Final meeting of the Careers in Nature Conservation Project

The final meeting of the Careers in Nature Conservation Project was held at the University of Elte in Budapest, Hungary, on 13 and 14 December. The project focused on the management of careers in nature conservation, in an European perspective. Participants from universities and non-governmental organizations from Portugal (University of Évora and SPEA), United Kingdom (University of Exeter and AMBIOS) and Hungary (Elte University and Barn Owl Foundation).

During the project, three mobilities were carried out with the exchange of students and trainers between the partner countries, and a website was created with open contents to support the entire course of the students, from the improvement of personal development skills to obtaining a job, addressing topics such as entrepreneurship and innovative thinking in biodiversity management.  At this meeting the project was evaluated and disseminated, and several consulting meetings with various entities were held. The dissemination of the project among the students of the University of Elte was one of the highlights of the meeting, with the presentation of several Erasmus + mobility opportunities offered by the partners. Meetings with various entities, such as WWF and Central European University, were also of great importance for discussion of the methodologies, results and potential developments of the project. One of the topics discussed was the integration of the UN Global Goals of Sustainable Development in higher education institutions. The project characterized the differences between partner countries in terms of career advisement for higher education students, and explored the integration of the theme of sustainability in curricula and in the very functioning of institutions, with great potential for the transfer of knowledge in the European context.