Sian Moffit

Everyone has a part to play in preserving the environment, says Sian, who is committed to doing just that for future generations through conservation work.

Sian says that she has enjoyed the varied coursework of her degree. “In one of my courses I had a week long field trip to Saint Arnaud, Nelson Lakes where we were supported to undertake fieldwork in groups. We came up with our own projects and figured out how to test these hypotheses in the field. It was hugely helpful, I learnt a lot about both geography and biology.”

A believer in experiencing nature in your own way, Sian says, “The more people who get out there now and experience a passion for nature for themselves, the more value people will see in our environment and protecting it for future generations.”

This attitude as a young environmental leader saw Sian become the first recipient of the Forest and Bird Undergraduate Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to school leavers who undertake their studies in Ecology and Biodiversity at Victoria University of Wellington, in conjunction with the Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology. She is the National Co-ordinator of Forest & Bird Youth and participates in Wellington Plus, Places for Penguins and the Society for Conservation Biology.

“I’m thinking about taking a Master of Conservation Biology, next year. In the future I could see myself working for the Department of Conservation or Forest & Bird, or even in environmental education or ecotourism.”