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Send us a text In this episode we hear from Mike Price, Director Science from Skeena Wild, on how the shifting climate might be good for salmon. How habitats long hidden by ice are being revealed and might open up new habitats to salmon. Mike's career has been built on undestanding the salmon of the Skeena system and his passion for these tough, determind fish is clear.  For more information follow the links: Website: https://skeenawild.org/ Wesbite: http://www.michaelprice.org/

Send us a text In this epsiode I get to have (an in person) talk with Julia Hill Sorochan, executive director at Skeena Wild Conservation Trust (with a guest appearance by Nathan Meakes). Julia's story stem from legacy protection work in Northern BC and became part of the Skeena WIld team in 2007. Skeena Wild is key player in salmon conservation in Northern BC - working with local communities, first nations, and environmental agencies. They have been involved in numerous large scale efforts to protect the northern coast from unwanted industrial advancement. Their mission is to ensure that fish continue to return to our rivers now and for future generations to support job and food security and people’s connection to wild salmon. They are involved in policy reform driven by their own cutting edge salmon research.  Website: https://skeenawild.org/ Facebook: Skeena Wild Instagram: @skeenawild.conservation.trust Podcast: UpStream

Send us a text Welcome back everyone! To kick off a new season I talk to Dr Steve Schill work work at the Caribbean division of the Nature Conservancy. Dr Steve works with remote sensing to establish extent and health of ecosystems (specifically mangroves, sea grasses and coral reefs) and help governments to protect and preserve these environments. Links:  https://www.nature.org/en-us/ The Urgency of Conservation in the Caribbean : https://www.nv5geospatialsoftware.com/Learn/Case-Studies/Case-Studies-Detail/the-urgency-of-conservation-in-the-caribbean Caribbean 2024 Impact Report : https://www.nature.org/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/documents/Caribbean-impact-report-2024-final-online.pdf Caribbean Science Atlas : https://caribbeanscienceatlas.tnc.org/ 2030 Pledge: https://www.theclimatepledge.com/#main-navigation

Send us a text In this months episode I speak to Jennah Williams, a shark ecologist working in Australia. Jennah has worked around the world with a variety of sharks, learning how they function and what drives their movements. Recently, in Australia, she and fellow researchers have been looking into how climate change is driving changes in migrations and behaviours of the sharks around the Australian coastline. To learn more about Jennah and her work you can follow her here: LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennah-williams-%F0%9F%A6%88-56b28861/ There will be a short break in episodes at this time. New episodes will be released in the Autumn.

Send us a text In this episode I talk to Dr Zach Bell about his foundation, and mission, to protect and save a curious little Turtle. Meet the Ryukyu Black-breasted Leaf Turtle - a turtle no bigger than a phone, navigating misty mountain peaks, perching on trees like a stealthy spy, and flashing a vibrant red tail longer than its legs. This endangered marvel is found only on three subtropical islands in the waters around Japan. With behaviours unlike any other turtle species, these little adventurers are as mysterious as they are mesmerising. But their future is uncertain. Threatened by habitat loss, illegal wildlife trafficking, and environmental changes, their survival depends on dedicated conservation efforts. Join us as we dive into the extraordinary world of these turtles, exploring their unique lives and the critical work of the Okinawa Kame Centre—a nonprofit organization fighting to protect and conserve them in the wild. For more information follow the links below: Instagram:@okinawakamecentre Twitter: @okinawa_kame Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/okinawakamecentre Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OkinawaKameCentre Website: https://okinawa-kame.org/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/okinawakame/

Send us a text In this special episode I talk, in person, to Fernando Tarapow - while we are crossing the Drake Passage, back from Antarctica. Fernando has a long and passionate connection to Antarctica. He will tell you his two biggest loves are:  Antarctica and Antarctica. He was an officer in the Argentine navy when he first saw the great white continent and fell in love. Following his navy career he became a lawyer, then a professor of Public International Law and Antartis Law.  And now as an expedition guide he is an Ambassador of the International Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO). On his many trips to Antartica he was able to observe the penguins and watching them changed his life. He felt the call the protect them. He is an advocator to stop global warming, a book writer, and an incredibly human being. His book "The Penguin Protector" is available to buy now and is a great read on the beauty of the white land and its inhabitants, and also a look into the threats and ways to protect Antarctica and her wildlife. His second book "the Whale Protector" is in writing and tells all about the impacts of overfishing krill. So as Fernando would say...COME ON!! and enjoy the episode. Links below for more information: Website: www.fernandotarapow.com  Antarctic Treaty: https://www.ats.aq/index_e.html  Instagram: @fernando_tarapow @help_me_to_preserve_antarctica Book on Amazon: The Penguin Protector: Experiences as an Antarctic Expedition Guide

Send us a text In this episode I talk to Nadia Mijiddorj, Programs Operator at the Snow Leopard Trust. This incredible organiztion is decicated to the not only the protection of a remarkable animal, but also to aiding communities that live within the ranges of snow leopards so that they can live in peace. Programs include livestock compenstaion, eco camps for kids, and outreach programms. Engaging with the communities and aiding them in living together with a predator can be a challenge, but it is a worthy cause Nadia and her colleagues enjoy. To find out more about the trust and it's programms follow the links below: https://snowleopard.org/ https://snowleopardnetwork.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/snowleopardtrust/ Twitter: @snowleopards Instagram: @snowleopardtrust

Send us a text In this episode I talk to Steve Willis, author of Fairhaven: A novel of climate optimisim. The premise of the book follows the path of Grace Chan, born in Penang, Malaysia. She has experienced the dire consequences of climate change personally and is taking action borne both of hope and desperation.  The book draws on stories and innovations from innovators around the world looking into solutions to preserve the world we have. Steve himself has a background in environmental works and uses his knowledge and to contacts to bring a digestible good-news-story to the masses.  Use the links and tags below to find out more information: Amazon: Fairhaven: A novel of Climate Optimism (Hardback and kindle) Ocean Orchard Project: https://conservationx.com/project/id/26/oceanorchards Rigs to Reefs: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/241/1/012014#:~:text=Rigs%2DTo%2DReef%20(R2R,marine%20and%20fisheries%20sectors%20%2D%20IOPscience COP28: https://unfccc.int/cop28 Arctic Ice Project: https://www.arcticiceproject.org/

Send us a text Today’s episode I talk to Joe Olson who has an incredible brain child for an environmental initiative called the WorldPOP Festival. This festival is to get people around the world to commit to making changes - large and small - that'll have an impact on helping their own environments, leading to benefits globally. Use the links and tags below to find out more information: Facebook: WorldPOP Festival Instagram: @worldpop.festival

Send us a text In this episode I am talking to friends and colleagues of mine about the world of Environmental Consulting. It is an industry that offers a variety of opportunities - from terrestrial to marine, field work to legislations, even research. It can be seen as if those of us in the industry have ‘sold our souls’ to help development but that’s not the case. We are in this industry to help the environment alongside development. To make sure laws, regulations and legislations are followed. To advise on how to improve how we develop the world without completely devastating it. Without environmental professional, develop would run rampant! it is an intense industry and a steep learning curve, but those of us in it do love it!Don’t judge us until to hear our side. You never know, you may want to join us. Come to the Greenside we have Cupcakes.

Send us a text A very special episode for me this week as we go to Peru, travelling to the Manu Biosphere Reserve to talk to Quinn Meyer, founder of the CREES foundation. I volunteered with CREES way back in 2009, and it was a trip that changed my life and has left a lasting impression. Quinn is a social anthropologist with an entrepreneurial streak. After volunteering around the Manu Biosphere area he fell in love with and bought some land and the dream that CREES would become began. Opening officially in 2005 the Manu Learning Centre (MLC) has seen over 13,000 visitors! The data that has been collected has shed new light, not just on biodiversity numbers of regenerated jungle species, but also opened some eyes to how nature has learnt to adapt to the ever pressing presence of humans. A static monitoring base for Amazon conservation for the over a decade has given CREES an immense data set to study and from this some amazing news is in the works. Check out the episode to hear more and follow the links below to CREES social media for more information. Website: https://crees-manu.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creesmanu YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB0tTBi3wN9Pjhh3D8fI3Cw Twitter: @creesfoundation Instagram: crees.manu

Send us a text This week we're back in the UK talking to countryside ranger and wildlife presenter, Ajay Tegala. Ajay has a degree in Environmental Conservation and nine years’ experience working in nature conservation. He was a ranger on Britain’s first coastal reserve, Blakeney Point for many years and currently works at Wicken Fen, Britain’s oldest and very first nature reserve (1899); alongside 100 Konik ponies and 50 Highland cattle! Growing up in East Anglia, Ajay became interested in wetland birds. Through his career in nature conservation, he went on to work with seabirds, in particular terns; monitoring their breeding behaviour and contributing to national monitoring programmes. He has managed and studied England’s largest Grey Seal rookery, off the Norfolk coast. Ajay champions and monitors the success of habitat creation for nature, which partners well with his great love for the fenland landscape, and is passionate about its restoration. Ajay has promoted beach cleans in East Anglia, gardening for wildlife and clothing for Cotswold Outdoor, appearing in shop windows across the UK. Ajay has chalked-up over 15 appearances across the five main channels, including the popular BBC nature documentaries ‘Countryfile’, ‘Coast’ and ‘Winterwatch’ plus a live appearance on ‘Springwatch: Unsprung’ and many, many more! He is currently undertaking a talent development placement with the BBC Natural History Unit working on Springwatch 2021. You can follow Ajay on his social to see what he does. YouTube: Ajay Tegala Twitter: @AjayTegala Instagram: ajaytegala

Send us a text I am very happy to introduce Daniel Ward this week, a fellow Bangor Alum and friend. We discuss different approaches to conservation - what works, what isn’t and what direction could we go in. Change maker, big picture thinker and solution finder Dan is a forward thinking ecologist based in the UK. Dan has worked for the last decade across on the ground action, landscape scale projects and government policy and now works as a micro Think and Do Tank to drive the thinking and conversation around what successful conservation and ecosystems look like and how to get there. Over his time in conservation Dan has realised that conventional conservation thinking and models aren’t working, and that large scale ecosystem restoration/rewilding, using nature based solutions and challenging shifting baselines is the way forwards. Dan is a systems thinker that helps people and organisations understand these big systems so that they can make decisions and choose sustainable solutions that help people and planet. Check out his social media to find out more @danward_org 

Send us a text Going halfway around the work this week to the beautiful Seychelles archipelago talking to Dr Nirmal Shah, Chief Executive of Nature Seychelles. Nirmal is a well-known figure in the Seychelles conservation scene. A biology heavy upbringing in the Seychelles and education have earned him having an encyclopaedic knowledge of Seychelles biodiversity. He was formerly the Assistant Director of Fisheries Research, the Director of the Seychelles Conservation and National Parks service as well as the Managing Director of an environmental firm, ENVIRO where he worked on projects covering almost every aspect of environmental management. Nature Seychelles boasts some incredible conservation success stories, along with incredible programs and initiatives that are at the forefront conservation management. Check out everything Nature Seychelles involved with in the links below: Website: http://ww.natureseychelles.org/home Twitter: @NatureSey Instagram: @naturesey Facebook: @natureseychelles

Send us a text This week I am joined by my friend Dr Hernani Oliveira to talk about bats! Hernani is a tropical conservation ecologist with fieldwork experience across different environments, including: the savannahs and rainforests of Brazil, the dry and rainforests of Costa Rica, the lowland and pre-montane forests of Cameroon, and the limestone forests of Rota Island. During his expeditions, Hernani worked with a range of techniques (DNA barcoding, mist nets, radio telemetry, and camera recording systems) and statistical analysis (geometric morphometry, network analysis, and ecological analysis) to understand the response of bat communities and populations to natural and anthropogenic changes in their environment. Bats have been one of the main groups that he has studied, but he has been involved in research and publications across a variety of mammalian species. He has a big passion for environmental education and bringing awareness into the conservation issues that the world is facing nowadays.  Hernani’s photos and videos of rare species of bats he has encountered, are being used to bring people closer to the species and places that he works. Check out the links below to learn more about Hernani’s work and the wonderful world of bats. Website: https://hfmoconservationandscience.weebly.com/ Twitter: @HernaniFMO Instagram: hernanif77 Articles: Protecting the Cerrado: where should we direct efforts for the conservation of bat-plant interactions?- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10531-019-01793-w - The Response of Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) to Habitat Modification in a Neotropical Savannah - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1940082917697263 - Improved survival for an albino - https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fee.2302?af=R