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Go behind the scenes with our Policy and Advocacy Intern Aimee Seager as she tells us about her role and explores the journey she took to get into conservation.
As I look back on what I have done in my internship to date one key moment stands out to me: walking through Edinburgh towards one specific building. Which building? The Scottish Parliament Building to talk to Members of Scottish Parliament about a nature-related Bill I had coordinated Plantlife’s response for. It was my first time in Edinburgh, my first time in parliament and my first time talking to a member of parliament. I went through the airport-style security equal parts nervous and excited. I sat down with my colleagues in the parliament café with my hand-written notes in front of me ready to plan and was struck with the realisation that I was about to do some real advocacy. This is what I had wanted to do for so long. I just remember thinking ‘how did I end up here?
A lot of conservation jobs are focused on the ecological and practical aspects of this sector. Whilst I am no stranger to getting knee deep in the hands-on side of things, I knew that I wanted to try out taking my career down a different avenue. As many people will know who are in the conservation sector, that is a lot easier said than done.
I knew that I wanted to get into the policy and advocacy space. In a previous role I had been exposed to what policy work could look like and although it was not part of my job then, it made me realise that I wanted to have a go. How could being directly involved in action for nature not sound appealing? However, for someone just beginning their career, it seemed like quite an elusive and somewhat unreachable option.
My early-career journey before joining Plantlife was neither plant-based or policy related. A good start, I know. Upon finishing my Masters in Conservation Biology I landed my first internship assessing the impact of an international trade-related project. I learnt a huge amount about commodity trade, assessing project impact and working in a project environment. Following this, my next role was a short-term contract as a Research Assistant at a Spanish Research Institute. So, for the next few months I lived in Seville and went all-in on the impacts of linear infrastructure (i.e. roads, railways) on biodiversity.
Like (almost) every early-career starter in conservation, I used volunteering to boost my skills and experience. Neither of my prior two roles are directly related to policy or advocacy, despite me knowing this is something I wanted to try out. Instead, I looked for a part-time volunteer role to try and fill this curiosity gap of mine. It must have been fate or something similar because the first time I looked online for roles after this decision, I saw a volunteer role at Plantlife. I applied, was successful, and started volunteering with Plantlife as a Political Advocacy Volunteer. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. Roughly six months into my volunteering, and towards the end of my time in Spain, the Policy and Advocacy Intern role was posted. I applied, interviewed twice, completed a task and was ultimately successful.
What does policy and advocacy work look like for a conservation charity? Is it more than just talking to politicians and criticising government policies for harming nature? These are questions I asked myself as I tried to work out what my internship might entail over the Christmas before I started.
What I have come to learn is that the policy and advocacy space is quite multifaceted. Working as part of the Policy and Advocacy Team to support, plan and deliver on our work across Plantlife’s focus areas has led me to work in a variety of areas. My role is a fun mixture of everything from building relationships, event organisation, communications, research, project planning, campaign action and policy consultations and advocating to politicians. I have been lucky enough to attend a mass lobby in Westminster to talk to my MP about the importance of nature, specifically the need for a Grasslands Action Plan and legislation to ban peat sales. I also got to visit Scottish Parliament to talk to MSPs (Members of Scottish Parliament) about the Natural Environment Bill going through the Scottish Parliament at the moment.
If you’re interested in finding out more about a career at Plantlife, keep an eye on our Careers page for the latest opportunities.
I have really enjoyed seeing my work contributing to the political advocacy space for nature conservation. Despite my previous jobs not being directly related to policy, advocacy or plants and fungi, I still found them useful in working in this space. Working for the conservation and protection of nature, especially plants and fungi which are often overlooked, has been incredibly insightful.
I have found internships to be a great way to get into the conservation field and try out different aspects of it. They give me the opportunity to develop both in my career, and personally. I am the third person to fill this year-long internship role, and I feel lucky to work at an organisation like Plantlife that cares and caters to my development and the development of others in their early career. I’m also grateful to Esmée Fairbairn Foundation for funding these internships, as being able to get experience in the policy and advocacy space in my early career has been so eye opening. I feel much more confident in my work, and I am sure this opportunity will be useful in what I do next.
From citizen science, to volunteering and from making space for nature to forging a deeper connection with it – conservation is for everyone.
For a full dose of positivity take a look through our 2024 highlights. Let's revisit the amazing ways we have helped protect nature for the future this year.
The peat-rich Flow Country, which our Munsary Peatlands are part of, has been given the same standing as the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon.
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