08 May 2025

The East Devon District Council Countryside Team recently hosted Daisy Dean, a first-year BSc Conservation Biology and Ecology student from the University of Exeter, for a month-long work placement. The placement formed part of her course and offered Daisy an invaluable opportunity to explore future career paths and gain hands-on experience in conservation.

Here, Daisy reflects on her time with the team:

“As part of my university course, I joined the East Devon District Council Countryside Team for a 40-hour placement to help explore potential careers in conservation and gain an understanding of what I might want to do after graduation.

While on my placement, I worked with a variety of rangers and their teams of volunteers, who all made me feel very welcome. Their passion for the natural world definitely inspired me to continue to improve my natural history skills in the future.

I really enjoyed the aspect of working as part of a team in the community. It was great to meet new like-minded people who shared an interest in nature and to feel part of something bigger.

During the month I had the opportunity to visit a range of nature reserves across East Devon, each with its own history. I learned different management strategies which are tailored to meet the specific needs of each site.

At the reserves, I had a range of tasks given to me, allowing me to explore the different aspects of maintaining a protected area, and I also enjoyed the variety of the work I was doing. It was also great to be able to see the difference made at the end of the day, such as at Clyst Valley Regional Park where we removed old tree guards from saplings planted years ago—it was great to see the tangible results of our efforts by the end of the day.

My favourite thing about working with the team was the opportunity to work outside at the nature reserves, as this was something I had not previously had a chance to do. I particularly enjoyed working to help clear the reserve near the estuary at Exmouth It was satisfying to make a visible difference in just one day and inspiring to hear about the long-term vision for the site, where nature will be given space to regenerate with minimal intervention.

This placement has been a valuable and inspiring experience. I’ve learned a lot and would love to volunteer again in the future. It’s also confirmed my interest in pursuing a conservation-focused career.”

If you’re inspired by Daisy’s story and would like to get involved, explore volunteering opportunities with the Countryside Team at: wildeastdevon.co.uk/volunteering