My name is Lucy and I’m the UK Fundraising and Communications Officer for the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. From a young age, I have always known that I wanted to work to protect our natural world. However, something that has always intrigued me is how we, the conservation community, can pass on our enthusiasm and scientific knowledge to the wider public, not only to change attitudes, but to change human behaviours and influence philanthropic giving.
One of my key roles at Durrell is communicating our science and the impact we have as an organisation – our Durrell Index. The world of conservation is far too often full of doom and gloom, so much so that we often forget to celebrate the positive stories that provide the proof that conservation can and does work. Whilst we must be honest and open about our failures, we also need to convey a message of hope to empower people to join us in believing that ours is a cause worth fighting for. Our conservation successes can do this - they are the stories that provide us with those ‘yes we can’ moments. I believe we need to better use these stories as catalysts to drive conservation forward.
I have an MSc in Conservation Science from Imperial College and have worked both in the field and NGO settings. In 2015 I was part of a two-woman expedition that cycled over 2,000km alongside the Mekong River to document positive conservation stories in the region. Through photography, film and blog posts, we aimed to create an optimistic platform that highlights the work of the many NGOs and committed individuals working in the region to generate awareness, support and funding for this hugely biodiverse region.
