6 Questions with Cassidy Wilson: Bridging Conservation and Communication

Cassidy Wilson brings a fresh and interdisciplinary perspective to the IUCN Behaviour Change Task Force, blending her background in Advertising & Public Relations with a focus on Conservation Marketing and Sustainable Tourism. As part of the Task Force’s communications team, she helps translate complex conservation research into engaging, accessible content that resonates with broader audiences. Her speciality lies in combining creative marketing strategies with science-based messaging to inspire meaningful public engagement in conservation.

1) We always like to start by asking how you got into your field. Can you share what inspired your journey into conservation marketing?

When I first arrived at The University of Tampa, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to study. I started as a psychology major, thinking that my long-term goal would be to work with big cats—maybe as a zookeeper—studying animal behaviour and working hands-on with wildlife.

But through conversations with mentors in the zoo field, I quickly realised that the environment wasn’t the right fit for me. I found myself more drawn to the human side of the work—how we connect people to animals and nature. That realisation led me to switch my major to Advertising & Public Relations. I’ve always loved being creative, and I enjoy things like social media and building strategic campaigns that help bring ideas to life.

Once I made the switch, I thrived in my advertising courses and discovered I had a real knack for developing campaign concepts quickly. But even then, I felt pulled toward something deeper—my core passions: nature, travel, and creating meaningful social impact. In class, I was often creating campaigns for products like hair brushes, couches, or iPhones. And while that can be valuable work, I felt my skills could be used for something more purpose-driven.

At the time, I didn’t even know that “conservation marketing” was a real, emerging field in academia. But when I had the opportunity to apply for a study abroad research experience at Oxford University, I saw the chance to explore it further. The program allowed me to propose my research topic, so I pitched a project focused on conservation marketing and sustainable travel.

That’s how I ended up at Oxford, studying at Oriel College, where I connected with incredible mentors like Diogo Veríssimo and tutors working at the intersection of conservation, behaviour change, and tourism. Everything came together from there.

2. What drew you to join the IUCN Behaviour Change Taskforce as Communications support, and how does your current work align with the mission and goals of the Task Force?

My initial tutor at Oxford, Amy Hinsley, specifically researches the illegal trade of orchids and human behaviour in illegal wildlife markets. During our conversations, she said, “It sounds like you want to do research, but you’re also really interested in creative concepts and design. Have you ever thought about conservation marketing?” I had never heard of the field before.

She introduced me to her colleague Diogo Veríssimo, saying that conservation marketing was his area of expertise. I reached out to him to see if there were any opportunities I could get involved with, and he invited me to assist with a graduate student’s project he was overseeing. I also shared an academic assignment I had created—an introductory guide to conservation marketing—and from that, he saw my potential and interest in the space.

As we kept in touch, Diogo mentioned that he chairs the IUCN Behaviour Change Task Force. He invited me to support their communications efforts, which aligned perfectly with both my academic background and passion for conservation.

I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity, as it came about through building relationships, showing curiosity, and being open to where those conversations might lead.

3. Could you tell us about any exciting projects or research you're currently working on?

I recently started my graduate program at The University of Tampa in Social & Emerging Media. It’s very technology-focused—we’re learning how to use various software tools to build creative and interactive features for websites, blogs, and social media platforms. A big part of it is digital storytelling and using those skills to communicate messages more effectively.

What excites me most is applying everything I’m learning in class through a conservation lens. I’ve been working on my website and figuring out my long-term business model, but ultimately, I want to be a leader in the sustainable travel industry. That could involve organising trips, but more importantly, I see myself acting as a resource or consultant for travel companies that want to promote their sustainability efforts, especially those that don’t quite know how to do so in an engaging, accurate way that avoids greenwashing.

That’s the vision I’m working toward—collaborating with people around the world, from small businesses to larger companies and NGOs. Right now, I’m in a phase where I’m trying to bring all of my skills and interests together. On my blog and social media, I’m very intentional about weaving in research and insights from organisations like IUCN. I want everything I post to be backed by reliable information.

My goal is to first capture people’s attention with fun, engaging travel content, and then gradually introduce ideas around sustainability, conservation, and responsible travel choices. Ideally, that sparks curiosity and empowers people to dig deeper, explore academic research, and engage with resources like IUCN on their own.

4. In your opinion, what is one of the biggest challenges the world faces in driving meaningful behaviour change toward conservation? How does your work contribute to tackling this?

One of the biggest challenges is the disconnect between marketing and science. When I was at Oxford, one of my tutors asked me to explore how effective marketing campaigns are in the conservation space, especially within NGOs. That research led me to develop case studies analysing companies that use imagery of animals, people, and nature in their marketing efforts.

What I found was that many of the images used, while well-intentioned, had negative psychological effects in the long term. The marketing teams often didn’t realise this; they believed they were helping, but they weren’t aware of the deeper scientific implications. There’s a gap—marketers think they’re doing something impactful, but they might be unintentionally sending the wrong message.

That’s why I believe it’s so important to bring both fields together. Marketers have the skills to communicate creatively and understand audience psychology, but their messaging needs to be rooted in research, data, and conservation science.

To help address this gap, I created a "Beginner’s Guide to Conservation Marketing," which I’m still developing. The idea is to share it with smaller NGOs that may not have a marketing team or budget but still want to communicate their mission effectively. It’s also meant to be a resource for marketing professionals so they can adopt more ethical, evidence-based practices.

5. Who is someone in the conservation world (or beyond) that you look up to or that has influenced your career?

Someone who has had a huge impact on my journey is Rachel Daneault. She works at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where she oversees the gorillas in the park. We first connected when I was a senior in high school and still thought I wanted to become a zookeeper, studying animal behaviour.

Since then, we’ve stayed in touch, and she continues to support me and guide my path. Rachel was the first person to introduce me to the idea of conservation, not just through the lens of science and research, but through people and community. That perspective shifted how I saw my potential role in the field.

Over time, she’s connected me to new people and shown me that there are so many ways to build a career that involves nature, outside of just research or teaching, which were the only paths I thought existed at the time. She’s also the one who first introduced me to the world of nonprofits and conservation marketing. She’s truly my go-to inspiration!

6. Lastly, how do you envision your experience with the Task Force moving forward?

I'm really excited to keep exploring different tools and communication strategies. We’re not limited to just LinkedIn or the website—when we introduced the AI podcast, it was something I’d always wanted to learn more about, and it gave me a hands-on opportunity to develop that skill while supporting the organisation at the same time.

I’m also looking forward to connecting with more people, not just within the Behaviour Change Task Force, but across the broader network of IUCN specialist groups. I didn’t realise how extensive and detailed the system of specialist groups was until I joined. Every person I’ve met so far has such a unique and niche area of research that I never would’ve discovered otherwise.

Looking ahead, no matter where life takes me—whether I’m running my own business or living in a different part of the world - I hope to maintain the relationships I’ve built and continue supporting IUCN through my communication work and content creation.

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Did you enjoy this post? Stay tuned for more insightful conversations and expert perspectives in the next instalment of our "6 Questions With..." blog post series!