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About Monica Kincade

I have been the Expeditions & Field Operations Manager of Earthwatch Institute Australia since July 2004.

My career in conservation and volunteering began back in 1995 when I commenced my Bachelor of Social Science at RMIT in Melbourne. I majored in Socio-Environmental Assessment and Policy (SEAP).

The Bachelor of Social Science (SEAP) program develops students’ ability to think creatively and work with people from a wide range of backgrounds towards sustainable solutions to these and other issues.

The course provided an understanding of technical and scientific principles and practical solutions regarding areas such as ecology, agriculture and environmental policy. The main emphasis was on policy and environmental management and the way decisions about the environment are made. It is concerned with the way our society deals with the environment.

Following the completion of my degree, I worked with Mallesons Stephen Jaques for one year before travelling to Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory to work. I worked at a road house for a number of months with my motivation being an interest in interacting with Indigenous Australians and learning more about remote regions of Australia. After travelling briefly through the Northern Territory, I returned to Melbourne where I joined Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) as the Volunteer Co-ordinator.

I held a number of roles during my 3 and a half years at CVA. I was involved in coordinating National Tree Day as well as working on a number of government funded environment programs designed to involve youth and the long term unemployed in conservation programs. I was also responsible for assisting with corporate staff engagement on practical conservation projects.

In May 2003, I left for overseas where I travelled extensively through Europe, Mexico, Turkey, India, Nepal and Thailand before returning home at the end of the year. The combination of my overseas travel experiences along with my time working with volunteers led to my current position with Earthwatch Institute Australia.

I thoroughly enjoy working with volunteers and encouraging people to participate in practical conservation. Through my own experiences as a volunteer on Earthwatch expeditions I have discovered the rewards of joining scientific field research teams as a volunteer.

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