Conservation Internship
Launch your ecological career with a hands-on Conservation Internship with Arid Recovery
Arid Recovery is offering two internships in 2026 for recent graduates looking to deepen their practical experience in ecology and conservation. Working alongside an experienced multidisciplinary team, the intern will contribute to the delivery of ecological research and field surveys that support threatened-species recovery and arid land conservation. The role also offers exposure to land management, stakeholder and community engagement, and science communication within a small, innovative conservation NGO.
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Location: Olympic Dam, South Australia
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Internship 1 dates: 30th April - 24th July 2026
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​Internship 2 dates: 13th July - 9th October 2026
Applications are now open until the 12TH of March
HOW TO APPLY IS
HERE
Tasks may include:
Collection and collation of ecological monitoring data (including vertebrate trapping and vegetation assessments)
Camera-trap and track-count surveys
Data mangement and reporting
Participation in land-management activities such as feral-animal control and reserve maintenance
Exposure to stakeholder and community engagement
Participation in research projects with Arid Recovery staff and collaborators
Community engagment through tours, events, and school visits
Housekeeping tasks essential for running a small NGO
Selection criteria:
A Bachelor degree in Science, Ecology Natural Resource Management, or Enivornmental Science
Experience in ecological and/or land management fieldwork
Experience with data entry and basic management
Demonstrated ability to independently and in a small team
Proactive and willing to take on unfamilar tasks, seek gudiance when needed
Physical fitness to undertake manual work outdoors in arid conditions
Willingness to live in a small, remote community for the duration of the placement
Eligible for living and working in Australia for at least 4 months
Current driver's licence
Fluency in written and spoken English
Bringing your own car for travel to and from the office and, as well as for personal use during the internship, is highly recommended.
Accommodation and a living allowance will be provided, as awll as contribution to your travel to and from Roxby Downs. Opportunities for paid casual work (tour guiding) may be available.
Past Interns
Charlotte Hogan
Charlotte made significant contributions to the team during a period of understaffing at Arid Recovery. She helped organise the 27th annual trapping event and successfully radio-tracked a quoll that had infiltrated the quoll-free Main Exclosure. Charlotte spearheaded the establishment of an extensive insect database, a pioneering initiative in our long-standing practice of collecting invertebrates during our annual trapping. One of her favourite achievments while at Arid Recovery was the relocation of a western quoll to the northern Flinders Rangers. Charlotte is now embarking on a fellowship with the Smithsonian in Panama.
Ben Reay
Ben joined us from Sydney via the Flinders Rangers where he had spent time helping to monitor the reintroduced population of western quolls in Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park. He helped with running the launch event for the Kokatha Pastoral and Arid Recovery partnership, as well as the annual visit by our Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Panel. Ben worked with Ecologist Genevieve Hayes to collect data for annual vegetation quadrat monitoring at an important moment for recording recovery from the 2018-20 drought. Ben went on to work on reintroduction project for red-tailed phascogales with the SA Department for Environment and Water.
Victoria Love
Tori interned with Arid Recovery between May and August 2023. Between studying her degree, she exercised her passion for science communication by producing the University of Adelaide's Biology Society podcast. Great at talking with people from all walks of life, and with some outback hospitality experience, Tori made a wonderful contribution to Arid Recovery's community programs. This included the sunset tours, an open day with record attendance and preparation for a major event launching the new partnership between Arid Recovery and Kokatha Pastoral. Tori was immediately employed on completing her internship, taking up a role as a Community Landscape Officer for the SA Arid Landscapes Board where we still have the pleasure of connecting with her in the region.
Emma Randle
Emma joined Arid Recovery for the annual small vertebrate piftall survey and stayed through the peak of record-breaking cat activity experienced in April 2023. She helped to survey for signs of cat incursions and to manage perimeter traps during this busy time keeping the Arid Recovery Reserve secure from predators. Emma now works in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands supporting Aboriginal ranger teams and communities looking after Country in the remote northwest of South Australia.
Jack Bilby
Jack Bilby was selected for Arid Recovery's first graduate position. He had completed his Bachelor of Science with Honours at Flinders University, studying the reintroduction of western quolls to the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park. He joined Arid Recovery for seven months to focus on climate change adaptation research, intending to study use of soaks as a drought relief measure. He had to pivot however after large rainfall events, and instead worked on understanding vegetation recovery post-drought, including repeating a seed bank study from 15 years prior, collecting data from the long-term monitoring set and exploring remote sensing for monitoring vegetation.