‘The study of nature has no beginning and it has no end’, well said by Jim Corbett. Habitat of about two-thirds of the world’s flora and fauna forests are indispensable to mankind. Forestry is the science of development and management of forests and the wildlife. It is an interesting subject to study. Forests and the wildlife are linked together as forests serve as a home for wild and animals and also serve as a natural resource for food, timber and medicinal plants. Instead being thankful to forests, human beings are destroying the forests for their basic needs which often lead to species in danger.

So it is important to protect and conserve our jungles. For this purpose specially trained persons like; forestry specialists, forestry management experts and forest officers are required for the development and management of forests and the wildlife. These people take care of this wildlife habitat and its resources by protecting them from every present and expected danger. Forestry includes protecting, conserving and upgrading forest resources.

A range of Forestry Wildlife degrees enable students to concentrate on animal welfare, soil science, environmentalism and many other specialized areas. As the awareness among the people for conservation of forest increases the career opportunities are also increasing. Issues like global warming, deforestation, global climatic change, water scarcity, natural disasters, etc are also covered under this.

Forestry Wildlife Courses
Some of the courses are listed below in which students interested in forestry and wildlife can pursue: Forest and Woodland Management, Forest Ecosystem Management, Forest Resources Management, Wildlife Sciences, Forest products, Wood Science and Technology, Conservation Biology and many more.

Educational Requirements    
Various courses in forestry are available at the graduate, postgraduate and diploma level, as well as at the PhD level.10+2 pass outs with science subjects can qualify for BSc Forestry, further the master’s level provides specialization in subjects like Forest Management, Commercial Forestry, Forest Economics, Wood Science & Technology, Wildlife Science, Veterinary Science etc. After this PhD opportunities are also open in Forestry at the various universities.

Career Prospects
Today, forestry and wildlife areas are not merely just growing trees or conserving jungles. These fields offer several career options according to the students’ interests and goals. As the awareness in the public for conservation of forest is increasing, so also the professional career prospects to Forestry graduates are also increasing. Forestry graduates can take up jobs in various government departments like department of forest and wildlife. Some of the job prospects are as follows:

Forester: The forester is responsible for protecting and regenerating forests, protecting wildlife habitats, checking for and fighting wild fires, landscape management and so on.

Wildlife Biologist: Wildlife biologists are the people who are mainly responsible for studying the actions, biology, habitation and environment of a variety of animals in the wild. These people may get positions in advanced education, as professors at the college. They can also work for the state or federal government in conservation or research positions. In private sector they can avail opportunities in zoos, community centers etc.

Dendrologists: They are involve in research on the history, life span, measuring, classifying the varieties of trees, and studying ways and means of tree improvement through afforestation etc.

Environmental Consultant: Environmental consultants are employed with consulting firms as well as both private and government agencies. They assist companies to best be able to make full use of natural resources while tumbling or eliminating environmental damage.

Ethnologists: An ethnologist studies and analyzes the evolution, behavior, biological functions etc. of an organism in its natural environment. Ethnologists design healthy habitats for animals in zoos, aquariums, and laboratories and also study animal behavior.

Animal damage control specialist: They are responsible to conducting and coordinating wildlife damage management operations and providing technical assistance in the control of various types of wildlife species within a geographical area to reduce or eliminate damages from overpopulation or the natural habits of wildlife within that geographical area.

Entomologists: Entomologists specialize in the study and control of diseases caused by insects and pests.

Silviculturists: Silviculture is an aspect of forestry that refers to the growth of plantations that yield periodic harvests.

Forest Range Officers: Forest range officers take care of public forests, sanctuaries, botanical gardens etc. They have conservators, loggers and other junior personnel working with them.

Wildlife forensics officer: They conduct laboratory analysis of samples related with cases of poaching, smuggling, animal cruelty, bioterrorism, and oil spills or other ecological disasters.

Zoo curators: They are responsible for animal welfare in the zoos and also undertake conservation programs. Zoo curator plays a role in the administration of zoo functions and captive breeding programs.

Top Colleges Offering UG/PG/Other Forestry Wildlife Programs
There are many institutes and universities all over the world which provide Undergraduate, Master’s and PhD programs in wildlife and forestry. Some of these institutes are: Forestry Research Institute in Bhopal (India), University of Georgia in Athens, (Greece), University of Florida (USA), University of Washington-Seattle Campus (USA), Alexandria University in Egypt, Indian Institute of Forest Management in Dehra Dun (India), University of Port Harcourt in Nigeria, Beijing Forestry University (China), Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (India), National University of Agronomy Toulouse (ENSAT) in France, Abant Izzet Baysal University in Turkey, University of Canterbury in New Zealand etc.

With the increase in demand of the forestry graduates there are various government and non-government departments of forestry and wildlife which provides job opportunities. There are opportunities in NGOs working for conservation and up gradation of forests. Nowadays corporate houses are involved in timber plantations; need the services of Forestry graduates. There are also options available for research work in public sector research institutions like the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Institute of Social Forestry and Eco-rehabilitation and Wildlife Research Institutes. Botanical and Zoological parks, Wildlife sanctuaries and National parks also have the requirements for forestry graduates. Increasing its importance academically it is also opening door for the vacancies of professors and researchers. Still photography, film making, wildlife journalism etc. are other career options available to forestry graduates. Television channels like Discovery and Natural Geographic provide fulltime prospects for these wild world people. Organizations like World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Centre for Environment Education, Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) and consultancy firms like Ernst and Young and KPMG hire a number of Forest and Wildlife graduates annually. Other International agencies like, FAO, DANIDA, CIFOR, SIDA, USAID, DFID, etc also hire forestry graduates.

So go wild for your career ahead and explore the jungle world.

Ghosia Tabassum