Rochelle Steven
❝ I feel grateful to live in a culture that, while not perfect, is certainly well on its way to where we need to be as far as women are concerned ❞
Dr Rochelle Steven works as a lecturer in environmental management at Murdoch University in Western Australia. She has worked as a species conservation project co-ordinator for WWF-Australia and as a postdoctoral researcher with the University of Queensland’s Threatened Species Recovery Hub. She has managed projects focused on threatened species, the role of citizen science in conservation, and in building greater community support for conservation.
“I spent a decade working in retail and sales before I decided, aged 26, to move into environmental conservation, which was something I had been passionate about as a child. I firmly believe that I am still selling, only now I’m asking people to invest in the environment. Whether I am lecturing students at Murdoch University or an audience of community members, I am so excited to tell them stories of what I love about birds and nature and why we should care about their continued existence.
“I wish I could say that I spend hours in the field, but the bulk of my bird conservation work happens with people, namely the people we need to become effective stewards of bird conservation. I work in advocacy, outreach and engagement. As a researcher, I explore the challenges and opportunities in human-wildlife connections, for example birding and citizen science.
As a volunteer, I speak and write about the threats to birds and the many opportunities to inspire individual and community actions for conservation, especially on private land.
“I feel lucky as a woman that male mentors and collaborators have shown me the utmost respect and admiration, and that I live and work in a society where the social and political support for gender equality is very high. Having visited and worked in many places around the world where women are still overtly oppressed, I feel grateful to live in a culture that, while not perfect, is certainly well on its way to where we need to be as far as women are concerned.”