At the Great Fen we are proud to have such a talented, visionary and motivated team of women at the helm. It’s hard to imagine taking such giant leaps forward with the UK’s first field-scale paludiculture trials, powering ahead with incredible restoration work to create essential wildlife habitats to fight biodiversity decline, and introducing hundreds of local children to the importance of caring for our environment and their mental health, without these ladies leading the charge. In honour of International Women's Day, meet some of the team and see if they can inspire you towards a career in conservation too…

Kate Carver - Great Fen Project Manager

Why did you choose a career in conservation?

I didn't always work in conservation; I came to it quite late in life. My career began working in museums and galleries, and then with the National Trust looking after collections and landscapes. It was whilst working on a beautiful 2000 acre land estate I came to realise there was little point preserving our cultural heritage if we were destroying the environment around it. I knew I needed to look for an opportunity to transition from cultural to environmental heritage. After all, if we don't preserve our planet and natural environment then simply nothing else matters!

I applied for the Project Manager role at the Great Fen about 12 years ago, realising that whilst I'd not worked specifically on this type of project before, I had a lot of transferrable skills. I am so excited to be a part of positive practical action that's making a difference to our natural landscape. The work is so inspirational and constantly full of revelations. I had no idea 15 years ago I'd have the opportunity to work with world-class scientists from UKCEH and the University of London and how passionate I'd be about peat!

Are there any female conservation heroes who inspired you?

I was already working in conservation when I read this wonderful author. Isabella L. Bird wrote A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains, all about her 19th century exploration. It's a fabulous description of the natural environment and I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in the outdoors.

The visual arts are also an inspiration to me, having worked with contemporary and historical art collections for so long. There are a lot of fantastic print makers out there, such as Carry Akroyd and Angela Harding, whose images of the natural world are just as inspirational as the written word.   

What advice would you give to other women and girls interested in a career in conservation?

It is never too late! You can come into conservation as a youngster, through the formal routes of education and qualification, but there are also a dozen other ways in. If you currently work in a different sector but have transferrable skills, put them to use. You don't have to be an expert ecologist, unless you want to be, we have those too! Conservation is such a vast canvas with so many interesting elements and it is so important. Do it!

Whilst I've very often been the only woman in a meeting, I can genuinely say that as an organisation, the Wildlife Trust is very welcoming and inclusive for women and supportive of women's careers.

Lorna Parker – Great Fen Restoration Manager

How did you get into conservation?

I've always loved being outside so decided early on, at age 16, to start working in conservation. I studied Ecology and Conservation at University and worked for the Forestry Commission and volunteered as a warden for Natural England whilst studying. After graduating, I became a Reserves Officer for the Wildlife Trust BCN, and was then promoted to Reserves Manager in Cambridgeshire. The Great Fen project was being managed from a corner of my desk, but it quickly became too big to be a side-line and I was fortunate to move into this role full-time about 8 years ago. 

I'm responsible for fundraising, bid proposals, planning, preparations and permissions to undertake the work we do, but my favourite aspect is physically making this happen on the ground. Being a part of something that will leave our planet a better place for our children. 

Have you encountered any challenges being a woman in this role?

It was difficult to be taken seriously when I first got into conservation, but whether that was to do with my age or being female, or a combination thereof, is hard to say. You can quickly break down people's initial assumptions, however. A benefit I've learned is that you soon get better at using machinery and equipment when you don't necessarily have the physical strength of some of your colleagues. On a chainsaw training course, the instructor praised my efficient technique, which I'd had to master as I didn't have the brute strength to handle the tool any other way. Having to work smarter will work in your favour. 

What advice would you give to other women and girls interested in a career in conservation?

I'd say, go for it! Why not? The world is your oyster. The industry may previously have been viewed as the remit of men with beards but this is certainly no longer the case. And don't feel you have to be outdoors to work in conservation, look into all the other ways you can support conservation. 

Nicky Hennessy – Reserves Officer

Why did you get into conservation work?

My journey into conservation was quite fluid, and continues to be so. I've always been imaginative and creative so I started with an art degree in animation and communication. Unfortunately, after graduating the roles I found myself in didn't quite tick all the boxes or spark a fire in me. I took a break in my mid-twenties and went trekking in Borneo. It was there just about everyone I met inspired me because they were all doing something they enjoyed in their careers. Taking a moment to reflect, I realised I felt happiest being outside and in nature, and was eager to find and create a career path that allowed me to incorporate those components. I'm proudest when I see others are just as inspired and supported to develop their career in the direction they want.

I returned to study as a mature full-time student in Ecology & Conservation at Anglia Ruskin University where the quality of the teaching and enthusiasm of the faculty was amazing. Following from this, I secured a job as a Science Technician at a secondary school because working term-time allowed me to use the ‘holidays’ to develop practical ecology experiences and knowledge base. The technician role also allowed me to initiate some exciting projects with the students, including starting Eco Club and creating an outside learning zone. I discovered I really enjoyed engaging people in the science and environmental processes and showing how it all connects. 

Further on, an opportunity to be part of a long-term animal behaviour research project in Tanzania, as research assistant. This gave further opportunities to develop my survey skills and deepen my interest in the natural world. On returning to the UK I completed a Masters in Environmental Forestry at Bangor University. It was in North Wales I was given the opportunity to volunteer in Conwy County as a Reserve Warden and find my love for the practical and construction side of the work, even the challenge of getting fence posts into slate! I liked seeing the effect my work was having and inviting the public to come and enjoy it too.

I first joined the Great Fen as a Voluntary Officer, then moved to Northamptonshire as Reserves Officer. I was missing the Fen and I'm delighted to be back as a Reserve Officer, at the forefront of practical habitat management and on such a forward-thinking project. 

Are there any female conservation heroes who inspired you?

All the women I work with! They've shown me that it's possible. But especially the lady who gave me that first practical opportunity back in Conwy County, Lesley Lawson. She's an incredible person and I'll always be grateful for the expertise and support she shared. 

What advice would you give to other women and girls interested in a career in conservation?

When I was at school in the late 80’s, early 90’s, certain career choices were still seen as more traditionally male. I'd have loved to have studied the practical subjects further, carpentry, engineering or mechanics, but those weren't really encouraged as an option. I didn't know girls could have a practical career in countryside management, or that countryside management was even a ‘thing’.

There are more women in conservation management than ever and at the Wildlife Trust BCN the practical reserve team is a great mix. It's not about having physical strength, you look at your resources and use them efficiently. Remember your physics lessons and harness those levers and fulcrums to make light work of the heavy lifting.

My advice would be that if you're at all interested, to talk to people, just pick up the phone and ask us questions. We all want to help each other. It's flattering when people ask for your help!

Rebekah O’Driscoll – Communities and Wildlife Officer

Why did you get into a career in conservation?

I've always been massively interested in the environment. As a child, Mum would always be keen to get us out, to the local woods and on walks. But I never knew it was a career option. Instead I settled into admin-type roles and it wasn't until my twenties that I realised I could do something else. 

I started volunteering for the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Welney and it was here I discovered there could be a route into conservation for me. I was advised to get a degree, so at 26 I headed back into education and got a degree in Conservation Biology. Can I be honest and say, whilst it was fascinating to learn, it's not really been a great deal of help career-wise, other than a tick in the box on the CV! Of much more importance, I've found, was the practical experience. I completed a year's placement at Welney and after graduating joined the RSPB Ouse Washes as a Stock Person, scared everyday I was going to die on a quad bike but determined to make it through the summer! Then I travelled around to Scotland and the Peak District on moss surveys and later joined Paxton Pits as a warden.

It was at Welney that I had met Jon Smith, who had since become Restoration Officer at the Great Fen and where he remained until his untimely passing. He heard there was a seasonal warden position available at Woodwalton Fen National Nature Reserve, working with the incredible Alan Bowley, and he recommended I apply. I will always be grateful for Jon’s encouragement and inspiration which gave me the push I needed. I was successful and luckily the contract kept getting extended so I learned more and more from Alan.  After that I joined the lottery funded landscape project, Breaking New Ground in Suffolk, working on coordinating the project partners and delivery, until my son Aidan was born. 

Have you encountered any challenges being a woman in this role?

I found returning to conservation challenging as a parent, as a mum. The antisocial hours and travelling for surveys weren't compatible with family life anymore and I fell back into general admin roles. I was toying around with the idea of forest school training, when the position of Communities and Wildlife Manager came up at the Great Fen. It was an ideal role, marrying my need to be working on something of environmental value with my new responsibilities at home. I was so excited to be a part of it, having seen from my time with Natural England at Woodwalton Fen, what an amazing project it could be. This position revealed how much I would love the education and communities side of things so I've now moved into a new opportunity, leading the delivery of our new Peatland Progress project. I'm working with wonderful new partners such as YPCS and The Kite Trust, and learning more and more about how nature can unlock the potential in young people and help them thrive. It's so important to be inspiring the next generation to protect our environment. 

Are there any female conservation heroes who inspired you?

Michaela Strachan on The Really Wild Show! And the legendary Jane Goodall. I read about her at University and her dedication was inspirational. She gave me the belief I could also devote my whole life to making a difference. And I hope, even if I'm not setting up camp in a remote forest on the other side of the world, I am making that difference in our local environment, to our local endangered species and to our local communities. 

What advice would you give to other women and girls interested in a career in conservation?

Try out as many volunteer roles as you can. Conservation is such a wide sector, take the time to figure out what it is specifically you are really interested in. It could be monitoring, practical work, education, office-based. Get as much experience and self-development as you can. Unless you really want to get a degree, I stand by it being more valuable to get practical experience and internships, wherever in the world that takes you. And remember, you don't have to be in the field and getting muddy. Organisations like the Wildlife Trust have roles in every area, and every single team member is essential in supporting the conservation effort.