Meet the staff: Andrew Lawson

Andrew Lawson is GIS (Geographic Information System) Manager for Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre. He is known to his SxBRC colleagues as Drew – but it transpires his first name is actually David! He is celebrating 20 years of working at Sussex Wildlife Trust, so we caught up with him to find out a bit more about that.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I grew up on the edge of the Lake District. In one direction, there was the Cumbrian coast and really interesting habitats such as limestone pavements, in the other, there was Coniston Water. We were out and about all the time, on my bike, on a boat. It was like Swallows and Amazons.

I met my now wife in Ambleside where she was studying to be a teacher. We moved to Worthing after she secured a teaching position at a local school there. Neither of us knew where it was, or expected to find ourselves so far south. But that’s how we ended up in Sussex.

Career-wise, I’d planned to be an engineer, so studied all the hard sciences. But then I realised, I love nature and wanted to be outside. I studied ecology at Lancaster University, then did a Masters at Durham. I studied Badgers in Wytham Woods at Oxford University. I worked in the Zoology department at Glasgow University studying seabird breeding strategies, where I made omelettes to feed to 100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls every night of the week for three months in the name of science, cracking about 20,000 chicken eggs in the process. I also worked for the RSPB, studying Skylarks. No GIS at this stage!

How did you come to work at Sussex Wildlife Trust?

When we were living in Worthing, an old back injury cropped up and put me out of work. I had to restart my career. My first move was to turn up at Woods Mill, which had a reception back then, and offer to volunteer for the Record Centre. They said I’d need some specialist knowledge to do this, so I explained my background. Henri (Brocklebank, Director of Conservation) came down to meet me and that's how it began. I will always be incredibly grateful to the Trust for valuing volunteers. After six months I was given a temporary contract. I did a second Masters in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and ended up with a permanent position, eventually becoming the GIS Spatial Ecology Projects Lead. It must be said, my current job title is easier to get on a business card.

What was the IT like back then?

There was only one machine with GIS on it and I wasn't allowed to use it for six months whilst I demonstrated I was a safe pair of hands. Over the years since then, other departments have realised the benefits of maps to their work, and my job has included setting up and training other staff how to use it. Land Management were the first, but the demand for mapping is increasing year on year as technologies evolve. Now we have Millie Brand (GIS Officer) on board to help the Trust as well.

What skills do you need to do your work?

A blend. Attention to detail. A technical mindset. Good IT skills. Knowledge of ecology and an artist's eye. You need maps to be easy on the eye in terms of colours and styling for them to be useful and meaningful. 

What do you love about it?

It's surprisingly varied because the subjects behind each map can be so different (habitat network modelling, ecosystem services, areas where schools engage with Communities and Wildlife, Trust membership numbers by postcode, etc). I love the people I work with in the Record Centre and across the Trust, and am proud of the amount of work we deliver as an organisation, across so many areas within the environmental sector.

Tell us about a project you're proud of

The Flora of Sussex book. I made all of the species maps for that - c.2000 in total.

Tell us something about yourself we won't know

I love watches and guitars - most of which I can't afford, but it costs nothing to dream!