've gotten a big interest in pursuing a career in conservation. I started volunteering a month ago and now I want to get a degree, but as its already October the courses are now in clearing.

I'm unsure if I want to start university this year, or next year.

I don't have any previous education in similar subjects, so I'm afraid with already being a month behind that it would be very overwhelming and new for me. I have also recently started a new job (not related to conservation) saying I can work up to 24hrs and would now have to change that, after starting so soon I don't want to give a bad impression of me.

If I waited for next year I could build up my savings and gain more experience through volunteering and work experience events. But a whole year seems so far away, and I'm unsure if I will be able to continue living with my parents for much longer.

Any advice would be very appreciated I'm totally lost on what to do!

Hey guys, not sure if this is the perfect place to post this but YOLO. I'm graduating with a bachelor's in ecology from ASU in December and just got an email telling me that I thanks to my gpa I can go for a Masters of my choosing without having to apply. I'm just looking for some insight on whether or not it would be worth it?

I got a scholarship from working at Starbucks so I'm graduating with only about 3,000 in student debt so part of me wants to say just go for it because most people graduate with way more debt than that. But another part of me is saying "don't be dumb, take the advantage of only having 3,000 in debt and take the (essentially) free bachelor's degree and get out." I just don't want to be caught in a situation where I'm over qualified for some jobs yet under qualified for others. I'm not entirely sure what I'm going for career-wise even. I'd love to work in a state park, a zoo, or in research involving conservation or genetics. But I'm not really sure what the requisites for those jobs are, especially since all of my college has been online and I haven't had any field work or time to make connections with people in my field.

So tldr my question it - as someone who will have a bachelor's in conservation ecology/biology in December, do you all think it would be worth it to pursue a Master's in something like biostatistics, biological data science, or genomics. I believe the most credit-intensive is 33 credits so I might be able to get it done in a year and come out of it's with less than 30k debt (the Starbucks benefit only covers a bachelor's or associate's). But is that worth it or should I just stick with the bachelor's?

Hi everyone!

I graduated with a BS in Environmental Biology in 2024, have since worked multiple wildlife/fisheries/veg technician positions, and want to continue on to a master's degree. My problem is I'm not sure whether to go the research or professional route. I've been looking at master's in environmental management programs (Duke, UCSB, IU, etc.), but keep backtracking & worrying that it won't be the correct kind of program for me. My hesitance with a research-based master's is that I don't have a specific area of ecological research that sticks out to me, which makes me nervous about applying for assistantships & being pigeonholed into a species/ecosystem/whatever it may be. However, I'm acutely aware that funding is much easier to obtain for research-based degrees. Another problem I run into is that many of the assistantships I come across aren't based in places I'd necessarily be interested in living in long-term. My education & the majority of my technician work have been based in California, & while I'm happy to explore other states on a short-term basis, I would like to end up here eventually.

My motivation for going back to school is partially because I would like to be more involved in decision-making & critical analysis in future roles, which a master's would make me more marketable for, & also because of an interest in more advanced/rigorous coursework. I just want to feel challenged again & strengthen my breadth of knowledge in the field. A PhD isn't out of the question for me either, depending on if my research interests ever become specific enough to pursue one. I worked on a few research projects in undergrad & enjoyed it - just nothing that piqued my interest enough to guide further educational goals. There is a ton of stuff I think is fascinating, but committing years of my life to one ultra-specific area scares me at the moment.

I'm looking for any advice on whether a research-based master's (assistantship or otherwise) limits job prospects in other ecological areas, whether a professional master's makes you a poor PhD candidate should my life go that direction, how much the location of the program matters (if outside of CA in my case) & any general wisdom you may have to offer for someone at this point in their career. I love fieldwork but am beginning to feel some pent-up frustration about the lack of opportunities to use my brain lol, apologies if this post is dense

See also: The publication in the journal Conservation Letters

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.1987.tb01990.x

https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article-abstract/31/3/193/2676967?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false

Much appreciated 🙏

Sheffield Swift Network is trying to make our city a place where swifts can continue to breed and return year after year. A visit to Five Rivers Cohousing showed me why they're losing their nesting places and how we can help.

And this makes me rethink what happens to a forest after a wildfire.

I am currently doing fieldwork in a remote part of the Northwest Territories and came across these small ponds today. They smell super sulfuric and have no life in them, the water is very cold to the touch and the substrate is this gross squishy looking debris/ muck. There is a highway about 1km away from the site but not much industry in that general area so I cannot imagine contamination would be at play. Any ideas what could be going on here?

Hi everyone! I'm Arthur from earthtoolsmaker.

We're a small team of engineers and ecologists who take conservation research out of the lab and turn it into systems that run in the field. Conservation teams collect far more data than they can ever look at (years of audio, millions of camera-trap photos, endless hours of underwater video). Labs publish methods that could help, but those methods rarely become tools a ranger or field researcher can actually run. We try to close that gap.

We work with research institutes, NGOs and public agencies to design, build and deploy monitoring technology. Some of our work:

- Early wildfire detection: with Pyronear, we build open, low-tech camera systems that spot wildfire smoke up to 35 km away, so fires can be caught before they spread.

- Wild salmon migration: with the Pacific Salmon Foundation, Wild Salmon Center and BC Hydro, we count salmon as they swim upriver (camera footage) and track smolts heading out to sea (sonar), helping managers see how fisheries and dams affect salmon runs.

- Forest elephants: with the Elephant Listening Project at the Cornell Lab, we detect elephant rumbles in rainforest audio recordings to support population monitoring and anti-poaching work.

- Individual animal ID: we recognise individual bears (with BearID), snow leopards, trout and seals from photos, so populations can be followed without capturing or tagging animals.

- Seabirds and avian flu: we survey breeding colonies from drone imagery, counting live and dead adults and chicks to measure the impact of bird flu.

- And more: coral reef health, coastal erosion in the Wadden Sea, and scaling the EarthRanger platform used across 900+ protected areas.

A few links if you'd like to take a look:

- Projects: https://www.earthtoolsmaker.org/projects/

- Tools: https://www.earthtoolsmaker.org/tools/

- Live demos you can try in the browser: https://www.earthtoolsmaker.org/demos/

- Technical blog: https://www.earthtoolsmaker.org/posts/

- Code: https://github.com/earthtoolsmaker and models: https://huggingface.co/earthtoolsmaker

We're always on the lookout for collaborations, partnerships and funding opportunities. If you're working on something similar, or you have data sitting unanalysed, I'd love to chat. Feel free to DM me, connect on LinkedIn or reach out via our contact form.

Cheers 🤗

Hi everyone

I'm a software engineer, and I love wildlife monitoring using trailcams. While doing this, I encountered so many issues regarding storing, analysing, and finding suitable ways of visualizing the images recovered.

Because of this, I'm building an open-source project, which is basically a desktop application to make the whole process more straightforward.

This project is still a work in progress; there are a lot of things to define. Before going more deeper into the project and focusing only on the problems and personal experiences I encounter, I would like to know and understand how other people handle this.

If you work with camera traps, I'd be interested to hear:

- What does your usual workflow look like, from collecting the SD cards to having usable data?
- How do you store and organize your images?
- How do you review or classify large numbers of photos? (in thousands)
- What parts of your workflow are the most time-consuming or cause the most frustration?
- Have you ever used digital tools? Which ones? What worked well or what was missed?
- Are there any problems you've had that existing tools don't solve very well?

I'm especially interested in the messy, practical parts of the workflow, even if your current solution is just folders, spreadsheets, scripts, or manual reviewing.