Shropshire student Amy is recognised for dedication to wildlife work
A Harper Adams University student has revealed her pride after landing a national award.
Amy Fleming, a second year BSc (Hons) Wildlife Conservation and Environmental Management student secured the National Biodiversity Network’s Young Person Award for Wildlife Recording 2022.
She was praised by the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Trust for her work with Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, whose ‘Outdoor origins: youth volunteer group’ she joined in 2019 – shortly before coming to Harper Adams to begin her degree.
Over the last three years, the student has become a supervisor for the group and mentored its new members, as well as working with Wildlife Trust staff to lead and design interesting and engaging sessions for fellow volunteers.
She also volunteers on bat surveys, tree surveys, deer surveys, and mammal surveys with the Wildlife Trust, and is now working towards her dormouse licence.
Amy is hoping her award will encourage other young people to consider conservation work.
She added: “I was extremely proud and it gave me an amazing sense of achievement. It really reinforced what I and many others in the conservation sector do in contributing to saving our natural environment.
“I was honoured to be representing the youth of today that play such a vital role in data collection and conservation.”
The NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording are made annually to individuals, groups of people or to whole organisations that are making outstanding contributions to wildlife recording and improving our understanding of the natural world in the UK.
The NBN Trust makes biodiversity data accessible, to support better decisions about the natural world and to connect people with nature.
Amy chose her course at Harper Adams after looking for a degree which tailored to her interests – and, upon finding her current course, she knew she had made the right choice.
She added: “I wanted to do a niche course that was specific to conservation and came across BSc Wildlife conservation and Environmental Management.
“I hadn't come across many other courses with such a specific title before and Harper was within commuting distance from where I live! I love being in a rural setting to complete my degree and have enjoyed being able to go on long walks during my study breaks.
“It has also been interesting learning about the different perspectives on conservation from a range of people. I have enjoyed opportunities such as bird ringing, arranged by and Julia Casperd who oversees the extra-curricular Field Studies group, which reinforces our learning.”
