Women in science

by Molly Jones

To celebrate Women in Science Day we share a blog post by Farming and Nature trainee, Molly Jones.

I am currently a Farming and Nature trainee with the North Pennines AONB Partnership, working on the Tees-Swale: naturally connected programme. This is my first paid job within conservation, and it’s been an exciting and diverse 10 months so far. I spent the summer surveying upland hay meadows and undertaking bee walks and the winter tree planting, getting wet on peat bogs, data crunching and planning for next year’s activities.

Tees-Swale is a major natural heritage programme focusing on the landscape and communities of Upper Teesdale and Upper Swaledale. One of the things I like most about Tees-Swale is the farmer-led approach and collaborating with other conservation organisations, landowners and volunteers. The shared learning has really helped to boost my knowledge and skills.

I have always been inquisitive about the world around me, particularly wildlife, habitats, and their interactions. My interest was sparked as a child, enjoying walks in the countryside, and joining my dad (a vet) on farm visits. I followed my passion by studying Biology and Geography at school and went on to study Human Geography and Environment at the University of York. One module that took my interest looked at our food system in the UK. This made me think more about how our food is produced and the people involved in that process. Soon after, I began taking an interest in understanding the relationships between people and their place.

A traineeship in Farming and Nature seemed like the ideal opportunity for me. I get so much enjoyment from connecting with people and sharing my learning journey. I have worked with a variety of people; seed collecting with volunteer botanists, delivering education sessions with school children, and learning from and with farmers who know the land like the back of their hand. I have been able to deepen my knowledge and experience in habitat surveying, flora and fauna identification, recording data and GIS mapping. I have also learnt practical skills such as rights of way maintenance. I am looking forward to building upon these important field skills in my next role.

I feel very lucky to have spent so much of my time in a precious, beautiful landscape. From a young age, I can remember saying I could never do a 9-5 office job, and years later, I still stand by that. I see working in conservation as a great link between people and place and I relish the thought that my work plays a part in ensuring that our environment is appreciated, preserved, and enhanced.

This traineeship has been a great start to my career within conservation. However, these opportunities are rare, and competition is often tough so getting experience really helps. During university, I volunteered at a local environmental centre, local wildlife trust, and the city council’s environment department. I believe that this helped me to secure my place as a trainee. It gave me an insight into conservation, knowledge of the sector, built my confidence and, made me realise that this is the right career choice for me.

Occasionally I felt out of place, especially when I didn’t know how to use certain equipment or tools, but I soon realised that everyone must start somewhere. I have learnt that there is no right path in life – and most certainly not in your career. My advice to anyone who is thinking about working in the conservation sector is to find some voluntary experience and to get exposure. Meet lots of people, ask lots of questions and you will soon work out if it’s the right profession for you. Put yourself out there and make sure you get involved with everything.

I hope to continue working in conservation, alongside farmers and landowners so I can further my learning, whilst engaging and educating others, including other young women.

The North Pennines AONB Partnership and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority are working together to deliver Tees-Swale: naturally connected. This five-year natural heritage programme is funded primarily by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Tees-Swale puts farmers and land managers at the forefront of nature recovery in the nationally important landscapes of Upper Teesdale and Upper Swaledale.