Our Nature Reserves Team

Woman using brush-cutter equipment to cut long grass in a field by Lauren Roberts

Brush-cutting by Lauren Roberts

working for Worcestershire Wildlife Trust

Areas of work

Developing and implementing management plans for the Trust’s nature reserves.
Undertaking practical management and monitoring tasks on nature reserves.
Organising and supervising volunteer work parties and local volunteer groups.
Liaising and co-ordinating with local landowners and contractors.
Engaging with members of the public who use the nature reserves.
Communicating with governmental and non-governmental environmental agencies.

Skills	Chainsaw licence Able to use specialist mapping software (GIS/Mapinfo and CMSi)
Knowledge	Good wildlife species identification skills Good understanding of ecology and land management Good knowledge and understanding of relevant legislation
Experience	Usually two to four years in a relevant role Managing contractor Preparing/delivering budget Planning and running meetings
Personal qualities	Practically minded

Case Study: Dominique Cragg, Western Reserves Officer

I never really had a plan (and still don’t) of what I wanted to do, I just wanted to do something worthwhile and be happy doing it. Throughout school, I chose subjects that I enjoyed and found interesting but left with no idea of what to do next.

Two things then happened: I discovered that I could do a Higher National Diploma in Animal Welfare and Management at Pershore College and I realised that, unknowingly, I'd always loved being around nature and it was a very important part of my life.

I wasn’t ready for the world of university so did two years of college before merging with the third-year students at the University of Worcester on their BSc Animal Biology, finishing with a First Class Honours degree and my diploma but still very unsure of what to do next.

I had really enjoyed the nature conservation module so contacted Worcestershire Wildlife Trust about volunteering with them. I liked the idea of doing species surveys so began to teach myself bird identification by doing weekly visits to Wilden Marsh SSSI and started volunteering on their practical conservation work parties. Doing this gave me enough experience to be accepted onto the Trust’s 12-month Conservation Assistant placement, which ended up being the busiest, most eye-opening and the most fantastic nature journey I could have imagined; it set me on course to where I am today.

I carried on volunteering for the Trust in every department I could whilst working part-time at Worcestershire Biological Records Centre and Worcestershire Wildlife Consultancy. I also went back to the University of Worcester to do a Research Masters in Ecology and Environmental Management.

An opportunity to become a permanent part of the WWT reserves team came up shortly after I’d finished my Masters and although I felt that I still had a lot to learn, I was willing to do so and ended up getting the job!