Claire VanStaveren
Working as an independent Japanese knotweed surveyor alongside a role in higher education, Claire enrolled on the PostgraduateĀ Certificate in Ecological Survey Techniques to build on her knowledge with a view to securing a career in conservation.
‘Before I enrolled in the PostgraduateĀ Certificate in Ecological Survey Techniques, I was working as an independent Japanese knotweed surveyor, alongside a role in the higher education sector.
‘I have always loved learning about and being in nature. My academic background is in environmental politics, but I decided I wanted to move into a career in conservation, where I felt I could make a more immediate, hands-on difference to protecting the environment in the face of climate breakdown. This Postgraduate Certificate was the best course I found that could help me build the practical, applied skills I needed to start moving towards making my working life meaningful in this way.
‘Because I hadnāt come from a scientific academic background, I had to work hard to build my knowledge of some of the fundamental ecological science basics, ahead of starting the first vegetation surveying module. Also, I always assumed I didnāt have a head for statistics, so overcoming that self-limitation and getting to grips with the stats module was an incredibly worthwhile challenge.
‘The field project was by far the most rewarding part of the course. I studied the ecological impact of Japanese knotweed on the habitat quality of an urban river in my city. While it wasnāt the most cutting-edge research ever undertaken, it was so exciting to see my plans come to fruition and to have a solid piece of evidence to showcase all my hard work. The outcomes of my study accorded with a lot of other research on invasive species, which was very edifying. I also spent a lot of time observing knotweed during the many (many) hours I spent at the river, which has helped inform how I approach management recommendations in my consultancy role. Iām also just very grateful to have had the chance to build a relationship with my local river and watershed. This isnāt something I would normally have had the quality time to do outside of the field project. Having the chance to be present and observant ā seeing the river change through the seasons and becoming familiar with its resident species ā was very special.
‘I am still working as an independent Japanese knotweed surveyor. I also work in digital publishing at the Office for National Statistics, so the time I spent getting to grips with statistical testing has certainly been an asset to my role here! I am considering an MSc as the next step in my gradual move into a conservation career.
‘Iād highly recommend the PostgraduateĀ Certificate in Ecological Survey Techniques ā it is a brilliant career-building course for anyone looking to firm up their applied skills, or to learn entirely new ones. The course is taught by academics and ecology professionals who not only come with a wealth of knowledge and experience, but are just as excited by kingfishers and spiders as you are. Just make sure you have enough time to dedicate to it; I found it comparable to my MA, in terms of workload and time spent.’