Hanna has always loved the outdoors, but her interest in countryside management and the environment only took root after she moved to Germany and started running bike trips for tourists.
While living in Berlin, she saw the pressures that hundreds of thousands of visitors were putting on the city every year and her concern for environmental matters grew.
At that point, she saw a countryside management course being advertised by SRUC and decided to change careers. After being accepted onto the course, she headed back to Scotland to start a new adventure, managing and protecting our wild places.
Hanna said: “I think working in tourism exposes you to the sharp end of environmentalism. When you see first-hand the impact we’re having on the natural world, it’s hard to ignore. It’s great that we have the opportunity to explore rural areas in Scotland under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, but at the same time it has to be managed carefully — by both land managers and the public.”
After completing an HND in countryside management, Hannah went on to do a stint as a Volunteer Ranger with Muiravonside Country Park near Falkirk.
She said: “Our college tutors always encouraged us to look for volunteering work outside of the course, as it’s really important to put the theory you learn into practice. Volunteering also helps you network and build contacts that come in handy further down the line, not to mention building your self-confidence.
“Being a Volunteer Ranger was a great experience. I was involved in a wide range of countryside management practices from coppicing and planting trees to river bed restoration and interpretation design. I also had the chance to lead some groups in habitat management which was a real plus point for me.”
Hanna has since had Seasonal Ranger roles with Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park and Hopetoun House Ranger Service, where she developed her skills in biological surveying, habitat management and delivering environmental education. She then went on to gain a full-time permanent position as a Conservation Officer with Fife Coast and Countryside Trust and is now Estate Ranger at Glen Finglas Estate with the Woodland Trust, back home in Stirlingshire.
Hanna said: “Countryside Management is a very competitive industry to get into as more and more people take an interest in working in the outdoors while less funding means a reduction in the number of paid jobs available.
“Countryside Rangers play a vital role in empowering the public to recognise and exercise responsible access, which helps ensure that our natural areas can continue to be enjoyed for generations to come — by both humans and wildlife."