By Anna Dunphy, First Year, English
With the previous decade (2014-2025) recorded as the warmest on record, news about climate change can be disheartening. For this reason, 2026 could be the year for you to get involved with projects that combat this. Volunteering can help protect endangered species, restore habitats, and improve biodiversity. Many conservation charities rely on volunteers to help deliver projects, meaning you will play a crucial and rewarding role. It can also boost mental and physical health, is a great way to meet people, and provides worthwhile work experience.
Conservation volunteering can take many forms. You could get involved in habitat restoration, monitoring wildlife, caring for nature reserves, litter picking, community gardening- there’s a role to suit everyone! I’ve listed some options relevant for Bristol students below:
- Bristol City Council
Bristol City Council offer voluntary opportunities working in local parks and green spaces. They offer roles working alongside rangers and gardeners in estates, monitoring wildlife in parks, planting trees in Bristol, and more- you’d have the opportunity to both help out with local conservation and look after popular community spaces. For more information, see here.
- Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART)
BART protects the River Avon and its tributaries in and nearby Bristol, keeping rivers clean for both the wildlife that depends upon them and local communities. The organisation offers various programmes where volunteers get involved to help improve the health of local rivers. Their programmes offer varying levels of commitment, perfect for busy students. The BART Beacons, for example, monitor their local stretches of river on a non-committal basis, and River Detectives take water quality samples and test for a number of parameters each month. To find out more about these programmes and their other opportunities, see here.
3. Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project
Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project works to conserve the wildlife of Avon Gorge and Clifton and Durdham Downs. They also run events raising awareness and showcasing the area. While they offer roles helping to survey sites, volunteers can also get involved in assisting school visits and children’s school holiday activities on the downs, providing great opportunities for those who would like to get involved in ways other than physical conservation. Ways to get involved with the organisation are listed here.
- GVI
For those who want to get involved with projects outside of the UK, GVI offer a range of nature conservation programmes through which people can volunteer, intern, and study, in both abroad and remote roles. Their volunteer programs run from 2 to 12 weeks, and their internship programmes for 6 to 24, great for the summer holidays or a gap year. You can find their website here.
Featured Image: Epigram / Jemima Choi
Are you looking to volunteer more in 2026?
