Meet our staff: Clive Lunny

We meet Clive Lunny, Ranger (West)

I grew up in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland and went to university in Glasgow to study Zoology. I lived for 10 years in Scotland, some of which time was spent studying Dippers in Edinburgh, followed by 20 years of working in IT in London. In 2016 I had the opportunity to take redundancy, which gave me the chance to start an unpaid internship with the RSPB at Broadwater Warren, neighbouring Eridge. I also volunteered for the National Trust at Sheffield Park and Sussex Wildlife Trust at Eridge Rocks. I then became a Ranger for Crowborough Town Council in 2021 and after two years there I successfully applied to Sussex Wildlife Trust and here I am. This is my dream job.

Tell us about your role and how you are finding it so far

As a Ranger, I’m the face of the Trust on the reserves, liaising with visitors, talking to people. I deliver practical aspects of nature conservation, boots on the ground, managing equipment, and will be leading volunteer groups.

What might a typical working day look like at the moment?

At this time of year, I’m mostly out and about checking and repairing fencing in preparation for the arrival of livestock, or undertaking other infrastructure checks, like mending gates.

I sometimes work alone, sometimes with other members of the Land Management Team such as Rosie, Sarah and Steve (Hutchings, Quantrill and Webster, also Rangers). Recently for example we were notified that our rhododendron was infected with a water mould, Phytophthora ramorum (sudden oak death), which can cause disease and decay in oaks so we had to work together to ensure the affected plant was removed according to guidance to stop it spreading.

I might get 15 minutes or half an hour to check my computer, but there are no office days.

Are there any species you have a particular interest in?

Everything. I try to learn how to ID as much as I can. It's great being out with Sarah and Steve who are so knowledgeable about species. I do love reptiles and used to survey them at Crowborough. Of course, growing up in Ireland, there are no snakes. And I could watch Dippers for hours.

What is your favourite time of day to be in nature and why?

Early morning - everything is active, especially birds, whilst there are very few disturbances.

What do you enjoy most about this kind of work?

The very tangible sense of achievement. You can see what you have done and the direct impact of it on wildlife and biodiversity, such as coppicing or clearing scrub. And what’s not to love about having fantastic nature reserves as your office?

What qualities do you need to do it?

Stamina and fitness. An inquiring mind. Patience. The ability to problem solve, or rather break problems down into manageable chunks. A positive attitude.

What are the biggest challenges?

The time and scale of everything. There is a lot to do. That's what is so great about our volunteers. What they come in and achieve is so much more than what you can get done alone.

What are your favourite spaces in Sussex?

It's changing the more reserves I'm working on. It was woodland, then I visited Graffham and loved the heathland. David (King, Ranger at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve) showed how much more there is to Rye Harbour than I had previously thought. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of our reserves more across Sussex, one of the things that attracted me to the job with the Trust in the first place..

What might people not know about you?

I once played cricket for N.Ireland vs Republic of Ireland schoolboys.