Develop leadership skills and receive training in leading practical conservation sessions to help manage biodiversity at Ham Lands Local Nature Reserve. You will be working with Habitats & Heritage, a local charity, and Friends of Ham Lands.
About Ham Lands Local Nature Reserve
Location: Ham Lands, Riverside Drive, Richmond, TW10 7QA
Ham Lands spans an area of 180 acres (100 football pitches) comprising of grasslands, reed beds, scrub and woodland which supports an impressive variety of wildlife. Many of the plant and insect species found at Ham Lands are uncommon or rare for London. This was a fortunate result of the filling of old gravel pits after WWII. Rubble and soil was brought in from all corners of London and South East England, carrying with it samples of the local seeds.
In recognition of this rich biodiversity, Richmond Council has classified Ham Lands as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) and a Local Nature Reserve.
Climate change is having a significant impact on biodiversity and is influencing how the encroaching plants are managed. Thus, monitoring and engaging with the local community in a holistic, inclusive and empowering way is becoming more important in protecting Ham Lands. You will be working with Friends of Ham Lands to deliver some of these vital aspects. You will also have the opportunity to engage with both Richmond and Kingston Biodiversity partnerships to share knowledge and experience.
Friends of Ham Lands supports the rich variety of natural habitats through activities such as monitoring, habitat restoration, sharing of information and seasonal walks to educate the public.
How you could help us
As a practical conservation leader for Friends of Ham Lands, you will be working alongside the Community Engagement Officer at Habitats & Heritage and Sharon Mehta from Friends of Ham Lands, who has knowledge and experience of the nature reserve.
Main tasks and training provided:
- Help to plan and manage practical volunteer sessions
- Identify plants that need to be managed and how to do this
- Monitoring species and the impacts of climate change
- Risk assessment training
- Training in managing a volunteer session
- Tool maintenance training
Volunteers are mostly members of the local community, sixth form pupils during term time and DofE students. For your information, current volunteer sessions at Ham Lands take place every week on Mondays and every second Saturday of the month.
If you would like to apply for this role, please email sophia@habitatsandheritage.org.uk with a cover letter, no more than half a page, briefly describing why you are interested in this role. Please also include if there are any particular areas of nature conservation you would like to explore!
This is a perfect role for someone with an interest in a nature conservation career. This role is flexible and will allow you to work remotely, in the office at Habitats & Heritage and on site at Ham Lands. You will be able to explore your own interests and Habitats & Heritage will be able to connect you with key partners to help you achieve this.
- Leadership
- Communication
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Risk assessment training
- Practical conservation experience
- Species monitoring
- Animal and plant identification
No previous experience is necessary for this role, although an interest in and knowledge of nature conservation is required.
This role has a duration of 6 months at 1 to 2 days per month, as volunteer sessions are spread out and we would like to monitor species throughout different seasons. For this reason, we would like for you to start as soon as possible. You can choose what days to work.
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