Volunteer field technicians are bad for wildlife ecology

Abstract

Many advertised field-technician positions sound worthwhile, but have no or very low pay. Although these can be valuable experiences, not paying technicians for their work undermines their professionalism and the professionalism of science as a whole. These unpaid technician positions are available to only the privileged few; and the positions exclude minorities, parents, and other groups who cannot afford to work unpaid. By creating such positions, we prevent everyone, regardless of background, from having a chance to get the field experience they need, and this limits the diversity of voices in wildlife ecology and conservation. We recognize finances are often tight, and there is a long tradition of unpaid work, but these are not valid rationalizations for continuing this practice. Unpaid technicians and internships are bad for science, and the conservation of our natural world. We cannot afford to not pay our technicians. Ó 2015 The Wildlife Society.

Breaking barriers: The effect of protected characteristics and their intersectionality on career transition in academics

“…Financial barriers may be particularly relevant to ecology, evolution, behavioural ecology, and related disciplines, due to research in these fields often relying on field work. Experience with fieldwork can be key to career development; however, gaining this experience often requires undertaking voluntary internships, which may only be accessible to those from more privileged backgrounds (20).…”

How do we ensure the future of our discipline is vibrant? Student reflections on careers and culture of ecology

“…Slow turnover keeps homogenous groups from diversifying (O'Brien et al 2015), and thus, demographics of ecologists lag behind demographics of society. At the other end of the ecology-career timeline, entry-level jobs (field crews, laboratory technicians) are often low or non-paying and people from less privileged socio-economic backgrounds generally cannot forgo salary (Fournier and Bond 2015). This keeps people from gaining early experience, a prerequisite to a successful ecology career.…”

Diversity and Inclusion in Conservation: A Proposal for a Marine Diversity Network

“…In particular, significant social hurdles (e.g., gender, economic, systemic, and/or implicit institutional biases) persist in many countries to entering science careers in general, and conservation science careers in particular (Steinpreis et al, 1999;Ginther et al, 2011;Taylor, 2014;Laurison and Friedman, 2016). For example, many field assistant positions in wildlife ecology and conservation-which provide valuable experience that can improve a student's chances of being admitted to a graduate program or secure research funding-offer little or no pay (Fournier and Bond, 2015). These positions can therefore be accepted only by people with fewer financial constraints, limiting future workforce diversity in the field (Fournier and Bond, 2015).…”

“…For example, many field assistant positions in wildlife ecology and conservation-which provide valuable experience that can improve a student's chances of being admitted to a graduate program or secure research funding-offer little or no pay (Fournier and Bond, 2015). These positions can therefore be accepted only by people with fewer financial constraints, limiting future workforce diversity in the field (Fournier and Bond, 2015). For many who do achieve careers in conservation, the barriers to accessing professional resources can be numerous and profound.…”