NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT) - Fieldwork and Desk-based Internships
This is an opportunity to gain fieldwork experience in ecological monitoring, or focus on a variety of desktop-based projects related to ecological data.
Student opportunity type
Degree level
About
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 projects
- 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. The BCT will cover all costs (e.g. travel and accommodation) associated with undertaking fieldwork in different regions.
- 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).
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Internship details |
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Internship Availability |
Semester 1, 2023 |
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Internship Discipline/s |
Environmental/Conservation Science; Land Management |
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Internship Level |
2nd yr or 3rd yr Undergraduate; Postgraduate Coursework |
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Available to International Students |
Yes |
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Preferred Project Skills: |
As relevant to choice of project eg
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Clearances Required |
Potentially confidentiality agreement |
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Host Supervisor |
TBD project-dependent |
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Location |
Various locations throughout NSW, project-dependent |
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Project Opportunities/Benefits for the Intern |
Project-dependent eg
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Summary:
Opportunities for internships over the next 12 months include the following dates and locations:
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BCT Region |
BCT Primary Office Location(s) |
Proposed Available Dates |
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Central West/Western |
Orange / Dubbo |
March-May 2023 / September-November 2023 |
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Murray-Riverina |
Wagga Wagga |
March-May 2023 / September-November 2023 |
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Northern Inland |
Inverell / Armidale |
March-May 2023 / September-November 2023 |
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Sydney-Hunter |
Sydney / Newcastle |
March-May 2023 / September-November 2023 |
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South East |
Queanbeyan |
March-May 2023 / September-November 2023 |
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North Coast |
Coffs Harbour |
March-May 2023 / September-November 2023 |
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Desk-based internships |
Office in Queanbeyan, but project and Host supervisor may be based in another region |
Ongoing, case-by-case |
How to apply:
- Submit your Expression of Interest for Semester 1, 2023 by 2 October.
- After you receive confirmation of your eligibility from the Science Internships Office, complete your application by following the link sent to you via email and upload your resume, one-page Statement of Interest and Suitability and any other documents as advised by the Science Internships Office by 9 October.
- In your Statement of Interest and Suitability, indicate your preference for a fieldwork or desk-based placement.
- If fieldwork, indicate your region/s in order of preference.
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