What’s it like to work at Wild Solutions?
As the ecology team at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, our Advisors at Wild Solutions have the opportunity to make a real difference to nature conservation in Derbyshire, working on a range of exciting and innovative conservation projects, from habitat surveys to large-scale biodiversity strategies. Our close-knit team work collaboratively, sharing knowledge, ideas and resources to ensure we are providing expert advice and delivering impactful work to achieve landscape-scale conservation. As we continue to develop, our team will continue to expand – if you are an ecologist who is looking to work in a positive and fulfilling role, then keep an eye out on our Jobs page and DWTs social platforms for upcoming career opportunities. If you are interested in finding out more about what it is like to work with us, read Issy’s story below about her career at DWT.
Nature Recovery Advisor – Issy
My Role
I started at the Trust in February 2022 as a trainee in the team which gave me the opportunity I needed to get my foot in the door in the conservation sector, as well as to learn skills on the job in a practical setting. Shadowing and working with a number of colleagues gave me the advantage of seeing multiple perspectives and different learning experiences. I had the opportunity to be involved with numerous different projects throughout the traineeship, from habitat surveys, woodland creation and management plans, water vole, reptile and great crested newt surveys, habitat monitoring and much more.
Since becoming an Advisor I help to manage and deliver projects for a range of clients, including local landowners, local councils, corporate partners, Natural England, and other charities. This year I have completed habitat and botanical surveys on a wide range of sites, qualified to condition assess rivers, and surveyed peat and butterflies, to name a few. I’ve helped lead a team to complete peat and vegetation surveys for Natural England up on Kinder Scout over more than 10 days this summer – hard work but the most amazing opportunity to spend time with nature in the Peak District!
The Team
The team collaboratively have surveyed over 80 Local Wildlife Sites over the summer, covering a range of habitats that have been designated for being valuable to the local ecology. The whole team love these surveys, as you get to see some very special corners of the county. We’ve also been working on a project looking at applying nature-based solutions and promoting ecosystem services across the Derwent Living Forest, creating woodland and natural flood management interventions. Our corporate clients have kept us busy with plenty of botanical, breeding bird and pollinator surveys on their sites, and we have provided small businesses and private landowners with land management advice tailored to their land. We have a busy summer season completing surveys and spending our time over the winter focussing on report writing and planning for the next year.
We get to work in beautiful places across the county and are lucky enough to work in a huge variety of special habitats as a result of the interesting and varied geology in Derbyshire (as well as the occasional trip outside the county to nearby Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire). As our work is so incredibly varied it means that we have a huge range of skills and expertise within the team.
Our team is super welcoming and friendly, and you always know that there’s help on hand if you need it. We have weekly meetings to catch up and talk through what we’re working on, which gives the opportunity to collaborate and have input from a number of people with different experiences. We also do ‘Bake Off’ (not competitively!) which means we start most weeks with cake shared amongst the team!
Ancient Woodland Surveys across the county
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
We are integrated within Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and work closely with all the other teams to work towards the Trust’s goals and strategy. I feel very connected with the Trust’s goals and love that it is an ambitious organisation, full of forward-thinking people driving for change and a better future for all.
We all ensure that we make the most of our annual training budget which helps fund attendance on courses as well as to take time to learn from expert colleagues within the Trust.
Nature Recovery Advice Trainee - Amy
Since starting my traineeship at Wild Solutions, I have gained valuable knowledge in a variety of wildlife surveys, and ecological report writing. I’ve been able to improve my species identification skills, particularly in botany, and have been lucky enough to have attended multiple training courses to aid my learning. Most of my time in the summer has been spent outside, assisting on a variety of surveys, and supporting the team whilst enhancing my skills. Each week is completely different and offers exciting opportunities to work across beautiful and fascinating landscapes in Derbyshire.
Want to get involved? Check out our current job vacancies -> Jobs | Derbyshire Wildlife Trust