Dear conservationist, does your conservation career feel too reactive? Let’s change that.

Dear conservatoinist,

If I could wager a bet, I’d guess that you are no stranger to a reactive lifestyle. You may have had to suddenly leave a job due to toxic management, grapple with the short stints of seasonal work, or you may have experienced a tragic environmental disaster, resulting in the loss of your study site or species. Either way, it seems as if many of us adopt the strategy of just taking whatever opportunity we can get at the time that we need it. We may think we are a bird specialist, but on a whim, we can suddenly morph into a frog expert if that’s the only job that comes our way. We may acquire a multitude of skills in a pinch, such as 4-wheel driving, mist netting or rescue diving if we need these skills to secure the next available position. Conservationists can morph, bend, stretch, and embody whoever they need to be to survive a lifetime in this tumultuous industry. We are the adaptors.

The thing about adapting though is that it’s quite an exhausting and unstable lifestyle. It can lead to you becoming whoever others need you to be, removing your own wants and needs from the equation and exposing yourself to exploitation or dangerous situations. I have heard actors talk about how sometimes they feel like objects as they are dressed, made up, and directed to perform by others. This behaviour easily lends itself to people in positions of power feeling able to take advantage of workers, as they have already been objectified in so many aspects of the work. Similarly in conservation, if we are so used to being the person that others in power need us to be, we may lose ourselves in the wants and needs of others and the industry as a whole- unsure of who we actually are and prone to mistreatment. This is why it’s so important to root yourself in your values, desires, and sense of who you are outside of just being a conservationist.

I have recently embarked on a journey to be more intentional with my career and to uncover the roots of my conservation interests and passions. In doing so, I am learning that it is easier to see red flags when you’re not being reactive. In taking any available position, it’s easy to fall into the same traps of landing in an undesirable workplace culture, sub-optimal workplace conditions or low pay. I am noticing now that a few years ago, I would have bent over backwards to please organisations with academic transcripts, commitment to brunt work, and trying hard to prove my knowledge and abilities- but now I see that those who expect these things of me are not worth working with and do not align with my values.

Recently, I received a response to an opportunity inquiry from an organisation who were very clinical and direct in their tone and who requested more evidence from me about my abilities. I was sensing the alarm bells going off in my mind about the values and culture of this business so I immediately replied with a “thanks but no thanks”. Lo and behold, in speaking to an organisation that worked with them a few days later- all of my fears with this organisation were confirmed with reports of their negative experiences. In a response by a different organisation, to the very same information about myself and opportunity inquiry, I received empathy, understanding and a full-page well-thought-out response about the options that may be available to me in return. Younger Jessie would have been happy with the first response and would have immediately rushed to get them the information they wanted, ready to bend over backwards to be good enough for them. It was an interesting experience to identify this and see how much could change with a small consideration of my own cultural needs rather than just throwing myself at the first opportunity that arose.

Being intentional has also re-gained my passion for conservation. For the past few years, I have been struggling with climate anxiety, eco-grief and the notion that Western society seems to care more about capitalism, the economy, and genocide than preserving communities and the natural spaces they occupy. However, for the first time in years, I was up the other night unable to sleep because I was struck with inspiration for new ideas, pathways to explore and contributions that I’d like to make for our world. More so, I have been able to carry that passion with me throughout the day in a way that adds resilience to my life, as I have something tangible to guide me in my decisions. In my time of reactivity, I grappled with a overbaring sense of losing control of my life, and returning to my intentions has restored a sense of control of my future. As this mindset doesn’t come second nature to me, its like living out a meditation, acknowledging the desire to fall back into a flight or fight mentality, and bringing the focus back.

I must acknowledge the challenges of intentionality here, however, as I understand and have experienced the need to act reactively to keep myself safe. In the past, I have needed to leave jobs with nothing lined up because I couldn’t wait for a well-executed plan- I just had to protect myself and get myself out of there. I also understand the challenges of switching mindsets after experiencing a lifetime in a reactive state. I tried to get out of mine by using a goals journal, speaking to experts in the field, listening to podcasts, and reading books on potential avenues for me to explore. In the end, I think it was stepping back from the reactive need to choose a life for myself that allowed me to dwell in some thinking time and get back to the roots of my passion and enjoyment in conservation. Not what others think I SHOULD be doing, not what I THINK I should be doing, but what I ACTUALLY want to be doing.

I also want to recommend stopping and reflecting on how far you have come so far. I did this for the first time years into my conservation journey and realised that I had been too busy moving forward to see what I had achieved so far. Conservationists are notoriously bad at celebrating their efforts, so maybe you can take a moment to acknowledge the skills you have, the knowledge you have gleaned and the efforts you have made. Maybe a celebratory lunch, treat or self hi-5 is in order. Aknowledging what you are capable of will help you to stay strong in advocating for yourself and to seek opportunities that will help fill in your gaps, or build on the skills you have.

So my dear conservationist, are you on a path that serves you, one that doesn’t, or one that you need to be on to survive? To be honest, I am maybe in a garden with all three paths at once- and that’s okay to be switching between. The important thing is that you know that you are on these paths and that you can get off or move between at anytime. You are in control, and not at the mercy of your career.

Jessie