Meet the team: Adam Nixon, New Forest Senior Project Officer

Adam joined the team in September as our new Senior Project Officer. Here, he tells us about his background in conservation, why he thinks the New Forest is so special, and what he’ll be working on in the New Forest.

What made you want to work in conservation?

I think most people’s answer to this question would be something like “I used to watch David Attenborough documentaries” but for me, it started a little different. I’ve always been a huge gamer, and it was video games that got me interested in conservation. When I was younger, I played games like Animal Crossing and Endless Ocean, in these games you can track and monitor fish and the more fish you collect the more you learn about them, I was completely obsessed. This started the snowball rolling and eventually led me to TV shows like Steve Backshall Deadly 60 and land of the lost tiger before finally deciding this is what I wanted to do for a career.

What has your conservation career journey looked like so far?

In 2019 I graduated from Aberystwyth University, studying Marine and Freshwater Biology, I then went straight to the University of Essex for a Masters in Tropical Marine Biology, graduating right in the middle of Covid, in 2020. Due to the strange world we lived in I really struggled to find any conservation work, so I started a YouTube channel called Nature Scope with some of my university friends just so we had something to show on our CV’s, this is something all of us still take part in today! Finally in 2021 the world settled a little and I started the first of two seasonal survey roles as a field ecologist, conducting protected species surveys on a wide range of animals including bats, newts and reptiles.

From there I finally netted my first full-time conservation role with Essex Wildlife Trust, as a Wilder Community Organiser. I led an initiative called Nextdoor Nature where I helped communities in Clacton-On-Sea and Jaywick start their own wildlife projects. One such project can be found here. I then moved to Essex Wildife Trusts Marine Team as their Coastal Recovery Officer for three years. I managed the stunning Colne Point SSSI nature reserve, led the Share Our Shores beach-nesting bird conservation project and helped support Habitat creation projects such as the Beneficial Use of Dredged Sediment (BUDS) in the Blackwater estuary project.

Why do you think the New Forest is such a special and important place to work?

The New Forest is just incredible; there is nowhere else like it in the UK. The second you step into the forest it feels like you’re stepping back in time to a different world. Some of the incredible wildlife you can find there, the amazing views and pristine habitats make it one of the best places to spend time. The people who live in and around the forest are also great, they care so much about it and are so keen to both protect it and learn about it.

What appealed to you about a role focused on freshwater habitats and wildlife?

I’ve always cared equally about the marine and freshwater environments. I’ve spent the past five years or so looking after our coasts and oceans, so I felt it was time for a change, and I’m really excited to get stuck into some freshwater conservation. I think in the short time I’ve been working in conservation, our freshwater habitats are the ones that have declined the most and that has really come into the limelight in recent years. I really wanted to be a part of helping to turn the tides and hopefully reverse the decline in our freshwater habitats.

What are you most looking forward to in your role?

My role will be to deliver the Headstart project in the New Forest. I’m really looking forward to being able to deliver a tangible improvement to freshwater habitats in the Forest. I love being able to influence conservation and see a positive improvement at the end of it. Headstart will allow me to do that with a mixture of small- and large-scale projects all with the aim of improving habitat and water quality. Whilst I’m mainly working on a local level, I’m excited to feed into the national Headstart project and hopefully be a part of a nationwide shift into the way we conserve our waters.