Name: Dan Loveard
Current Job: Community Engagement Officer
Scientific Discipline/Field: Wildlife Conservation
Country: United Kingdom
Pick some letters (L,G,B,T,Q,+, etc.): G
Website: project work: https://www.exploredunsmore.org/
Twitter or other social media handle: @DLBirder
What does your job involve?
My work involves developing and delivering community engagement work across parts of Coventry, Leamington and Rugby by encouraging and supporting the involvement of local communities with their nearby greenspaces and key natural heritage sites. Along with reconnecting people to these important places, the project I’m on also focuses on delivering landscape-scale enhancements, particularly focusing on woodlands, hedgerows and grasslands. I help build productive working relationships with partners, key local groups, businesses and stakeholders, which is important in order to achieve all of this valuable work.
My work is variable throughout the year and includes activities such as delivering talks on wildlife, running outreach events to groups (e.g. geocaching, practical conservation work, dementia friendly crafts), organising interpretation projects (e.g. walk leaflets) and collaborating with a variety of groups on other community projects to improve the project’s presence in the local area. I engage with a wide range of people from different backgrounds and demographics in urban and rural areas to instil that appreciation and awareness for nature and the outdoors. Where I can I like to incorporate my interests of bird watching and mental health to facilitate some of my activities to bring more wildness into people’s lives, supporting their physical and mental health.
How did you get to this job (education etc.)?
I’m an Environmental Conservation (BSc) graduate which has given me a theoretical grounding in conservation and environmental management theory, focusing on areas of forestry, botany, ornithology and social sciences. I learnt a variety of important aspects of the field such as ecosystem services, social and economic factors in achieving successful conservation amongst many other things! Alongside my degree, I volunteered to build up my practical experience and skill set, supporting a variety of environmental organisations whilst taking a placement year out to further build up my experience. This was a great way to add more value to my uni experience as well my employability prospects. I then entered the conservation world through seabird monitoring and wardening for a couple of seasons, where I learnt on the job important public engagement skills through instilling awareness and knowledge about the birds through talks, on site engagement and interpretation materials. This then led me to getting a job at my current employer Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and have since worked on a number of valuable projects, engaging different target groups in nature conservation.
Do you feel being LGBT has affected your career decisions?
I don’t feel it has affected my career decisions.
Have you had any reactions from colleagues about being LGBT, either good or bad?
I haven’t received any negative reactions to me being gay from colleagues, but a significant part of my work is working with volunteers and occasionally there have been some challenging moments. In terms of positive reactions, I feel that colleagues not reacting to it has been positive as it emphasises to me that they’re acceptant and just engage with my personal life as expected like they would with anyone else. It did however take me a while to be transparent about that part of my life in previous roles as I didn’t feel comfortable to bring that part of my life to work. I feel having more LGBTQ+ individuals being visible in the sector and there being more active advocacy would have helped with being more open in that respect.
Did you have any role models growing up (LGBT, STEM, totally unrelated.)?
When growing up, my main role models were my family as they allowed to explore the wonders of nature and the outdoors freely and instilled that awareness and appreciation of the environment from a young age. They’ve always championed my career path and feel it’s valuable work, which means a lot to me.
I don’t have any specific LGBTQ+ / STEM role models but I’m always interested in following and supporting a variety of people that work in the sector for inspiration and understanding more about the natural world. There should definitely be more LGBTQ+ in STEM with exposure to the masses, as I’m sure seeing them would have broken down some barriers for people entering the sector.
What are your plans for the future?
My long term aspirations are to work my way up in the community engagement sector and manage projects that build strong partnerships within local communities of all demographics and backgrounds and engage them in the environment. I have a particular interest in birds and it would be a great opportunity to manage a bird themed species campaign, working towards nature’s recovery whilst providing people with skills, ecology experience and the opportunity to connect and access nature in a different way. I also have an interest in mental health so however I can integrate nature with well-being I will endeavour to achieve!
LGBTQ+ STEM 