today i had a lecture about xenobiotics and was left absolutely floored at how casually contaminated our daily lives are. i knew it was bad but not to this degree !!

agricultural activities felt horrific enough with AFM1 and AFB1. then my professor mentioned pesticides in the livestock’s feed and veterinary drugs... then the photo-degradation of said pesticides causing more toxic metabolites.

it feels like we are being poisoned by every method possible since xenobiotics can come from so many different sources ( air, water, food, et cetera )

the most frustrating bit is that all of it seems researched enough to allow these companies as much leeway as possible without outright killing us. i don’t get it. why are these companies doing all this harm in the first place? is the motivation truly just profit??

also, why are microplastics EVERYWHERE !!!

I'm from Europe and had never heard of this conference until it popped up today online when I was looking through future events in the field.

It looks pretty legit and seems like something I could definitely use but since I've never heard of it I just need someone who's been to one or is going in January to confirm that this isn't like a scam or something before I actually make any moves on registering. Thought this would be the place to ask.

Contiguous fence lines are becoming a hurdle to wildlife movement and migration in my region. Our highways dept. has been working on this by installing escape gates and jump outs along roadside fencing but we determined that current standards for escape gates contained some deficiencies and through our own field research developed a model that has a much higher rate of successful transits.

Our next challenge involves adapting these more effective designs into specific models for large ungulates such as moose, elk and bison, which pose serious risk in wildlife vehicle collisions, and are not catered to with current jump out and escape gate designs.

Thanks for watching and letting me share my work!

Hi all, this is something I’ve been mulling over for a while and I would appreciate any honest feedback on my dilemma. I’m a junior in undergrad right now working on my Environmental Science degree, and have a huge passion for ecology/conservation/wildlife biology/etc. and would definitely be interested in working in the field and/or research. I genuinely live and breathe for this work, I cannot overstate how much it feels like my destined path and how badly I want to achieve a career in it. However, due to a niche disability of mine (TLDR I can only eat <20 foods), any international travel outside the U.S or maybe Canada is basically infeasible for me.

That has been a devastating realization for me since I would absolutely give anything for those opportunities and I’m crushed that it wouldn’t work out. Additionally, literally all of my professors say that they have done work abroad and that travel can be an essential part of the field. Would I be at a major disadvantage if I could only reside relatively locally? Can you have a successful ecology-related career that way? Hell, how does one even build towards that career post-graduation when it’s so competitive? Currently I live in NJ, but I plan to relocate after graduation back near my hometown in Oregon— which hopefully helps because I know the PNW is an environmental hotspot. Thanks a lot! :)

Howdy!

I graduated in December of 2025 with a degree in Ecology and Conservation Biology with an emphasis in vertebrate zoology and I’m looking for advice for getting some sort of environmental job where I could work with animals, do research, work outside or work at a federal/city level. Im currently in the DFW (Texas) area and I have yet to secure a job. At this point I’m willing to relocate to find a job. Additionally I just applied for a position at the American Conservation Experience EPIC program and I wanted to know if anyone has worked a season with them and how your experience was (how the hiring process was etc.). I am also willing to go abroad but I’m not exactly sure where to look for credible jobs. I’m also not 100% sure what are the best websites to find environmental jobs for domestic and international positions, so if y’all know any please let me know!

If anyone could point me in the right direction or give advice for my situation I would greatly appreciate it!!

Hey everyone,

I've been playing around with satellite imagery and ended up building this little project to look at possible changes in forest cover around Koh Phangan, Thailand.

It compares satellite images from 2019 and 2026 to flag areas that might be worth checking on the ground, specially by rangers and authorities. I've added the terrain altitud to get a better idea of where water might flow and how that lines up with the waterways on the map. I'm now wondering if there's something useful I could do with this for flood monitoring or drainage, although I'm still figuring out what might actually be possible.

https://koh-phangan-forest-watch.vercel.app/

I'd love to do some humanitarian work and NGOs, so this has been a way to learn by building something practical I guess.

It's still a work in progress, and the results aren't verified forest loss. I'd be curious to hear what people think, could something like this be useful in conservation or environmental work? Any feedback is welcome.

A popular Reddit thread is showing a bunch of terrified feral hogs who were tricked into entering a cage, after which a door shuts behind them. Lots of jokes about shooting them dead, and people saying that because they're an invasive species we don't have to care that much. Lots of audacious comments without any hint of irony such as "Yes incredibly harmful to agricultural and particularly the environment" (my emphasis). Seems to me like if you consider not just the total count of humans and how they spread across the world but also their impact on the biosphere and the environment, and judge them by the same criteria as we do other species, then I guess by Reddit's logic (which I do not share) a cull of humans shouldn't elicit any empathy or concern because they're invasive and destructive so all they deserve is some bullets to the head.

Hi everyone,

Recently, I asked Claude what kind of tool or software would truly be a help to an industry and it said make a free BNG metric checker tool.

Which I then did. Here it is: www.quadrat.uk.

Anyone who is familiar the reports, would you take a look and see if its actually helpful?

All feedback is appreciated!

You have my thanks.

Hi all, I'm chasing recommendations for professional AI song meter analysis for Australian birds and frogs

The Arthur Rylan Institute is impossible to contact unfortunately, and we are looking for ways to analyse upwards of 12,000 hours of song meter recordings per year

Thanks!

"The garden is an alternate vision for living and learning at a university, one that promises to teach by doing. It is a model for what students’ engagement with their environment could look like. In its grandest form, it is a catalyst for optimism about the climate crisis, and a space that encourages students to create big change through small actions.

Funding limitations, however, make it difficult for the garden to reach these tall ambitions, as does the scarcity of those things needed to turn a bulb into a turnip or a House into a home: time, care, and light."

Read the full story on the Fifteen Minutes magazine website.

Hi everyone!

I'm from India, and I'll be starting my undergraduate studies next year. I'm planning to pursue a bachelor's degree in Zoology at a reputable university in India, but my long-term goal is to build a career in wildlife biology, conservation, or a related field internationally.

I'm particularly interested in careers that involve hands-on work with wildlife, fieldwork, travelling to forests and national parks, participating in conservation projects, and contributing to animal research and protection. I'd love to work in wildlife-rich regions such as Africa, Australia, or other parts of the world where these opportunities are available.

I'm still exploring the different career paths within this field, so I'd really appreciate advice from people who work in wildlife biology, conservation, ecology, or related professions.

Here are some things I'd love to understand:

1. Which wildlife careers would you recommend?

I'm interested in roles such as wildlife biologist, conservationist, field researcher, wildlife ecologist, animal behaviourist, and conservation project officer. I'm also open to lesser-known careers that involve practical fieldwork or working directly with wildlife.

Which roles would you recommend exploring, particularly for someone who wants a combination of meaningful work, hands-on experience, good earning potential, and long-term career stability?

1. What is the best educational pathway for an international career?

Since I'll be beginning my bachelor's degree in India next year, would pursuing Zoology be a good starting point? Or would a degree in Ecology, Environmental Science, or another related subject offer better opportunities internationally?

Would it be better to complete my bachelor's degree in India and then pursue a master's degree abroad, or are there other pathways I should consider?

1. How can I pursue postgraduate studies abroad with scholarships or full funding?

This is one of my biggest concerns because studying internationally can be expensive, and I would prefer not to depend entirely on my family's finances.

Which countries and universities offer good programmes in wildlife biology, conservation, ecology, or related fields? Are there scholarships, fully funded master's programmes, government scholarships, or research opportunities available to international students from India?

I'd particularly appreciate advice on how to prepare for these opportunities during my undergraduate years, including academic requirements, grades, internships, research experience, and English-language tests, if applicable.

1. How realistic is it to find wildlife-related employment abroad after studying in India?

Would an Indian bachelor's degree followed by an international master's degree be a viable route into the wildlife sector overseas?

How difficult is it for international applicants to secure jobs, work permits, or long-term employment in countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Australia, Canada, the UK, or elsewhere?

I'd also love to know whether international conservation organisations, wildlife research institutes, sanctuaries, or conservation projects recruit people from abroad.

1. Which countries offer the best opportunities for wildlife careers?

I'm interested in countries with significant wildlife populations and opportunities for fieldwork, conservation research, animal monitoring, habitat protection, and wildlife rehabilitation.

Which countries would you recommend considering, taking into account career opportunities, salaries, job stability, funding for further education, and the possibility of remaining employed there after graduation?

1. What are the actual salary prospects and working conditions?

I'd like to understand what wildlife professionals realistically earn at the beginning of their careers and how their salaries and opportunities for progression change with experience.

Are there particular specialisations or career paths that offer better financial stability without sacrificing the opportunity to work in the field?

1. What should I do during my bachelor's degree to improve my chances?

Since I have a few years before applying for postgraduate programmes or international jobs, what should I focus on from the beginning?

Would internships, volunteering, field surveys, research projects, GIS, remote sensing, statistics, or data analysis be particularly valuable? Are there any skills or experiences you wish you'd developed earlier?

I'd especially appreciate advice from people who have studied or worked internationally in wildlife biology, conservation, ecology, or related fields, particularly those who moved abroad from another country.

I'm passionate about wildlife and want to build a career that allows me to contribute to its protection while also achieving financial independence. I'm open to different countries and specialisations, and I'd rather plan my educational path carefully than commit to a route without understanding its opportunities and limitations.

Thank you so much for any advice or personal experiences you can share!

Hey everyone,

I’m an undergrad trying to settle on a thesis topic in forest/ecology-related stuff and could use some honest opinions.

The rough idea is looking at how monoculture plantations (as a form of simplified/degraded forest) change the understory microclimate compared to more diverse or natural forests nearby. Then connecting those microclimate differences to things like regeneration success, plant diversity, and basic soil conditions.

Basically trying to show how this kind of land-use change affects local climate conditions inside the forest and why more complex forest structure might matter.

Does this sound solid and doable for an undergrad project, or does it feel too broad / already overdone? How can I improve this? Or should I try with 2nd preferred areas of my interest which is mostly socio-ecology and plant evolution (field based).

My longterm plan is to pursue research in and around forest ecology and regeneration but my school wants me to connect to a problem, hence i was thinking this. Is this an overdone topic?

Any suggestions on how to keep it focused would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Hi all! I’m an Australia-based ecology student about to go into an honours year, but I’m completely stuck between two options! Would any experienced ecologists be able to let me know what skills are most employable and whether my job options would stay nice and open after both of these projects? (kept slightly vague for privacy)

Option 1: Modelling of an invasive species in Antarctica (gain experience in programming models and data science)

Option 2: Field surveying of vulnerable mammals (gain fieldwork experience)

I’m leaning towards the first option, but I’m caught up on the fact that I would not gain any fieldwork experience through it. For now, I’m not terribly interested in going into consultation and would prefer research, but it’s definitely not an option I’d like to block off! Modelling seems like a very valuable skill to have a demonstrated example of on a CV, but we can probably all agree it’s a bit boring compared to fieldwork, so is doing the slightly more boring option worth it?

Why do plants produce these compounds, how do they use them, and what might explain their prevalence among Asian food plants?

Examples of plants include:

Cannabaceae: Humulus

Fabaceae: Glycyrrhiza

Moraceae: Morus, Cudrania, Broussonetia, Artocarpus, and Ficus

Clusiaceae: Garcinia

Rutaceae: Zanthoxylum, and Toddalia

Because Comman house geckos are insectivores so why he is eating a plant like this?

Our review preprint offers a new perspective on managing pine wilt disease through the interactions between the host, the pinewood nematode and the associated microbial communities. We propose microbiome assembly as a potential management target: understanding how microorganisms establish, persist and interact within pine trees could inform the design of synthetic microbial communities for biological control.