Conservation With Kate: 2018

I get asked this question all the time. How did you get into conservation? Why conservation? How do I get into conservation??

A career in conservation is really hard to kick-start, or to land in general. There aren't a lot of jobs, and there are even less paid positions. I grew up in the UK and I was that kid who's obsessed with animals, and all things animal related. Growing up here, where, let's be honest, we have limited wildlife (due to previous generations chopping down all the forests and hunting down all the wildlife). I thought if I wanted to work with animals, I'd have to be a vet.

This dream came crashing down like a headless pigeon when I first took 'separate sciences' at school (i.e. biology, chemistry and physics as separate subjects instead of under the very broad title of "science.") I wasn't particularly strong at any of them to be completely honest, but chemistry was definitely my weak spot. Turns out, in the UK (and I'm sure elsewhere) to study veterinary medicine at university, you have to have chemistry A-level (our highest academic assessment level in school). Coupled with the fact that there are only about 6 veterinary medical schools in the country, and so are highly competitive, 13 year old Kate's dreams of becoming a vet started to fade.

This led to a bit of an identity crisis in my life. Nothing dramatic don't worry; I didn't buy a sports car, change my name, or tattoo my mum's initials onto my face. (Technically I wasn't legally old enough to do any of that, but that's not the point). I really did not know what I wanted to be when I grew up.

This shouldn't matter to a 13 year old, and it doesn't! Obviously at the time it seems like you have to have it all figured out but you don't. However, it does make things daunting and make small decisions (that seem like big ones) difficult. For example, I was the worst at deciding what subjects to take at school. I remember at the end of year 8 we were allowed to drop 2 subjects (not 'core' subjects - not my label - but you could ditch an arts subject or a language as long as you still had at least 1 of each.) I could not decide! 2 out of about 16 classes and I was scared I'd make the wrong choice.

I think the reason I couldn't decide was because I didn't love any of them. I never hated school or anything, I actually quite liked school at this point. I just hadn't found my passion so I didn't know where I fit.

It only got harder. Choosing my GCSEs (exams we take in the UK when we are 16 so year 11: you take around 10 subjects) was a huge challenge and I think I changed my options 4 times over the summer between year 9 and 10 (when you finalise your choices). I finally decided 3 days before year 10 started (I was so close to not taking Geography and that prospect haunts me to this day).

I had the same problem again choosing my A-levels. Narrowing 10 to 4 seemed like such a huge decision that seemed all too easy to get wrong. Again, I really didn't feel strongly for or against any of my subjects, except maybe Geography. But because I didn't know what I wanted to study at university, or do for a job, I didn't know what to do. What if a few months down the line I decide on a degree I like but I don't have the right A-level options?

Obviously, it was all fine in the end, but my point is I was quite lost at school because I didn't know what I wanted to do or what I liked.

But everything changed in the summer of 2014, in between year 12 and 13, and so half way through my A-levels.

I went to South Africa for the first time and it opened my eyes to the world of conservation, and I realised for the first time that I could have a career in conservation. Being a vet was not the only way to work with animals. Obviously, this sounds really stupid now and of course I did know there were other things to do, but they hadn't been put forward to me in a tangible way. Ever. I knew conservation existed obviously, and I was fascinated by it. I knew there were people all over the world doing incredible things to protect our wildlife. But this was the first time I ever thought I could be one of them.

I came back from this trip and decided straight away to do Geography at university. The man who organised the trip helped me with where to apply, I got my application in super early, and had 5 university offers within 3 months of landing back in London. I ended up of course at the University of Southampton and it was the best; I absolutely loved it, I miss it every single day, and I could not have chosen a better degree than Geography. From there, I have increased my conservation experience, made incredible contacts, and even wrote my dissertation on critically endangered black rhino which included 2 months in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, collecting data and carrying out fieldwork.

South African sunsets are breathtaking

South Africa 2014: Why was I there?

So, I've explained that this trip was a turning point in me pursuing a career in conservation. For anyone who just read my life story and is patiently waiting for the bit where I actually help you.. here it comes.

Earthwatch.

This one word, changed my life. Earthwatch is a a non-profit organisation that essentially runs scientific research projects all over the world centred around the ideas of sustainability and conservation. This is their mission statement taken from their website:

"To engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment."

Website link: https://earthwatch.org

So, if you wanted to join one of their expeditions, you simply sign up to apply and if there's space, you can go! They run 'teen' expeditions for 16-19 year olds, and then separate ones for adults. The teen ones are slightly subsidised as a way to promote science among young people.

I joined a teen expedition to South Africa to study scavengers. I just really wanted to go to South Africa to be honest. The words "South Africa" caught my attention in the email (just a chain email sent round from some mailing list I'd obviously been added to) so I inquired. I had never heard of Earthwatch, and no one in my school had ever done an expedition. But I thought f*ck it, I had some money saved, I asked my parents, they said yes, and I signed up.

Photo taken by me during my Earthwatch expedition. It was on this trip that I learnt so much about the rhino crisis and became so passionate to help prevent us losing this iconic species.

I could not recommend an Earthwatch expedition more to someone trying to get into conservation if I tried. They are highly regarded and well recognised and so really do stand out on your CV, and allow you to make some great contacts. The friends I made on that trip are still some of my best friends, and we see each other all the time (even though we are scattered around the country).

I also made great contacts, both through the Earthwatch Institute (which have offices in Oxford) and in South Africa. The reserve we visited on the trip, I returned to the following year with some of my fellow Eartchwatch volunteers, and it is my favourite place on this Earth. It stole my heart and will keep it forever. It is the reason I am who I am today, and I am where I am today, and I owe everything to the people there.

There are trips all over the place working with all kinds of wildlife: marine and terrestrial. If you're thinking of doing an expedition but don't have any specific in mind choosing a project could prove tricky because they do all look amazing, but I'm sure one is bound to jump out.

If you are someone 16-19 and you want to get some experience in conservation, look at the Earthwatch website and see if there's a project for you. I will warn you, it can be expensive. If this is an issue, talk to them about it - I don't know if they can/will do anything, but if you don't ask, you don't get.

Earthwatch is not just for young people though, so anyone of any age; have a look.

Even if you have some experience already, you can never have too much in this industry!

Field Work with Earthwatch

Moving forward:

Volunteering:

Volunteering is unavoidable for getting into conservation. I loved every second of my volunteering experiences don't get me wrong, but it can cost an awful lot of money (especially abroad). It is just how it goes though; people start with gaining as much volunteer experience as they can. If you can do this along side a degree, i.e. in your summer holidays, or even while at school, then that's great! Otherwise, I would recommend taking a year out after school/uni (I would say uni) to gain as much experience as you can.

There are countless volunteer organisations offering projects around the world you can go on. Do your research (obviously) to check they are legit and ethical projects, but there are so many great ones to choose from! Ask advice from people: teachers, professors, people you know doing a similar thing, me (if I can help I will).

Qualifications:

This is completely dependent on you! University (although I know I rave about it) is not for everyone. Depending on what type of conservation you want to get into, you don't have to have a degree. However, research is a massive part of conservation: there are obviously jobs in research, and this research shapes the policy and management of practical conservation. Having a degree in an environmental science is only ever going to work in your favour (e.g. biology, ecology, zoology, geography, oceanography, etc). You can study wildlife conservation as an undergrad as well at some universities in the UK, and worldwide.

When it comes to post-graduate level, I do believe a masters is a good idea. I am about to start one (eeeek! so excited) at the University of Cape Town in Conservation Biology. I think having an Msc is beneficial as a lot of research placement paid jobs advertise for someone with these qualifications. However, I do not think masters are something anyone should do for the sake of a qualification. Same goes for a PhD - if you want to go into academia or be a top researcher, consider a PhD. Personally, I can't see myself doing one, never say never, but it's not the path I currently want to follow.

There are of course, non-university qualifications: for example FGASA levels (Field Guide Association of Southern Africa) or the equivalent for your region, or such like.

To be honest, I am not qualified to give you advice on what qualifications you should or should not get/look into. I can just reiterate that research plays a massive part in a lot of conservation related work, and so having an understanding of the research process is important.

Hustle & Network

As with an industry: who you know is extremely important and having the right contacts can help you out. I have some incredible contacts that have made a huge difference to me. One important piece of advice: University is not the only place to build connections. It is a great place to, but knowing people from outside that circle is so important.

Once you have a connection, use it. If you have nothing immediate to say, a friendly email every so often to update them on your life or ask about any projects they're involved in... basically just remind them you exist. Make sure they know what you are interested in, and so if somethings comes to them that might suit you, you are the first person they think of.

Final thoughts:

In the end, I did 'dual award' science for GCSE. This meant I took the subjects as separate subjects, but ended up with 2 Science GCSEs rather than 3 GCSEs: one in biology, one in chemistry, one in physics. I didn't take any of them for A-level.

I am about to start an MSc in Conservation Biology.

The decisions you make do not always have the impact on your future than you think they will. If you'd told 13 year old me that I would be doing a biology-based masters I would have found it hilarious and terrifying in almost equal measures. Now, I couldn't be more excited, and I am honoured and over the moon to be given this opportunity.

I am so lucky to have found my passion aged 17. That is still so young! Do not worry if it takes you longer to find yours!

And even though I know I want to work in conservation, particularly of endangered species, specifically what job I want... I have no idea! But that's part of the fun, and something I am hoping will become clearer with time and as my experience and expertise grows.

Thanks for reading! If you have any more specific questions about Earthwatch or anything else I spoke about feel free to comment below (or email me if you'd rather using the Contact Me tab at the top!)

Ps. I am not affiliated with Earthwatch: I just think they're great!

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First main piece of advice:

Go to the Philippines, and go soon. There is a crazy amount of construction going on, and so I think it’ll be unrecognisable in some parts in 5-10 years as it gets more touristic (like Bali now).

Second most important thing:

The Philippines is massive. We had to reduce our 3 week itinerary from 10 islands (ambitious) to 5. Getting around can take ages (especially if you choose the cheap and cheerful ways) and so we had a few “travelling days” so factor that in, especially if you have a flight out of the Philippines booked (and thus a deadline). Internal flights are sometimes very cheap (£20-30) and some are ludicrously expensive (~£100), and there is no obvious reason (like journey time) for the disparity in price. I got 4 internal flights (Manila-Siargao, Siargao-Cebu, Cebu-Busuanga, Puerto Princesa-Manila). I’m crying about my carbon footprint too, but flying is the easiest, sometimes cheapest, and sometimes only way to get around. In total I think I paid around £200 for all 4, and I think Cebu-Busuanga was the priciest. Also note for that flight you are only allowed 10kg of luggage (*eye roll*) so be prepared to load up your hand luggage or pay for extra weight (in my opinion one of the biggest scams out there).

General things worth knowing about:

ATMs:

Most charge P200-250 for a transaction on top of whatever your bank charges, so try to use them as little as possible. The majority of ATMs only let you take out P10,000 at a time, so I recommend BPI (Bank of the Philippine Islands) which lets you take out more, and so try to use them to avoid paying the transaction fee multiple times. There is one at Manila airport and Cebu airport, one in El Nido, Coron and Puerto Princesa, and probably all over - just google your location before you arrive and check, and if not take the cash you need. When you arrive in the Philippines it might be worth getting out as much cash and you think you need. There are not ATMs everywhere, especially those that allow more than P10,000 so do plan ahead. Barely anywhere accepts card so you do need cash.

Showers and toilets:

You won’t always get hot water; it’s just one of those things. I would say 60% of the time, I had hot water and the showers were all reasonably powerful, but some were cold and weak but you just have to live with it.
Toilets... they’re not great. Again, not much you can do but deal with it and move on. You can never flush toilet paper and some of them have manual flushing (bucket, cup, water.. you know the drill). So this is just a heads up: don’t expect great bathrooms.

Snorkelling:

If you can, bring our own snorkel, or buy one at your first stop. They are cheap to hire on a day to day basis (P100-150), but added up, it’s cheaper to just buy one at the beginning of your trip. I took one but it broke and I resented the hire fee every time...

Tricycles:

I know I am undoubtedly about to tell you something you already know but just in case.. Haggle the price. Don’t get mugged off. Prices are rarely fixed and so you can always negotiate. Having said that, in General Luna all tricycle journeys are set to P20 which is insanely cheap, so there is no need to haggle and it will literally, get you no where. But everywhere else, negotiate. Ask your accommodation what you should be paying for a journey, and then don’t settle for more (and say your hostel told you that price). And of course, agree the price before you get in and stick to it at the end even if they ask for more! To make life easier, make sure you agree to a price that you have the exact change for!

Filipino time:

Time is just different there. Every pick up I arranged came early. Guides would say things like “our next destination is about 15 minutes away” and 2 minutes later we were there. I was there 3 weeks and I still don’t understand their concept of time. Just go with their flow.

Manila airport:

Not the horrible scary chaotic place the internet makes it out to be. If you do fly into Manila and have a transit night there, definitely download and use GRAB (basically Asian Uber). It’s the easiest and cheapest way to get around Manila and all you have to do is stand and wait outside the airport and can ignore the chaos around you (of metered taxis and people being collected - normal airport stuff). Side note: I recommend Tambayan hostel if you just want a good nights sleep in Manila.

If you do fly out of Manila at the end of your trip after flying into Manila from somewhere else in the Philippines to then get an international flight (home or onward travel) then you will almost definitely arrive into a different terminal to the one you are going to fly out of. Again, internet scared the life out of me with this saying it would be the worst experience of my life and I needed 4 hours to do it and it would cost me money (I had officially run out of cash at this point so was contemplating exchanging my left over US dollars from Cambodia); but I did it! And I have lived to tell the tale, so hopefully I can help you not feel the fear I felt.

I flew into terminal 3 (from Puerto Princesa) and then flew out of terminal 1 (to Malaysia and then onto London). The Internet was wrong (shock) and it was pretty simple.

Collect your bags, follow the signs for terminal transfer, and wait for them to call the bus for your terminal (terminal 1 in my case). Get on the bus. It’s free (unlike what I had read). Then boom, go into the departures area and check in like every other airport. Obviously, allow time for this (but you don't need much more time than you would allow yourself to get through check in and security anyway). Do be prepared however for queues at security.

Is worth knowing however, Cebu is an international airport - if you have no plans to spend time on Luzon, and it’s not a huge price difference, fly in and out of Cebu because it might reduce the time and price of your internal travel.

Language Barrier:

Nothing is ever easy. Things that are simple are made infinitely more complicated by the language barrier. A lot of Filipino people speak excellent English but (arguably oddly) in my experience a lot of the people who worked in hospitality spoke very little or no English. I’m not complaining, as a typically useless English-speaking-only Brit, I have no leg to stand on, but be warned that it does make things harder than you might expect.

If you haven't worked it out yet, I did all this with my lovely wonderful amazing big little sister!

Overall....

The Philippines is awesome. I am on my flight home as I draft this and am already planning my next trip (Bohol and Donsol are top of my list so any recommendations would be greatly appreciated). I think you could spend months here and not see it all, and you won’t get bored. Everywhere has its own charm, so do as much as you can without rushing anywhere.

Just to reiterate: I do believe the sooner you go, the better.

And one last thing.. despite what you might believe from my relentless commitment to instagram (@kate_sheridan07 - shameless self-promo), there is so much more to the Philippines than white sand beaches and bikinis. The snorkelling is some of the best I’ve ever experienced, the landscape is breathtaking, and the respect of the environment is inspiring. The Filipino people and government showcase a wonderful example or understanding the simple principle conservationists have such a hard time trying to explain: the natural world is worth more alive and protected, than it is dead and exploited. They understand that tourism will bring in more money than over-fishing, that plastic waste and other unnecessary pollution will damage the corals and the oceans, and so protecting them is in the interest of tourism, thus greatly benefitting their economy. Everywhere you go comes with a (cheap) environmental fee - the sceptic in me does wonder where this money actually ends up, but the optimist in me believes the government is really trying to protect the natural beauty of the Philippines. The closure of Boracay is a testament to this. I was so impressed by their commitment to reduce plastic consumption, conserve water, and protect the natural environment.

I hope these blogs posts have been useful!

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This is just a post summarising all my internal travel within the Philippines and so can give you logistics/prices/recommendations on the best/cheapest/easiest ways to get around once you arrive in the Philippines.

Two things to note before I get into the details:

The Philippines is huge so allow time to move from island to island, or place to place. We had a few “travelling days” so factor that in if your booking a trip with a definitive end date.
I can only speak to what I did personally, but I hope this is helpful! For more on pricing for flights read the second paragraph of this post (click here).

Flying:

Some internal flights are very cheap (£20-30) and some are ludicrously expensive (~£100), and there is no obvious reason (like journey time) for the disparity in price. I got 4 internal flights (Manila-Siargao, Siargao-Cebu, Cebu-Busuanga, Puerto Princesa-Manila). I’m crying about my carbon footprint too, but flying is the easiest, sometimes cheapest, and sometimes only way to get around. In total I think I paid around £200 for all 4, and I think Cebu-Busuanga was the priciest. Also note for that flight you are only allowed 10kg of luggage (*eye roll*) so be prepared to load up your hand luggage or pay for extra weight (in my opinion one of the biggest scams out there).

Once on the Islands..

Siargao:

From the airport to General Luna - there are vans outside of airport and they fill them up with people, so when it is full they go and call your hostel name when it’s yours. P300. Easy.

From Cebu airport to moalboal:

Get a white taxi (not yellow as white is cheaper) to the Cebu South bus terminal - takes a whole 40-60min because of traffic - mine was P360. Then get the bus from there - just say you want Moalboal and you will be pointed to the bus - P140. Buy ticket on the bus. Easy as and a surprisingly comfortable affair. Is also dead cheap (much much cheaper than getting around Palawan!). When you get there just get a tricycle to your hostel (I paid P100 but have a feeling I was mugged off, but didn’t know how long it would take and that is only about £1.50 so is what it is).

Busuanga (Coron) airport to your accommodations:

Same as Siargao - vans outside the airport, give your hostel name, goes when full, drops you one by one. P150. Done. Easy.

Coron to El Nido:

There is a ferry everyday at noon. You can buy tickets from the travel shops around town and it’s P1760 (bit expensive if you ask me but cheaper than a P5000 flight). Now if you don’t get stuck on the island in a typhoon like I did, this should be easy. Just get a tricycle to the ferry port (P50-100 depending on where your hostel is but try pay P50). Be prepared for the ferry to be cancelled - it gets cancelled quite often for ridiculous reasons. When you buy your ticket at the travel shop, swap numbers with the person you buy it from and message them at 7am on the day to check the ferry is running. If your ferry is cancelled, you get priority on the next available ferry. I would also advise getting to the port early (you have to be there an hour early anyway) but people will be there to buy the remaining seats if there are any so if you are late your seat might be lost.

If you get travel sick (like me) take travel sickness pills. It is a bumpy ride.

El Nido to Puerto Princesa:

P500 van and again you can buy the tickets anywhere, including most hostels and they’ll pick you up from your accommodation. It’s about 5 hours but has a stop where you can buy hot or cold food if you want. Again, I recommend travel sickness pills to those of you who suffer from travel sickness.

Also be warned that they fill the van. We had 15 people in an 11 seater van at one lpoint. They pick people up and drop them off as you go, and the expect you to share your seat if needed. It’s ridiculous and annoying and I would advice sitting at the back if this happens to you. You can however reserve seats (again, ridiculous) as I learnt when I was evicted from the front seat (where I feel least ill) as someone had reserved it so if you also prefer the front, request it when you buy your ticket (and maybe add that you’re not willing to share without a discount). It was a less enjoyable journey than the public bus to moalboal but it’s the cheapest option.

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I stayed in PP for 3 nights and 2 days. It was my last stop in the Philippines (typing through the tears). If you want my opinion, you only need one day here: go to the underground river and then leave. We did 2 in the hope to go to Honda Bay, but we ran out of money and so that didn’t happen, but we managed to quite happily fill our day..

The Underground River

It’s amazing. Go.

It is a long day and (as is the Filipino way), the tour seems simultaneously overly complicated whilst being strategically organised.

There are a lot of things that make it seem like it can’t be worth it. In the spirit of transparency, I will go through them, but as a geography graduate who has always admired Mother Nature in her infinite wonder, I strongly strongly recommend this UNESCO World Heritage Site as a must-see spot in the Philippines (and it’s something they are so proud of).

It’s expensive - I paid P2000 (just short of £30 - seeing the conversion to english money does make me weep a bit but I am still adamant it was worth it) for the day which included being picked up in an air-conditioned van from my hotel and dropped there after, lunch, the whole tour and everything that involves. That is the most I paid on any day trip in the Philippines with the only exception of diving. I was a bit baffled by this price because I read online it would be less (but after checking, these were from blogs in 2012 so either it’s increased, or I was royally mugged off but I everywhere I saw it was advertised at P2000). I know people who were put off by the price and I don’t blame them, but if like me, it’s something you don’t want to miss, just allow it in your budget as a pricier day.
It’s an early start. I was told I would be picked up at 6.45-7am but in true Filipino fashion, my transfer arrived at 6.30am.
It’s a long drive. Although it is technically in Puerto Princesa, from the city it’s about a 2/2.5hour drive. Travel sickness pills are advised (dodgy roads).
Waiting. Now, I was told you wait around all day. I don’t know if I was just lucky, or whether people hideously exaggerated, but I didn’t have to do much waiting.

What I was told would happen: when you arrive you have to wait for a boat to take you to the river. You are given a number and that’s your space in the queue. You wait for hours and then get the boat, and then have to wait for more hours for your river boat tour to start. You are encouraged to zip-line or paddle board in the mangroves in this time but it’s an additional price. You wait and wait and wait.

What actually happened: we arrived, we waiting about 1.5hours for our number. We got a 5-10 minute boat to the river. We then got straight on the boat and the tour began. The 1.5 hour wait is not in a stuffy queue, but is next to a lovely beach and you can get a smoothie, relax, and we made some lovely friends with people in our group.

The tour itself is only 45 minutes. This does seem ridiculous given the travelling and waiting, but yeah just a heads up (it’s worth it).

As Nike would say: Just do it.

It’s beautiful. It’s unlike so many other places on Earth. It’s one of those natural phenomena that blows you mind: it shouldn’t be able to exist but yet it does. It’s worth it.

Despite what I had hope, it was too dark for my camera to cope and so I have no photos of the cave!!

So, how did we kill an extra day in Puerto Princesa with very little money?

We went to Blue Palawan beach resort and paid P250 for use of their swimming pool for the day! It was actually the perfect way to end the trip - just relaxing and doing nothing before a long journey home for me and a long journey to Auckland for Anna. The staff were amazing, and no one was really there all day. We paid P120 for a tricycle there and the same back from our hotel - we had to do some serious negotiating on this price and our return driver tried to ask for P200 at the end (despite agreeing before the P120) so obviously we stuck with our agreed price but it was extremely uncomfortable. You can get food and drinks there if you want (but being a fancy resort it was very expensive so we did not indulge) but drinking water was free!

According to google, a lot of the resorts with pools will let anyone use them for a fee - we messaged a bunch on Facebook to find the best deal but Blue Palawan was great so I would recommend it if anyone else wants just a pool day.

Other things to do in PP:

Honda Bay: P1250 (I think) for an island hopping day trip. We would’ve done this if we had the money, but have heard it is disappointing after Coron/El Nido.

Nagtabon beach: apparently very beautiful and not too busy. It is about an hour from the city (and so we didn’t do it as the journey would be too expensive) but have heard it’s worth a visit!

Where to eat:

Have to say, we weren’t super adventurous. It was the end of our tour, and we weren’t huge fans of the city (we are nature gals) and so we just stayed around our hotel. Recommendations are:

La Terrasse - awesome food. Around P300 for a meal and P150-180 for a cocktail. Really good food and drinks, definitely recommend.

Eighty nine cafe: good breakfast and coffee. Blueberry pancakes for P150 are a great way to start your day, and opens at 6.00am so you can even go before the underground river.

Where to stay:

To be honest, I don’t know. We treated ourself to a hotel (called Island Stay Hotel - it was very nice) but was a bit pricey compared to everywhere else we stayed. It was our last stop and last time together for over a year (as we go our separate ways) so we just felt like being a bit fancy. I would recommend it but like I said, did cost a little more so might not be on every backpackers list (including mine if I wasn’t headed back to London the next day).

Rizal Avenue is the “main road” so close to that and you’re sorted - is also very close to the airport.

From there, tricycle to the airport is P50 (plus a possible airport entrance fee - again, not too sure on this as my transfer was included with my hotel room).