About Me

Lucy Houliston is a National Geographic Young Explorer, writer and digital content producer with a passion for weird wildlife. She currently studies Zoology at Royal Holloway, University of London.

National Geographic Young Explorer

For as long as she can remember, Lucy has had a soft spot for the weirder side of wildlife. As a child she was utterly obsessed with insects and, aged seven, created ‘The Weed Trust’ in an attempt to seek justice on behalf of this much-maligned group of plants. From creating videos and managing social media for the Sloth Appreciation Society to producing a National Geographic-supported educational series all about the weird wildlife of the UK, Lucy has continued on her mission to champion nature’s underdogs through her freelance work. She enjoys combining her digital skills, practical conservation knowledge and flair for storytelling to educate and empower fellow young people about biodiversity and raise funds for conservation efforts. 

In January 2021, Lucy was announced as one of National Geographic’s newest Young Explorers. This prestigious award program recognises, elevates, and funds young change-makers aged 16-25, who are helping us understand our world and collaboratively leading solutions for a healthier, safer, and more sustainable planet.

Her funded project, Change for Strange, is an educational campaign that places biodiversity conservation directly into the hands of UK primary school students. It involves the creation of a five-part series, developed in partnership with UK-based educators and produced and hosted by Lucy, that will be streamed live to classrooms across the country from December 2021. By exploring and celebrating the weirder side of British wildlife, the series will using fun and bizarre facts to engage and excite pupils, changing their perceptions of odd or traditionally overlooked species, and guiding them through the process of creating their very own miniature ‘nature reserves’ within their school grounds.

Scientist

After gaining an accreditation in Television Production from the University of Gloucestershire, Lucy went on to study Zoology at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her current areas of interest include ecology, animal physiology and vertebrate evolution.

Wildlife host and speaker

An experienced speaker, Lucy has delivered school talks in the UK, USA and Ecuador; quizzed Sir David Attenborough at an inaugural public lecture; co-chaired educational webinars; delivered presentations at virtual conferences including WWF and Youth For Our Planet’s recent Virtual Youth Changemakers Conference; and hosted live, digital lessons as part of Lizzie Daly’s Earth Live Lessons series and Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants’ International Sloth Day program.

In 2020, Lucy interviewed wildlife photographer and filmmaker Dani Connor as part of Reserva’s Reserva Youth Live series, and hosted its Wild Trivia Night fundraiser alongside actress and activist Nathalie Boltt. She is currently working with National Geographic to produce and host an educational series for primary school children all about the weird wildlife of the UK.

Digital producer

Lucy has an accreditation in Television Production and has gained experience working behind the scenes of popular entertainment shows such as Loose Women and Celebrity Juice. In 2019, Lucy worked as Editor and Live Producer for Skomer LIVE, a 14-part digital wildlife series created to support The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales through the COVID-19 pandemic. The series received over a quarter of a million views in total and raised over £10,000 for nature conservation efforts in Wales.

Since then, Lucy has since produced a number of live-streamed events for the RSPB and Reserva: The Youth Land Trust, including its two online Concert for Conservation fundraisers, hosted by wildlife broadcaster Lizzie Daly and featuring live performances and appearances from the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Bertie Gregory, Bella Lack and Kris Bowers.

In 2018, Lucy teamed up with zoologist, author and broadcaster Lucy Cooke to help promote and protect what is now one of her favourite animals: the sloth. Since becoming Digital Content Producer for the Sloth Appreciation Society, she's delivered talks on sloths in schools, produced videos that have reached audiences of tens of thousands, and devoted an entire summer to documenting these strange, slow-moving mammals at an animal sanctuary in Central America.

Writer

Lucy’s adventures in nature writing have taken her everywhere from rugged Scottish islands to the winding rivers of Uganda and some of the remotest corners of the Ecuadorian wilderness. She has written blog and magazine features for a number of conservation organisations including the RSPB, Scottish Seabird Centre, Pan-American Conservation Association, Reserva: The Youth Land Trust and A Focus On Nature.

In 2018, Lucy joined Reserva: The Youth Land Trust’s storytelling team on a scientific expedition to the Chocó cloud forest in northwestern Ecuador. Throughout the trip, she documented the team’s adventures on film and in writing on Reserva’s online blog (you can read her accounts here).

Conservationist

Lucy is proud to serve as a member of Reserva: The Youth Land Trust’s Board of Directors, working to educate and empower global youth and marginalised communities in land conservation and assist in the creation of the world’s first entirely youth-funded nature reserve. She has volunteered with the RSPB and is also a long-term member of the London Wildlife Trust’s Young People’s Forum, where she helps the organisation develop initiatives to better engage youth from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds in local conservation efforts.