A warming and drying climate is connected to the increased frequency, severity and duration of extreme wildfire weather conditions in Australia.

And in the months leading up to Summer, Australian’s are reminded of bushfire season and advised by government and community organisations to prepare.

Generally, the recommendations are for people who live in bushfire prone areas to prepare their homes and ensuring they have an evacuation plan. But I wanted to find out how our natural spaces are being prepared through appropriate land management.

So, I reached out to the team at Firesticks, a national Indigenous network that works with communities and organisations to help restore the cultural wellbeing and identity of their country.

I had the pleasure of speaking to Thungutti, Bundjalung and Mualgal man and Lead Fire Practitioner Leeton Lee. Leeton works across Southeast Queensland and brings a wealth of traditional knowledge to this episode on the climate and community benefits of cultural land management.

We had a great conversation discussing Country of Fire, where timed burns are used to improve the health of the land plus how local land management plays a critical role to reduce the risk of bushfires, improve natural areas for endangered animals and when it comes to reforestation, why plant selection is so important.

It was also a personal reminder of the incredible value in Indigenous voices whose traditional knowledge can help us rethink current climate policies and adapt to what is truly suitable for our survival.

I hope you enjoy the episode.

You can learn more about Firesticks through their website, donate or follow them on their socials below:

Facebook

Instagram

This audio was edited by Peter Magill.

The funeral industry is one that has remained largely unchanged with many people seeking sustainable alternatives to traditional burials or cremation.

Current end of life practices can have a significant effect on the environment from energy use to greenhouse gases and soil pollution.

So, one of the alternatives will be introduced by my guest today who is Katrina Spade, founder and CEO of the world’s first human composting company, Recompose.

Founded in 2017, Recompose describes the process of human composting as natural organic reduction. Human composting has a host of environmental benefits which supports a return to nature and a reduction in carbon and energy.

At the time of recording, Maine became the 12th state in the U.S. to legalise human composting however it is not yet available in Australia.

But at the heart of today's conversation it's about more than a green solution, we’re exploring the opportunity for more choice with Recompose respectfully challenging the funeral industry and current practices.

I hope you enjoy the episode.

You can learn more about Recompose on their website or follow them on Instagram for updates.

This audio was edited by Peter Magill.

While oil and energy garner the bulk of attention for the climate crisis, there is another major culprit - the fashion industry that is responsible for 8 to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions.

Impacts include water and plastic pollution and fashion is also a major human rights issue through fast fashion’s unethical production.

There is a lot of work to do for the industry to align with the Paris Agreements 1.5-degree pathway and in Australia, we are large fashion consumers. With a population of approximately 26 million, on average, Australian’s buy 56 brand new items of clothing a year.

So here to help me explore how we can all improve our fashion footprint is communication and brand specialist Tiffanie Darke.

With over 30 year’s experience in editorial sensibility and commercial strategy, Tiffanie is the co-founder of Ibiza’s luxury sustainability fashion boutique, AGORA and the creator of Rule of Five – a global movement where participants only buy five fashion items a year.

Tiffanie and I discuss what makes a garment truly sustainable from fabric and production to sale. She also offers advice on how to shop sustainably and even alter current items in our wardrobes to give our clothes longevity. We also discuss the sustainability concerns around new plant-based materials and the responsibility of designers to create fashion items with circularity.

Tiffanie’s transformation from luxury fashion consumer to one of sustainable fashion advocate is inspiring and achievable without costing the earth.

I hope you enjoy the episode.

You can follow Tiffanie via her Instagram and read her newsletters at:

Its Not Sustainable

Rule of Five

This audio was edited by Peter Magill.

Forget what you know about slimy seaweed washing up ashore as seaweed is now the fastest growing food in aqua culture.

Seaweed is in fact a nutritious superfood and a very clever and climate friendly plant with high carbon sequestering qualities.

Helping me explore the potential of the seaweed sector is Cam Hines, who is Owner and Co-Founder of Southern Seagreens who run regenerative commercial seaweed farms in Flinders, Victoria.

Southern Seagreens are growing sustainable seaweed for human consumption along with supporting marine ecosystems.

Cam runs the daily operations at Southern Seagreens and today we discuss how he moved from an entrepreneurial journey in craft beer to seaweed. We discuss how they grow and harvest seaweed plus behind the scenes details on the business from their lab, diving for wakame and what he believes the future looks like for this power plant.

You can learn more about Southern Seagreens and make a purchase via their website or connect with them via their Instagram.

I hope you enjoy the episode.

This podcast is edited by Peter Magill.

Mike Coots grew up on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The lifestyle fuelled his obsession with the ocean along with an aspiration to be a professional bodyboarder.

When he was 18 years old, Mike and his teammates took to the water one morning looking to catch a wave at Majors Bay where Mike was almost killed by a Tiger Shark. Mike’s survival instincts helped him paddle back to shore and with the help of his friends and passersby who witnessed the attack, Mike survived but underwent emergency amputation surgery losing his leg.

But instead of turning his back on the water, Mike went from shark survivor to shark supporter. Mike began to learn about sharks – their behaviour, their quirks and their environmental challenges.

He has since spent his life advocating for their protection and has turned his hand to photography in a bid to share sharks’ beauty and their critical place in the oceans ecosystem.

Today, Mike and I discuss his recovery, shark conservation and his new book, Shark Portraits. To create this captivating book, Mike travelled the globe, free diving and scuba diving, often without a cage to record sharks.

Mike has turned his adversity into activism and his respect for sharks and the ocean is contagious and inspiring. I hope you enjoy his story today.

You can find out more about Mike via his website or Instagram or purchase a copy of Shark Portraits here.

Two documentaries are also mentioned during this podcast. One is Shark Water and the other is Envoy – Shark Cull.

This audio is edited by Peter Magill.

Today we’re taking an audio visit to Volcanoes Safaris where you can trek to see mountain gorillas and chimpanzees in the forests of Rwanda and Uganda.

This once in a lifetime wildlife experience is as magical as it sounds and Volcanoes Safaris have been at the heart of reviving gorilla and chimpanzee tourism since 1997.

I’m delighted to bring you my conversation with Volcanoes Safaris COO, Kevin James as we explore what we’ll find on the property and what it’s like to see a gorilla for the first time. And as he defines it: “You really are connecting to something of our past.”

We discuss how Volcanoes Safaris are contributing to the protection of these incredible primates, offering respectful and educational wildlife experiences along with how the organisation is working with local community and what makes a truly sustainable operation when it comes to tourism.

You’ll also love the insight Kevin offers on gorilla behaviour and their family life. It’s no wonder they share 98% of our DNA.

I hope you enjoy the episode.

You can find out more about Volcanoes Safaris via their website and follow their social pages for some stunning visuals on what a visit looks like.

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

I’ve also linked through to the Ted Talk from Praveen Moman on Saving Gorillas.

This audio was edited by Peter Magill.

Women in wildlife conservation just make sense and continue to demonstrate that they are key to protecting nature and their communities. Patrolling the critical areas of the Greater Krueger National Park is South Africa’s first all-women anti-poaching unit, The Black Mambas.

The Black Mambas are women who are selected, trained and deployed rangers which avoid a gun-first approach instead working to deescalate conflict towards potential poachers protecting The Big 5 and countless other animals.

Today on the podcast, I speak to the founder and director of Transfrontier Africa and founder and manager of the Black Mambas, Craig Spencer.

Craig discusses his innate traits to protect nature along with the growing success of The Black Mambas since founding the team in 2013. The team have a gruelling schedule patrolling the African landscape but are also creating sustainable incomes for their families and communities including supporting, feeding and teaching children the importance of wildlife conservation through the Bush Babies Environmental Education Program.

We discuss the traits that women possess to see them successfully disrupt the poaching space without the violence helping create a happy and peaceful landscape.

I hope you enjoy the episode.

You can support The Black Mambas here or follow them on Instagram for updates.

Learn more about Transfrontier Africa here including the Bush Babies Environmental Program.

This audio is edited by Peter Magill.

Many animal lovers will seek out wildlife encounters when they travel. Sometimes tourists are sold a once in a lifetime experience to pet a tiger cub, have breakfast with an orangutan or ride an elephant.

But it’s important to note that these experiences often have a dark side with animals in these venues subject to degrading entertainment, cruel training methods and horrendous living conditions – deprived of their right to live a full, wild life.

So how do we know this? Well, today’s guest spends his days documenting these difficult stories in the hope that we can bring urgent change to wildlife tourism.

In today’s episode we speak to internationally-acclaimed photojournalist and film-maker, Aaron Gekoski.

Aaron specialises in human-animal conflict and for more than 15 years he has travelled the globe to report on our complex relationship with wildlife.

Covering issues from the illegal wildlife and pet trade, to deforestation, marine conservation and wildlife tourism.

He is also a previous winner of Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Nature Photographer of the Year, and many others.

His documentary, Eyes of The Orangutan has received multiple award nomination and is a four year investigation that documents orangutans in wildlife tourism and the not so ethical experiences they are subject to.

Aaron details his journey to wildlife photography and film, we talk about Eyes of the Orangutan, wildlife tourism, and how to avoid contributing to the industry.

Plus, if you're an aspiring photographer or filmmaker, Aaron offers some sound advice on documenting a cause you're passionate about so the world can see it.

I hope this episode brings you learning and value ~ Angela

We've entered this state whereby we think that animals are there simply for us to exploit or to enjoy ~ Aaron Gekoski

You can visit Aaron’s website or follow him on Instagram for updates.

You can also learn more about Orangutans through Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation.

This audio is edited by Peter Magill.