Credit : For credit

The NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT) is a statutory (NSW Government) not-for-profit body established under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, which commenced operating in 2017. The BCT is within the portfolio of the NSW Minister for Energy and Environment, and is investing $70 M/year in private land conservation across priority landscapes in NSW.

A key project of the BCT is the Ecological Monitoring Module (EMM). The EMM seeks to measure state and change in biodiversity on BCT agreement and control sites across NSW, in order to evaluate conservation outcomes and inform adaptive management. The EMM methodology uses vegetation integrity as a surrogate for biodiversity value and is centred around the Biodiversity Assessment Method.

Internship opportunities

1. Internships may involve fieldwork implementing the EMM at a variety of agreement and/or control sites within a particular BCT region (see map below), undertaking plot-based vegetation surveys under the supervision of a BCT ecologist. Each project will also include an independent research component, where interns will collect and analyse data on a complementary biodiversity value (e.g. bird or reptile diversity) at the same set of sites.
2. Internships may focus on a variety of desktop-based projects related to analysis and interpretation of ecological data, developing conservation management guidelines for landholders, or spatial data management and analysis (e.g. ArcGIS).

Internships are available to undergraduate 2^nd, 3^rd year or postgraduate (coursework) ecology / environmental science students, including international students. Prerequisite skills include: undergraduate-level understanding of ecology and ecological field skills; demonstrated interest in ecological fieldwork; capacity to undertake physical, outdoor activity; basic scientific analysis and writing skills. Students must have completed a minimum of 72 units with at least a Distinction average, and the internship must count towards their degree.

Opportunities for internships over the next 12 months include the following dates and locations:

The BCT will cover all costs (e.g. travel and accommodation) associated with undertaking fieldwork in different regions.

No clearances are required. If involved with assessing sites as part of an open tender program, students may have to sign a confidentiality agreement and declare any conflicts of interest.

Project opportunities/benefits to the intern:

• General ecological fieldwork skills
• Collection of biodiversity data
• Application of the statutory NSW Biodiversity Assessment Method (BAM)
• Plant species identification skills
• Ecological data analysis and interpretation
• Interaction with environmental policy
• Experience in administering government programs

How to apply:

• Submit your resume and one-page Statement of Interest and Suitability to science.internships@anu.edu.au. In the email subject line, please write: NSW BCT internship; XX region (state your preferred region or desk-based project); XX session (Fieldwork: Autumn or Spring; Desktop: indicate preferred semester or term).
• Fieldwork Autumn session deadline: 15 January (for March – May placements)
• Fieldwork Spring session deadline: 15 July (for September – November placements)
• Desktop project deadline: at least 10 weeks prior to start of preferred semester/term
• Your eligibility will be assessed, and if your application progresses to the shortlist, an interview may be required.

BCT Regions

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Internships with the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT)