Daisy Huxter is now a Project Ecologist with the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust after participating in the traineeship programme. In this blog we learn more about her experience and aspirations.
Describe your ecology journey from trainee to consultant?
What inspired you to advocate for the environment?
I was lucky enough to grow up on the Somerset Levels, with several nature reserves on my doorstep. This helped to capture my interest for the natural world from a young age. As I grew up, I knew I wanted a meaningful career where I could make a positive impact. With our planet facing ever growing challenges, it only made sense to combine this goal with my love for the environment. I am particularly interested in motivating people to take action for nature, as I believe the key to nature’s recovery is through human connection and education.
What courses/education have you taken?
I have studied FdSc Animal Management and Applied Science, BSc Zoo biology and MSc Advanced Wildlife Conservation in Practice.
How long has it taken to get to where you are today?
It has been a long journey to get where I am. I have devoted hours of my time to volunteering for a number of organisations including Natural England, the Wildlife Trusts, Wilder Woods Forest School, Sainte Luce Reserve in Madagascar, National Trust for Scotland, and Secret World Wildlife Rescue to name a few.
My paid experience has seen me working for a local council as a Conservation Officer, working as an Ecologist at an ecological consultancy, and perhaps the most pivotal role I’ve had, working as a Trainee Ecologist with the Bristol Avon Catchment Market team from Avon and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and Entrade.
The traineeship was an incredible experience, which really equipped me with the skills and confidence I needed to kickstart my career in the conservation sector. The role involved assisting in the collection of baseline survey data for potential Biodiversity Net Gain sites. As part of the programme, I created a portfolio to present all of the new biological survey and monitoring, mapping, Biodiversity Metric and report writing skills I had gained in the 6 months.
When the traineeship ended, I worked for an environmental consultancy undertaking protected species surveys all over the country, including bat, otter, water vole and great crested newt.
When a permanent position on the Nature Recovery team came up at Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, it was too good an opportunity to miss.
What are the most enjoyable elements of your role?
My favourite aspects of the role include the continuous opportunity to learn and develop, getting to spend time in nature, meeting passionate people from all walks of life coming together for the same cause, mentoring our trainees by helping to equip them with the skills required for a career in conservation, and overall satisfaction that I am helping to drive positive change not only in Wiltshire but further afield.
I particularly enjoy undertaking botanical surveys in a range of habitats. I would like to expand my knowledge of plants even further and the baseline surveys we complete for the BACM are a great opportunity for this.
What continuing professional development are you currently or planning to undertake?
I am currently undergoing training to become a Biodiversity Benchmark assessor for the Wildlife Trusts. Biodiversity Benchmark is designed to complement ISO14001 and tests the design and implementation of a business’s management systems to achieve continual biodiversity enhancement and protection on their sites.
I am also completing River Condition Assessment training. This training covers the field and desk study methods required to generate the River Condition inputs for calculating Net Gain using The Statutory Biodiversity Metric.
I have started Wilder Carbon training to become a project developer. Wilder Carbon has developed a mechanism for locking up additional carbon through restoration of native habitat via reinstatement of natural processes in the UK.
