Introduction:

“I’m Laura Nunes, and I’m the senior GIS analyst at Defenders’ Center for Conservation Innovation. I’ve been with Defenders for almost five years. Here I manage a team of GIS (Geographic Information System) analysts, and together we create detailed maps of landscapes for conservation, as well as large scale analyses on national and regional policies with our program offices. You can see both static and interactive maps that we’ve created online.”

How did you get your start in conservation?

“I’ve always had a fondness for being outside, and I watched a lot of nature documentaries growing up. The first conservation initiative I remember was in school – my teacher asked us to bring in bottle caps to support a tree-planting program. I was very excited about that, and I was the student who brought the most caps. That was an important moment of appreciation for the environment and how I learned that we can have an impact.

Throughout the years I’d look for opportunities to volunteer and get engaged at the local level. I decided to go to college and study biology to pursue conservation as a career. Being aware that we were already experiencing the effects of climate change and extinction inspired me to pursue this career.”

What would you say to someone looking to volunteer or pursue a conservation career?

“I would say put yourself out there and look for opportunities to make a difference. In my experience, reaching out to people will get you a response, and people are always happy to offer advice on how they got started. I answer emails all the time from students wanting to hear more about what it’s like to work at a conservation nonprofit. You might find opportunities that aren’t typically advertised if you put yourself out there.”

What would you describe as a highlight of your work so far?

“A highlight of my career has been addressing impacts of human activities on wildlife and the habitats they depend on. Alongside our work on mapping the 5 drivers of biodiversity loss (climate change, land use change, pollution, over-exploitation and invasive species) in the United States, I have also started working on the challenges of balancing strategies to mitigate the harmful impacts of climate change, wildlife conservation priorities, and higher energy demands as all require substantial amounts of land to be effective and thus can often be in competition with one another.

Because addressing this challenge requires more than wildlife experts, over the last 2 years, I have been building a network of experts across different fields that can help us conceive mutually beneficial solutions for renewable energy production, wildlife conservation and human well-being.

Coming up, we’re excited to take part in the North America Congress for Conservation & Restoration this July. We plan to present an interactive session to bring together a community of conservation scientists and practitioners to discuss intersections between strategies to mitigate climate change impacts, wildlife conservation priorities and support socio-economic demands in the United States. We hope this conversation sparks ideas and provides new opportunities to advance conservation.”

Click here to learn more about Lura and her work at Defenders!

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