Aidan Gallagher

Aidan Gallagher is a world-renowned actor and singer and also a UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador and one of the youngest ever Goodwill Ambassadors. You can find him at https://www.aidanrgallagher.com and http://www.twitter.com/aidanrgallagher.This episode and interview are brought to you (with our huge gratitude) by Kate on Conservation (http://www.twitter.comKateonConsrvation and http://www.kateonconservation.com), and was recorded at the Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in London in 2018.The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at http://www.wildvoicesproject.org and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Aidan Gallagher is a world-renowned actor and singer and also a UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador and one of the youngest ever Goodwill Ambassadors. You can find him at <a href="https://www.aidanrgallagher.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.aidanrgallagher.com</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/aidanrgallagher" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.twitter.com/aidanrgallagher</a>. This episode and interview are brought to you (with our huge gratitude) by Kate on Conservation (http://www.twitter.comKateonConsrvation and <a href="http://www.kateonconservation.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.kateonconservation.com</a>), and was recorded at the Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in London in 2018. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at <a href="http://www.wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.wildvoicesproject.org</a> and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Wild Voices: Aidan Gallagher

James Glancy

This episode is a conversation with James Glancy (https://www.jamesglancy.com/biography and https://twitter.com/jaglancy) who is a host of Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, a conservationist who works with Veterans For Wildlife supporting the work of wildlife rangers in many African countries, and a former marine.In this conversation we talk about a childhood where he felt a passion for nature and picked up a love of diving, how his military expertise has translated into helping rangers defend some of the planet’s most endangered species, and what rewilding means to him. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at www.wildvoicesproject.org and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

This episode is a conversation with James Glancy (<a href="https://www.jamesglancy.com/biography" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.jamesglancy.com/biography</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jaglancy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/jaglancy</a>) who is a host of Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, a conservationist who works with Veterans For Wildlife supporting the work of wildlife rangers in many African countries, and a former marine. In this conversation we talk about a childhood where he felt a passion for nature and picked up a love of diving, how his military expertise has translated into helping rangers defend some of the planet’s most endangered species, and what rewilding means to him. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at <a href="http://www.wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.wildvoicesproject.org</a> and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Wild Voices: Bringing Military Expertise to Nature Conservation, James Glancy

Thomas Lovejoy

Welcome to another episode of the Wild Voices Project podcast with me, Matt Williams. It has been quite some time since I’ve published an episode - a new house, a new girlfriend, a new dog and a new baby mean that life has been somewhat busy in the past year. So I put the podcast on pause for a while. But we’re back - and to begin with it’s with some episodes recorded around a year ago. So in listening to this episode and some of the upcoming ones please bear in mind that they are around 12 months old and were recorded prior to the coronavirus epidemic. But I believe there’s still huge, timeless value in these conversations.I hope you and your loved ones are well during this strange and concerning time. Many of us are very privileged by having access to nature and the outdoors right now. And I recognise that both I, and many of my guests, fall into that category. I hope that hearing about wildlife and nature might also provide some solace during this time.This episode is a cracker - it’s with the so-called ‘godfather of biodiversity’ Professor Thomas Lovejoy. Thomas Lovejoy is a Senior Fellow at the United Nations Foundation, an expert on climate and biological dynamics in the Amazon, he was previously the biodiversity advisor to the World Bank, and is known for being the first person to coin the word ‘biodiversity’. In this episode, we discuss using high mist nets to catch spine-tailed swifts in the Amazon rainforest, the tipping points caused by fragmentation that could lead to irreversible dieback, and how he keeps his energy levels up for office work and advising decision-makers and achieves an emotional or professional reset at the start of each day. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at www.wildvoicesproject.org and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Welcome to another episode of the Wild Voices Project podcast with me, Matt Williams. It has been quite some time since I’ve published an episode - a new house, a new girlfriend, a new dog and a new baby mean that life has been somewhat busy in the past year. So I put the podcast on pause for a while. But we’re back - and to begin with it’s with some episodes recorded around a year ago. So in listening to this episode and some of the upcoming ones please bear in mind that they are around 12 months old and were recorded prior to the coronavirus epidemic. But I believe there’s still huge, timeless value in these conversations. I hope you and your loved ones are well during this strange and concerning time. Many of us are very privileged by having access to nature and the outdoors right now. And I recognise that both I, and many of my guests, fall into that category. I hope that hearing about wildlife and nature might also provide some solace during this time. This episode is a cracker - it’s with the so-called ‘godfather of biodiversity’ Professor Thomas Lovejoy. Thomas Lovejoy is a Senior Fellow at the United Nations Foundation, an expert on climate and biological dynamics in the Amazon, he was previously the biodiversity advisor to the World Bank, and is known for being the first person to coin the word ‘biodiversity’. In this episode, we discuss using high mist nets to catch spine-tailed swifts in the Amazon rainforest, the tipping points caused by fragmentation that could lead to irreversible dieback, and how he keeps his energy levels up for office work and advising decision-makers and achieves an emotional or professional reset at the start of each day. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at <a href="http://www.wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.wildvoicesproject.org</a> and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Wild Voices: The Godfather of Biodiversity, Professor Thomas Lovejoy

David Bullock

This episode of Wild Voices Project is a special one because I’m talking to Dr David Bullock, who is the National Trust’s Head of Habitat and Species Conservation. On 18 May 2019 David is retiring after over two decades at the Trust. During my first year at the National Trust he has been one of the amazing people who work for the Trust who has made it so enjoyable. He has taught me so much about ecology and wildlife during that time - he’s one of the most knowledgeable people I’ve ever met. He has been so supportive of me as a new person in the Trust and become a true friend. I’m sure I’m not alone within the Trust in saying that I will truly miss David - a person who is full of joy, passion and generosity and always willing to spend some time having a conversation over a coffee. So publishing this episode is a tribute to David. It’s my way of saying thank you. At the time of recording I didn’t know that David was going to be retiring.We open with David’s first encounter with “wildlife” - an unforgettable childhood tussle with a goat. We talk about kickstarting natural processes and how important the ‘climate of fear’ created by predators and carnivores can be for the wider ecosystems and landscapes.We talk about how the National Trust’s approach to looking after nature has changed, and we cover trendy beavers and the Lundy cabbage, and the cabbage’s endemic invertebrate, too.The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at www.wildvoicesproject.org and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

This episode of Wild Voices Project is a special one because I’m talking to Dr David Bullock, who is the National Trust’s Head of Habitat and Species Conservation. On 18 May 2019 David is retiring after over two decades at the Trust. During my first year at the National Trust he has been one of the amazing people who work for the Trust who has made it so enjoyable. He has taught me so much about ecology and wildlife during that time - he’s one of the most knowledgeable people I’ve ever met. He has been so supportive of me as a new person in the Trust and become a true friend. I’m sure I’m not alone within the Trust in saying that I will truly miss David - a person who is full of joy, passion and generosity and always willing to spend some time having a conversation over a coffee. So publishing this episode is a tribute to David. It’s my way of saying thank you. At the time of recording I didn’t know that David was going to be retiring. We open with David’s first encounter with “wildlife” - an unforgettable childhood tussle with a goat. We talk about kickstarting natural processes and how important the ‘climate of fear’ created by predators and carnivores can be for the wider ecosystems and landscapes. We talk about how the National Trust’s approach to looking after nature has changed, and we cover trendy beavers and the Lundy cabbage, and the cabbage’s endemic invertebrate, too. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at <a href="http://www.wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.wildvoicesproject.org</a> and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Wild Voices: A master of ecological expertise, Dr David Bullock

Scott Haber

Scott Haber began as a bioengineering student, but transitioned into nature-based mindfulness practice after learning from a woman who was practising traditional Andean ways. Scott then received the Bonderman Fellowship which allowed him to visit traditional, nature-based cultures around the world and learn from them. He now undertakes a unique blend of shared interests, including writing, making films and taking photographs while also leading nature-based mindfulness classes and courses. He’s also practising environmental advocacy, particularly helping the Shuar community in Ecuador protect their land from petrochemical developments and exploitation.You can find Scott at his website (https://www.scotthaber.com/) and you can find out more about him and links to his work on the 'about’ page of his website (https://www.scotthaber.com/about-me/).

Scott Haber began as a bioengineering student, but transitioned into nature-based mindfulness practice after learning from a woman who was practising traditional Andean ways. Scott then received the Bonderman Fellowship which allowed him to visit traditional, nature-based cultures around the world and learn from them. He now undertakes a unique blend of shared interests, including writing, making films and taking photographs while also leading nature-based mindfulness classes and courses. He’s also practising environmental advocacy, particularly helping the Shuar community in Ecuador protect their land from petrochemical developments and exploitation. You can find Scott at his website (<a href="https://www.scotthaber.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.scotthaber.com/</a>) and you can find out more about him and links to his work on the 'about’ page of his website (<a href="https://www.scotthaber.com/about-me/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.scotthaber.com/about-me/</a>).

Wild Voices: healing ourselves through a balanced relationship with nature, Scott Haber

In May 2018 I was lucky enough to be able to join the Treshnish Isles Auk Ringing Group (http://tiarg.org/) on their trip to Lunga. This small, uninhabited island is part of the Treshnish Isles off the west coast of Scotland. But while no people live there, it’s full of thousands and thousands of seabirds.We were there to survey one seabird in particular: the Manx shearwater. The UK is home to 90% of the world population of ‘manxies’, as they’re also known. This episode is a bit different to normal. It captures some of the sounds of the island, and through conversations with the friends and teammates I worked with also gives an insight into the fieldwork we undertook.I’d like to say a huge thank you to Turus Mara (https://www.turusmara.com/ and https://twitter.com/Turus_Mara)), the boat company who got us to the islands. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee receive and analyse the data, as do Scottish Natural Heritage, who also cover some of the costs of the trip. And the Hebridean Trust own the islands and grant us access to them.The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at www.wildvoicesproject.org and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

In May 2018 I was lucky enough to be able to join the Treshnish Isles Auk Ringing Group (<a href="http://tiarg.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://tiarg.org/</a>) on their trip to Lunga. This small, uninhabited island is part of the Treshnish Isles off the west coast of Scotland. But while no people live there, it’s full of thousands and thousands of seabirds. We were there to survey one seabird in particular: the Manx shearwater. The UK is home to 90% of the world population of ‘manxies’, as they’re also known. This episode is a bit different to normal. It captures some of the sounds of the island, and through conversations with the friends and teammates I worked with also gives an insight into the fieldwork we undertook. I’d like to say a huge thank you to Turus Mara (<a href="https://www.turusmara.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.turusmara.com/</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Turus_Mara" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/Turus_Mara</a>)), the boat company who got us to the islands. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee receive and analyse the data, as do Scottish Natural Heritage, who also cover some of the costs of the trip. And the Hebridean Trust own the islands and grant us access to them. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at <a href="http://www.wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.wildvoicesproject.org</a> and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Adventure on Puffin Island

Jo Roberts

Jo Roberts is Chief Executive of the Wilderness Foundation (https://www.wildernessfoundation.org.uk). She has served as its CEO since 2004. The Foundation works to transform the lives of young people from challenged and challenging backgrounds through wilderness experiences and thereby to demonstrate the value of wilderness. Jo and the Foundation run workshops, mentoring and expeditions at their base in Essex, in Scotland and in South Africa. Disclaimer: since I recorded this conversation with Jo I’ve become one of the Trustees of the Foundation.Jo grew up in South Africa and trained there as an anthropologist during the period of apartheid. We discuss her upbringing and her early love of wildlife and the outdoors. We talk about the skills she has developed through her experiences in the wilderness. And we talk about some of the questions and techniques she uses to support and challenge the young people she works with, in order to help to change or even radically transform their life paths. Jo is one of the most thoughtful and inspiring people I’ve had the chance to work with (and we have had the chance to work together on a number of projects over the past couple of years) and I’m looking forward to doing more with her and the Foundation in the years to come. I’m hoping, next year, to volunteer to help on one of the expeditions and combine my love of camping and Scotland with helping some of the young people and getting to know the organisation better.The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at www.wildvoicesproject.org and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Jo Roberts is Chief Executive of the Wilderness Foundation (<a href="https://www.wildernessfoundation.org.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.wildernessfoundation.org.uk</a>). She has served as its CEO since 2004. The Foundation works to transform the lives of young people from challenged and challenging backgrounds through wilderness experiences and thereby to demonstrate the value of wilderness. Jo and the Foundation run workshops, mentoring and expeditions at their base in Essex, in Scotland and in South Africa. Disclaimer: since I recorded this conversation with Jo I’ve become one of the Trustees of the Foundation. Jo grew up in South Africa and trained there as an anthropologist during the period of apartheid. We discuss her upbringing and her early love of wildlife and the outdoors. We talk about the skills she has developed through her experiences in the wilderness. And we talk about some of the questions and techniques she uses to support and challenge the young people she works with, in order to help to change or even radically transform their life paths. Jo is one of the most thoughtful and inspiring people I’ve had the chance to work with (and we have had the chance to work together on a number of projects over the past couple of years) and I’m looking forward to doing more with her and the Foundation in the years to come. I’m hoping, next year, to volunteer to help on one of the expeditions and combine my love of camping and Scotland with helping some of the young people and getting to know the organisation better. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at <a href="http://www.wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.wildvoicesproject.org</a> and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Wild Voices: A champion for the wilderness, Jo Roberts

Emily Mott

Emily Mott (http://www.emilymott.com) is a photographer and environmental activist. She was educated at The Putney School, Dartmouth College and Art Center College of Design. In New York City she worked as a pastry chef and book reviewer before turning to photography. Among her clients have been Rolling Stone magazine, the New Yorker, the Telegraph, Waitrose, Ikea, British Airways and many others. In 2013 Complex.com named her as one of the 25 best travel photographers in the world.She does pro bono photography work for Friends without Borders, Portsmouth Bangali Community Association and the Rural Refugee Network among others. She lives on a farm in West Sussex with her husband, two children, eight chickens and a cat. Emily has also been an instrumental figure in the local activist movement to save Markwells Wood from fossil fuel exploration (https://www.markwellswoodwatch.org/). In this conversation we cover her photography work and her approach to documenting beautiful landscapes and environmental destruction, including in Borneo. We also go into some detail about the risks that fracking poses to our countryside and environment, the planning regulations that apply to it and the tactics that Emily and her fellow activists have used in their local campaign.You can contact Emily at emily@emilymott.com.The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at www.wildvoicesproject.org and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Emily Mott (<a href="http://www.emilymott.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.emilymott.com</a>) is a photographer and environmental activist. She was educated at The Putney School, Dartmouth College and Art Center College of Design. In New York City she worked as a pastry chef and book reviewer before turning to photography. Among her clients have been Rolling Stone magazine, the New Yorker, the Telegraph, Waitrose, Ikea, British Airways and many others. In 2013 <a href="http://Complex.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Complex.com</a> named her as one of the 25 best travel photographers in the world. She does pro bono photography work for Friends without Borders, Portsmouth Bangali Community Association and the Rural Refugee Network among others. She lives on a farm in West Sussex with her husband, two children, eight chickens and a cat. Emily has also been an instrumental figure in the local activist movement to save Markwells Wood from fossil fuel exploration (<a href="https://www.markwellswoodwatch.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.markwellswoodwatch.org/</a>). In this conversation we cover her photography work and her approach to documenting beautiful landscapes and environmental destruction, including in Borneo. We also go into some detail about the risks that fracking poses to our countryside and environment, the planning regulations that apply to it and the tactics that Emily and her fellow activists have used in their local campaign. You can contact Emily at emily@emilymott.com. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at <a href="http://www.wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.wildvoicesproject.org</a> and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Wild Voices: From photographer to fracking activist, Emily Mott

This conversation is with Teleri Fielden (@TeleriFielden), the National Trust and Welsh Young Farmers scholar at Llyndy Isaf farm in Snowdonia. Teleri was recently featured on the BBC’s Snowdonia Shepherdess programme. She looks after a farm on the slopes of the Welsh mountains in Snowdonia. And in this conversation tells us about her experience in this landscape and how farming cattle and sheep can be beneficial for wildlife and conservation.Teleri’s interest in farming and the outdoors comes from spending time as a child on her grandfather’s farm. She tells us how that turned into her opportunity to take on the scholarship at Llyndy for three years. She also talks about some of her encounters with wildlife in the landscape. And she tells us how skills from marketing roles have helped her in her farming career to date.This is a very special episode of the Wild Voices Project podcast in collaboration with the Meet the Farmers podcast (http://thinkingcountry.com/meet-the-farmers-podcast) presented by Ben Eagle (@benjy_eagle).The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at www.wildvoicesproject.org and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

This conversation is with Teleri Fielden (@TeleriFielden), the National Trust and Welsh Young Farmers scholar at Llyndy Isaf farm in Snowdonia. Teleri was recently featured on the BBC’s Snowdonia Shepherdess programme. She looks after a farm on the slopes of the Welsh mountains in Snowdonia. And in this conversation tells us about her experience in this landscape and how farming cattle and sheep can be beneficial for wildlife and conservation. Teleri’s interest in farming and the outdoors comes from spending time as a child on her grandfather’s farm. She tells us how that turned into her opportunity to take on the scholarship at Llyndy for three years. She also talks about some of her encounters with wildlife in the landscape. And she tells us how skills from marketing roles have helped her in her farming career to date. This is a very special episode of the Wild Voices Project podcast in collaboration with the Meet the Farmers podcast (<a href="http://thinkingcountry.com/meet-the-farmers-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://thinkingcountry.com/meet-the-farmers-podcast</a>) presented by Ben Eagle (@benjy_eagle). The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at <a href="http://www.wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.wildvoicesproject.org</a> and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Wild Voices: The Snowdonia shepherdess delivering for nature, Teleri Fielden

Lizzie Daly (http://www.lizziedalywildlife.com/) is a wildlife filmmaker and presenter. You can find her on twitter @_LizzieDaly and her youtube channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC20DGpTHgqDlgctp6jDkmZg. Lizzie is a biologist and broadcaster, a wildlife filmmaker both in front of and behind the camera for BBC Earth Unplugged, CBeebies and NatGeo Kids. She’s also the founder of the “Do You Suck” plastic waste campaign in five UK cities.I met Lizzie at BBC Countryfile Live over the summer and her passion and energy shone through during her talk on stage. I was really lucky to have the chance to speak to her earlier this year at Cardiff public library.In this conversation we discuss how her early persistence to succeed academically translated into determination to succeed in wildlife filmmaking. We cover the role that technology has played in helping her to develop films for herself and build her career from scratch. We talk about her passion for African elephants and for British wildlife, and share our respective views on puffins and other seabirds. And Lizzie also describes how a past mistake (or what seemed like a mistake at the time during an audition) set her up for future success.The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at www.wildvoicesproject.org and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Lizzie Daly (<a href="http://www.lizziedalywildlife.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.lizziedalywildlife.com/</a>) is a wildlife filmmaker and presenter. You can find her on twitter @_LizzieDaly and her youtube channel is here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC20DGpTHgqDlgctp6jDkmZg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC20DGpTHgqDlgctp6jDkmZg</a>. Lizzie is a biologist and broadcaster, a wildlife filmmaker both in front of and behind the camera for BBC Earth Unplugged, CBeebies and NatGeo Kids. She’s also the founder of the “Do You Suck” plastic waste campaign in five UK cities. I met Lizzie at BBC Countryfile Live over the summer and her passion and energy shone through during her talk on stage. I was really lucky to have the chance to speak to her earlier this year at Cardiff public library. In this conversation we discuss how her early persistence to succeed academically translated into determination to succeed in wildlife filmmaking. We cover the role that technology has played in helping her to develop films for herself and build her career from scratch. We talk about her passion for African elephants and for British wildlife, and share our respective views on puffins and other seabirds. And Lizzie also describes how a past mistake (or what seemed like a mistake at the time during an audition) set her up for future success. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at <a href="http://www.wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.wildvoicesproject.org</a> and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Wild Voices: Giving nature a voice through the camera, Lizzie Daly

Wild Voices Project

Hannah Fraser

Hannah Fraser is the world’s leading underwater dancer and mermaid. Hannah uses her incredible abilities to create breathtaking photos and videos drawing attention to the plight of marine wildlife.In fact Hannah Fraser (or Hannah Mermaid (@HannahMermaid) as she also likes to be called) created the vocation of 'freelance mermaid' and has been featured worldwide for her underwater ocean conservation and performance art, creating her own spectacular tails, performing for film, music videos, campaigns, photo shoots, public speaking events, festivals &amp; environmental actions. She swims with sharks, whales dolphins, seals, turtles, rays and more in the open ocean.Hannah can hold her breath for minutes at a time and freedive to depths of over 50 feet. She broke records as the first person to dance with Tiger Sharks on the ocean floor with no scuba or snorkel gear, and was part of an activist group who paddled out to protect dolphins from slaughter in the academy award winning film ’The Cove’.She has worked with my previous guest, Shawn Heinrichs (underwater cameraman and photographer) and together they released a short film called Mantas Last Dance that propelled Manta rays into the public eye and helped pass a law to protect mantas worldwide.She is an advocate for ocean protection, female empowerment, animal conservation and universal love!In this incredible conversation we talk about where her passion for the oceans stems from, how she thinks we can reconnect with marine wildlife and of course she describes some of her incredible experiences dancing underwater with humpback whales, tiger sharks and manta rays.You can find more about Hannah at her website www.hannahmermaid.com.Here are just a few of her incredible videos:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHY1gYZdyy0 (TEDx talk)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0Epc6v9Z5A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG1dzH_VFzY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q250FnLH74MThe Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals.  Find out more about us at  wildvoicesproject.org. Learn more about the global community at wild-voices.org.

Hannah Fraser is the world’s leading underwater dancer and mermaid. Hannah uses her incredible abilities to create breathtaking photos and videos drawing attention to the plight of marine wildlife. In fact Hannah Fraser (or Hannah Mermaid (@HannahMermaid) as she also likes to be called) created the vocation of 'freelance mermaid' and has been featured worldwide for her underwater ocean conservation and performance art, creating her own spectacular tails, performing for film, music videos, campaigns, photo shoots, public speaking events, festivals &amp; environmental actions. She swims with sharks, whales dolphins, seals, turtles, rays and more in the open ocean. Hannah can hold her breath for minutes at a time and freedive to depths of over 50 feet. She broke records as the first person to dance with Tiger Sharks on the ocean floor with no scuba or snorkel gear, and was part of an activist group who paddled out to protect dolphins from slaughter in the academy award winning film ’The Cove’. She has worked with my previous guest, Shawn Heinrichs (underwater cameraman and photographer) and together they released a short film called Mantas Last Dance that propelled Manta rays into the public eye and helped pass a law to protect mantas worldwide. She is an advocate for ocean protection, female empowerment, animal conservation and universal love! In this incredible conversation we talk about where her passion for the oceans stems from, how she thinks we can reconnect with marine wildlife and of course she describes some of her incredible experiences dancing underwater with humpback whales, tiger sharks and manta rays. You can find more about Hannah at her website <a href="http://www.hannahmermaid.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hannahmermaid.com</a>. Here are just a few of her incredible videos: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHY1gYZdyy0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHY1gYZdyy0</a> (TEDx talk) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0Epc6v9Z5A" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0Epc6v9Z5A</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG1dzH_VFzY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG1dzH_VFzY</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q250FnLH74M" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q250FnLH74M</a> The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals. Find out more about us at <a href="http://wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wildvoicesproject.org</a>. Learn more about the global community at <a href="http://wild-voices.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wild-voices.org</a>.

Wild Voices: Dancing with tiger sharks and humpback whales, Hannah Fraser

Erin Kane

This conversation is with scientist and primate expert Erin Kane (@Diana_monkey). In the course of this podcast we talk about Erin’s work on Diana monkeys in Côte d’Ivoire and her work on orangutans in Borneo. We discuss her research findings on monkeys, collecting poo samples and how dancing helped her build up confidence for fieldwork. We also cover the cognitive load and impact of sexual harassment faced by many women in the scientific setting and in fieldwork settings. Erin Kane (https://erinelizkane.net/) is a postdoctoral research associate at Boston University, working with Dr. Cheryl Knott on a project examining life history influences on orangutan feeding ecology in Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, with an emphasis on nutritional and endocrine analysis. She completed her PhD at Ohio State University in 2017. Her dissertation examined the social, ecological, and reproductive consequences of seasonal changes in food availability for Diana monkeys living in Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire. She is broadly interested in understanding primate responses to fluctuating food availability, particularly from socioecological, endocrine, and morphological perspectives. She also aims to make anthropology and primatology more inclusive and accessible sciences for a diverse group of scientists. When Erin isn't in a rain forest chasing primates and collecting their urine and feces, she loves taking ballet and spending time with her fantastic cat, Triceratops.The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals.  Find out more about us at  wildvoicesproject.org. Learn more about the global community at wild-voices.org.

This conversation is with scientist and primate expert Erin Kane (@Diana_monkey). In the course of this podcast we talk about Erin’s work on Diana monkeys in Côte d’Ivoire and her work on orangutans in Borneo. We discuss her research findings on monkeys, collecting poo samples and how dancing helped her build up confidence for fieldwork. We also cover the cognitive load and impact of sexual harassment faced by many women in the scientific setting and in fieldwork settings. Erin Kane (<a href="https://erinelizkane.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://erinelizkane.net/</a>) is a postdoctoral research associate at Boston University, working with Dr. Cheryl Knott on a project examining life history influences on orangutan feeding ecology in Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, with an emphasis on nutritional and endocrine analysis. She completed her PhD at Ohio State University in 2017. Her dissertation examined the social, ecological, and reproductive consequences of seasonal changes in food availability for Diana monkeys living in Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire. She is broadly interested in understanding primate responses to fluctuating food availability, particularly from socioecological, endocrine, and morphological perspectives. She also aims to make anthropology and primatology more inclusive and accessible sciences for a diverse group of scientists. When Erin isn't in a rain forest chasing primates and collecting their urine and feces, she loves taking ballet and spending time with her fantastic cat, Triceratops. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals. Find out more about us at <a href="http://wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wildvoicesproject.org</a>. Learn more about the global community at <a href="http://wild-voices.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wild-voices.org</a>.

Wild Voices: Diana monkeys, orangutans and a cat named Triceratops, Dr Erin Kane

Ashley Bell

In this conversation I talk to Ashley Bell (@AshMichaelBell), actress and director of a new film about the plight of the Asian elephant. We discuss the little-known story of the threats to Asian elephants, whose numbers are far fewer than those of the African elephant. Ashley talks about the process of producing the film and working with renowned Asian conservationist Lek Chailert, and she also explains what lessons and techniques she took from her work in horror movies into producing an environmental documentary.Ashley Bell is a film, television and theatre actress. She won an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in The Last Exorcism as well as an MTV Movie Award. Ashley wrote, directed and produced the feature-length documentary Love and Bananas: An Elephant Story (http://loveandbananas.com/ or @LoveandBananas), and she’s a US Ambassador for Cruelty Free International.The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals.  Find out more about us at  wildvoicesproject.org. Learn more about the global community at wild-voices.org.

In this conversation I talk to Ashley Bell (@AshMichaelBell), actress and director of a new film about the plight of the Asian elephant. We discuss the little-known story of the threats to Asian elephants, whose numbers are far fewer than those of the African elephant. Ashley talks about the process of producing the film and working with renowned Asian conservationist Lek Chailert, and she also explains what lessons and techniques she took from her work in horror movies into producing an environmental documentary. Ashley Bell is a film, television and theatre actress. She won an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in The Last Exorcism as well as an MTV Movie Award. Ashley wrote, directed and produced the feature-length documentary Love and Bananas: An Elephant Story (<a href="http://loveandbananas.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://loveandbananas.com/</a> or @LoveandBananas), and she’s a US Ambassador for Cruelty Free International. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals. Find out more about us at <a href="http://wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wildvoicesproject.org</a>. Learn more about the global community at <a href="http://wild-voices.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wild-voices.org</a>.

Wild Voices: From horror movies to the plight of the Asian elephant, Ashley Bell

Jane Goodall

This conversation was recorded by Kate Snowdon (https://kateonconservation.com/ and @KateConsrvation) and kindly shared with the Wild Voices Project podcast. It’s a conversation with the renowned international conservationist Dr Jane Goodall. Jane is best known for her work studying chimps in Gombi which she did predominantly with National Geographic in the 1960s. She was the first person to observe chimps in the wild using tools which redefined the way we saw chimps, and humans in relation to them. Kate was lucky enough to talk to Jane about her time in Gombi, as well as about Roots &amp; Shoots (https://www.rootsnshoots.org.uk/), which is a major part of Jane Goodall’s life today. She works with education groups across the globe in over 100 countries to put together projects and programmes related to the environment, people and wildlife. This conversation was recorded at the 2017 global Roots &amp; Shoots summit. A huge thanks to Kate for sharing this audio with us, and it’s likely that Kate will be bringing us a few more interviews in the future.The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals.  Find out more about us at  wildvoicesproject.org. Learn more about the global community at wild-voices.org.

This conversation was recorded by Kate Snowdon (<a href="https://kateonconservation.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://kateonconservation.com/</a> and @KateConsrvation) and kindly shared with the Wild Voices Project podcast. It’s a conversation with the renowned international conservationist Dr Jane Goodall. Jane is best known for her work studying chimps in Gombi which she did predominantly with National Geographic in the 1960s. She was the first person to observe chimps in the wild using tools which redefined the way we saw chimps, and humans in relation to them. Kate was lucky enough to talk to Jane about her time in Gombi, as well as about Roots &amp; Shoots (<a href="https://www.rootsnshoots.org.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.rootsnshoots.org.uk/</a>), which is a major part of Jane Goodall’s life today. She works with education groups across the globe in over 100 countries to put together projects and programmes related to the environment, people and wildlife. This conversation was recorded at the 2017 global Roots &amp; Shoots summit. A huge thanks to Kate for sharing this audio with us, and it’s likely that Kate will be bringing us a few more interviews in the future. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals. Find out more about us at <a href="http://wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wildvoicesproject.org</a>. Learn more about the global community at <a href="http://wild-voices.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wild-voices.org</a>.

Wild Voices: Revolutionising our understanding of chimpanzees, Dr Jane Goodall

Melissa Harrison

A conversation with author and freelance writer, Melissa Harrison.

Wild Voices: Testing our boundaries through wilderness and writing, Melissa Harrison

Ling Wong

A conversation with Judy Ling Wong, CBE, President of the Black Environment Network, poet and artist.

Wild Voices: Nature is for everyone, Judy Ling Wong CBE OBE

James Borrell

Dr James Borrell (@James_Borrell) is a conservationist, explorer, scientist and communicator. He describes himself as a conservation biologist who has been involved in expeditions and fieldwork around the world. His main interests are the impacts of habitat fragmentation and of climate change on species.He’s known for his uncompromising and challenging attitude towards conservation orthodoxies and practices. You can read many of his opinions on conservation on the blog on his website (http://www.jamesborrell.com/). And you can watch his brilliant TEDx talk on optimism in conservation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lJg4GEjj6M. During this episode we cover why optimism plays such an important role in his conservation outlook, why James thinks we shouldn’t be spending our money and time trying to protect wildlife in the UK. He reminisces about his early expeditions to Madagascar and talks about the important role expeditions and exploring can play in forming new conservationists and he explains why he thinks more healthy disagreement is what’s needed to help secure environmental progress. James is one of the most well-rounded guests I’ve had the pleasure to interview and this is a really good conversation.The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals.  Find out more about us at  wildvoicesproject.org. Learn more about the global community at wild-voices.org.

Dr James Borrell (@James_Borrell) is a conservationist, explorer, scientist and communicator. He describes himself as a conservation biologist who has been involved in expeditions and fieldwork around the world. His main interests are the impacts of habitat fragmentation and of climate change on species. He’s known for his uncompromising and challenging attitude towards conservation orthodoxies and practices. You can read many of his opinions on conservation on the blog on his website (<a href="http://www.jamesborrell.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.jamesborrell.com/</a>). And you can watch his brilliant TEDx talk on optimism in conservation here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lJg4GEjj6M" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lJg4GEjj6M</a>. During this episode we cover why optimism plays such an important role in his conservation outlook, why James thinks we shouldn’t be spending our money and time trying to protect wildlife in the UK. He reminisces about his early expeditions to Madagascar and talks about the important role expeditions and exploring can play in forming new conservationists and he explains why he thinks more healthy disagreement is what’s needed to help secure environmental progress. James is one of the most well-rounded guests I’ve had the pleasure to interview and this is a really good conversation. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals. Find out more about us at <a href="http://wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wildvoicesproject.org</a>. Learn more about the global community at <a href="http://wild-voices.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wild-voices.org</a>.

Wild Voices: Challenging the Conservation Orthodoxy, Dr James Borrell

Kate Bradbury

Wild Voices: A world without bees would be boring, Kate Bradbury by Matt Williams

Wild Voices: A world without bees would be boring, Kate Bradbury

This is a special episode of the podcast to coincide with International Dawn Chorus Day, which is celebrated in over 80 countries worldwide and has been running since the 1980s. It brings people together to listen to one of the most amazing spectacles in the natural world - the cacophony of birdsong at this time of year.This episode is a short recording of a walk I did on this morning in early May, covering some of the birds I can hear at my local nature reserve. If you’re interested in hearing the dawn chorus, then you can go out and find it in your local garden, park, nature reserve or woodland. If you’d like to learn about birdsong or do it as part of a group then lots of organisations run birdsong and dawn chorus events, like the National Trust, the RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts.As I promised during the episode, here are a few of the birds I heard and some of the more common ones you might hear if you go out and listen for yourself:Blackcap https://bit.ly/2IgiD0JGoldcrest https://bit.ly/2FNrfXmChiffchaff https://bit.ly/2HRYYFbSong thrush https://bit.ly/2JSyfogBlackbird https://bit.ly/2rnbH8lCuckoo https://bit.ly/2JXoZiGWillow warbler https://bit.ly/2FNNtbYGreat tit https://bit.ly/2FLDcwUSkylark https://bit.ly/2rmhRWsRobin https://bit.ly/2rpVyOIWhitethroat https://bit.ly/2jySSe3The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals.  Find out more about us at  wildvoicesproject.org. Learn more about the global community at wild-voices.org.

This is a special episode of the podcast to coincide with International Dawn Chorus Day, which is celebrated in over 80 countries worldwide and has been running since the 1980s. It brings people together to listen to one of the most amazing spectacles in the natural world - the cacophony of birdsong at this time of year. This episode is a short recording of a walk I did on this morning in early May, covering some of the birds I can hear at my local nature reserve. If you’re interested in hearing the dawn chorus, then you can go out and find it in your local garden, park, nature reserve or woodland. If you’d like to learn about birdsong or do it as part of a group then lots of organisations run birdsong and dawn chorus events, like the National Trust, the RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts. As I promised during the episode, here are a few of the birds I heard and some of the more common ones you might hear if you go out and listen for yourself: Blackcap <a href="https://bit.ly/2IgiD0J" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2IgiD0J</a> Goldcrest <a href="https://bit.ly/2FNrfXm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2FNrfXm</a> Chiffchaff <a href="https://bit.ly/2HRYYFb" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2HRYYFb</a> Song thrush <a href="https://bit.ly/2JSyfog" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2JSyfog</a> Blackbird <a href="https://bit.ly/2rnbH8l" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2rnbH8l</a> Cuckoo <a href="https://bit.ly/2JXoZiG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2JXoZiG</a> Willow warbler <a href="https://bit.ly/2FNNtbY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2FNNtbY</a> Great tit <a href="https://bit.ly/2FLDcwU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2FLDcwU</a> Skylark <a href="https://bit.ly/2rmhRWs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2rmhRWs</a> Robin <a href="https://bit.ly/2rpVyOI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2rpVyOI</a> Whitethroat <a href="https://bit.ly/2jySSe3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2jySSe3</a> The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals. Find out more about us at <a href="http://wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wildvoicesproject.org</a>. Learn more about the global community at <a href="http://wild-voices.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wild-voices.org</a>.

Celebrating the Dawn Chorus of Birdsong

Chloe Revill

Wonder

Chloe Revill is the co-founder of Change in Nature (http://www.changeinnature.org), an organisation that helps people to ‘unwind, reconnect and come alive’ in nature. In this incredible conversation with Chloe we talk about her career working in Government and at the United Nations level on climate change, helping to amplify the voices of small island states and developing countries whose very existence is being put at risk. We talk through the pivot her career took, after a year spent travelling through Africa and spending one week running a camp with 12 bushmen in the Bwabwata National Park in Namibia. We move onto the decision to set up Change in Nature, why she believes this organisation to give people a radical reconnection with nature is so needed, and the skills training she went through in order to be able to ready to begin facilitating retreats for people. And our conversation turns to the magic and wonder she helps people to experience, sharing a feeling that she also experienced during her own childhood growing up on a farm in southern Spain. This is an utterly fascinating conversation and Chloe’s training to tell stories and hold a space for dialogue comes across over the course of this enchanting episode.

Chloe Revill is the co-founder of Change in Nature (<a href="http://www.changeinnature.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.changeinnature.org</a>), an organisation that helps people to ‘unwind, reconnect and come alive’ in nature. In this incredible conversation with Chloe we talk about her career working in Government and at the United Nations level on climate change, helping to amplify the voices of small island states and developing countries whose very existence is being put at risk. We talk through the pivot her career took, after a year spent travelling through Africa and spending one week running a camp with 12 bushmen in the Bwabwata National Park in Namibia. We move onto the decision to set up Change in Nature, why she believes this organisation to give people a radical reconnection with nature is so needed, and the skills training she went through in order to be able to ready to begin facilitating retreats for people. And our conversation turns to the magic and wonder she helps people to experience, sharing a feeling that she also experienced during her own childhood growing up on a farm in southern Spain. This is an utterly fascinating conversation and Chloe’s training to tell stories and hold a space for dialogue comes across over the course of this enchanting episode.

Wild Voices: Recapturing wonder and nourishing the soul, Chloe Revill

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be invited to ‘curate the BBC’s Tweet of the Week’ archive. This meant I was given the chance to introduce the Tweet of the Day (daily birdsong) on BBC Radio 4 for two weeks. This was an incredible opportunity and I’d like to say a big thank you to Andrew Dawes, the Tweet of the Week producer, who invited me. This episode is a little behind the scenes glance at my day at BBC Radio Bristol. I managed to record a conversation with Andrew, a seasoned natural history producer, as well as with Emily Knight (@EmilyPKnight) and Becky Ripley (@Becky_Ripley), the presenters of the amazing Blue Planet II podcast. The Blue Planet II podcast is incredibly informative and fun and well worth having a listen to.You can hear the podcasts of my Tweet of the Week here (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p068w3tf) and here (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p069jt4n) on the BBC website.The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals.  Find out more about us at  wildvoicesproject.org. Learn more about the global community at wild-voices.org.

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be invited to ‘curate the BBC’s Tweet of the Week’ archive. This meant I was given the chance to introduce the Tweet of the Day (daily birdsong) on BBC Radio 4 for two weeks. This was an incredible opportunity and I’d like to say a big thank you to Andrew Dawes, the Tweet of the Week producer, who invited me. This episode is a little behind the scenes glance at my day at BBC Radio Bristol. I managed to record a conversation with Andrew, a seasoned natural history producer, as well as with Emily Knight (@EmilyPKnight) and Becky Ripley (@Becky_Ripley), the presenters of the amazing Blue Planet II podcast. The Blue Planet II podcast is incredibly informative and fun and well worth having a listen to. You can hear the podcasts of my Tweet of the Week here (<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p068w3tf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p068w3tf</a>) and here (<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p069jt4n" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p069jt4n</a>) on the BBC website. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals. Find out more about us at <a href="http://wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wildvoicesproject.org</a>. Learn more about the global community at <a href="http://wild-voices.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wild-voices.org</a>.

Wild Voices: A Day Out at BBC Bristol

Joe Harkness

Joe Harkness (@birdtherapy) is a birdwatcher and blogger who focuses on the benefits of birdwatching for mental health. He runs the Bird Therapy blog (birdtherapy.blog) sharing these stories, and is currently fundraising to get his book on this topic published (unbound.com/books/bird-therapy).This is a hugely powerful and important conversation about a tough topic that doesn’t get enough coverage. And I’m so grateful that Joe is taking it on in such a public and bold way. I’ve had personal experience of mental health issues and so it was a huge privilege to speak to Joe, whose writing I’ve been following for a few years. I’m really proud to publish this conversation with him.In this conversation, which is gritty, raw and honest, we cover Joe’s battles with drugs and depression and he talks about his attempts to take his own life. And we also cover some amazing, beautiful and hilarious stories about birdwatching, and how rediscovering this passion helped him at one of his lowest moments.The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals.  Find out more about us at  wildvoicesproject.org. Learn more about the global community at wild-voices.org.

Joe Harkness (@birdtherapy) is a birdwatcher and blogger who focuses on the benefits of birdwatching for mental health. He runs the Bird Therapy blog (birdtherapy.blog) sharing these stories, and is currently fundraising to get his book on this topic published (<a href="http://unbound.com/books/bird-therapy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">unbound.com/books/bird-therapy</a>). This is a hugely powerful and important conversation about a tough topic that doesn’t get enough coverage. And I’m so grateful that Joe is taking it on in such a public and bold way. I’ve had personal experience of mental health issues and so it was a huge privilege to speak to Joe, whose writing I’ve been following for a few years. I’m really proud to publish this conversation with him. In this conversation, which is gritty, raw and honest, we cover Joe’s battles with drugs and depression and he talks about his attempts to take his own life. And we also cover some amazing, beautiful and hilarious stories about birdwatching, and how rediscovering this passion helped him at one of his lowest moments. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals. Find out more about us at <a href="http://wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wildvoicesproject.org</a>. Learn more about the global community at <a href="http://wild-voices.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wild-voices.org</a>.

Wild Voices: The mental health benefits of birdwatching, Joe Harkness

Richard Benwell

Dr Richard Benwell (@RSBenwell) is a policy advisor at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He’s former Head of Government Affairs for the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust (which is the role he was in at the time of this interview).In this conversation we discuss how we can restore our waterways to good health, why regulation, policy and legislation are so important for our wildlife, how Brexit can be an opportunity to increase environmental protection and his advice on the skills that are needed for a career in environmental politics.Richard is a good friend and we’ve worked together over a number of years, particularly when we were both working at the RSPB. So it was really good fun to interview him for the podcast. He’s one of the most eloquent, well-informed and friendly people I know in the environmental movement.The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals.  Find out more about us at  wildvoicesproject.org. Learn more about the global community at wild-voices.org.

Dr Richard Benwell (@RSBenwell) is a policy advisor at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He’s former Head of Government Affairs for the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust (which is the role he was in at the time of this interview). In this conversation we discuss how we can restore our waterways to good health, why regulation, policy and legislation are so important for our wildlife, how Brexit can be an opportunity to increase environmental protection and his advice on the skills that are needed for a career in environmental politics. Richard is a good friend and we’ve worked together over a number of years, particularly when we were both working at the RSPB. So it was really good fun to interview him for the podcast. He’s one of the most eloquent, well-informed and friendly people I know in the environmental movement. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals. Find out more about us at <a href="http://wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wildvoicesproject.org</a>. Learn more about the global community at <a href="http://wild-voices.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wild-voices.org</a>.

Wild Voices: Putting nature’s needs at the heart of law and politics, Dr Richard Benwell

Tania Esteban

This is a conversation recorded by Kate Snowdon (https://kateonconservation.com/  and https://twitter.com/KateConsrvation ).Tania Esteban (https://www.treproductions.co.uk/  is a bilingual wildlife filmmaker and researcher who has worked with the BBC on various films, including Big Cats, which was her first break into the BBC. She has worked as a researcher on big titles such as Wild Cities and on digital projects for Our Planet, Planet Earth II and Blue Planet II. Kate talks to Tania about this experience so far, and her own film A Lion’s Tale, which is about the Born Free Foundation, and how this ties in with wider issues of the illegal wildlife trade.We hear Tania’s tips for making it as a wildlife filmmaker, who to find a niche in terms of style and technology – she shares her story of why she focussed on drones and their applications for both conservation research and wildlife filmmaking.The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at www.wildvoicesproject.org and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitchr. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals.  Learn more about the global community at wild-voices.org.

This is a conversation recorded by Kate Snowdon (<a href="https://kateonconservation.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://kateonconservation.com/</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/KateConsrvation" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/KateConsrvation</a> ). Tania Esteban (<a href="https://www.treproductions.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.treproductions.co.uk/</a> is a bilingual wildlife filmmaker and researcher who has worked with the BBC on various films, including Big Cats, which was her first break into the BBC. She has worked as a researcher on big titles such as Wild Cities and on digital projects for Our Planet, Planet Earth II and Blue Planet II. Kate talks to Tania about this experience so far, and her own film A Lion’s Tale, which is about the Born Free Foundation, and how this ties in with wider issues of the illegal wildlife trade. We hear Tania’s tips for making it as a wildlife filmmaker, who to find a niche in terms of style and technology – she shares her story of why she focussed on drones and their applications for both conservation research and wildlife filmmaking. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at <a href="http://www.wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.wildvoicesproject.org</a> and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitchr. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals. Learn more about the global community at <a href="http://wild-voices.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wild-voices.org</a>.

Wild Voices: Storytelling is the key to wildlife filmmaking, Tania Esteban

We live in a era of disconnection from our direct experiences of life - from ourselves, from each other and from the natural world we're all integrally part of. Why? Because in the Western world in particular, we've chosen to 'develop our minds' so much that our habitual mode of being ("autopilot mode") is lost in the individual and collective thoughts and narratives of our conscious minds -without even being aware of it. This had led us to become significantly disconnected from our bodies and senses, from our direct experience and ultimately from nature within us and around us. We have forgotten how to pay attention and listen to nature - which we all have an innate bond with. According to Claire Thompson, author and explorer of mindfulness and nature (http://mindfulness-of-nature.com/ and https://twitter.com/NatureMindful, this disconnection is the root cause of most of the unnecessary suffering and problems which we face in the world today. Mindfulness is about becoming aware of all the different aspects of our experience of aliveness in an open, compassionate and non-judgmental way. This awareness gives us the choice as to which parts of our experience we tune into. Claire believes that a world that is more mindful of nature will be happier, more peaceful and on the road to sustainability - it's time to bring our awareness back to nature!In this conversation, Claire covers how simple practices like finding a ‘sit spot’ can help us to develop a mindful approach to the natural world and in turn to the rest of our lives. Taking this more mindful approach to life can help us to deal with challenging situations and become more aware of our emotional reactions and where they come from. We are part of nature and nature is part of us, so Claire sees it as common sense for us to undertake mindfulness in a natural setting since it heightens our senses and perception. Practising mindfulness can also be a great way to see wildlife and to enter a state of stillness that encourages it to become more confiding and come closer.Claire also describes how she fell in love with Central and South America, and explains how she has left her day job in order to move there this winter to lead workshops and retreats where she hopes to inspire many more to reconnect with the natural world - through mindfulness meditations, discussions, games, hikes and shared experiences of the wilderness in beautiful places. And she explains the linkages between mindful experiences of nature and our motivation to protect things that we love. In turn, she explains that mindful experiences of nature might be able to help us conserve and restore it.The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at www.wildvoicesproject.org and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitchr. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals.  Learn more about the global community at wild-voices.org.

We live in a era of disconnection from our direct experiences of life - from ourselves, from each other and from the natural world we're all integrally part of. Why? Because in the Western world in particular, we've chosen to 'develop our minds' so much that our habitual mode of being ("autopilot mode") is lost in the individual and collective thoughts and narratives of our conscious minds -without even being aware of it. This had led us to become significantly disconnected from our bodies and senses, from our direct experience and ultimately from nature within us and around us. We have forgotten how to pay attention and listen to nature - which we all have an innate bond with. According to Claire Thompson, author and explorer of mindfulness and nature (<a href="http://mindfulness-of-nature.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://mindfulness-of-nature.com/</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/NatureMindful" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/NatureMindful</a>, this disconnection is the root cause of most of the unnecessary suffering and problems which we face in the world today. Mindfulness is about becoming aware of all the different aspects of our experience of aliveness in an open, compassionate and non-judgmental way. This awareness gives us the choice as to which parts of our experience we tune into. Claire believes that a world that is more mindful of nature will be happier, more peaceful and on the road to sustainability - it's time to bring our awareness back to nature! In this conversation, Claire covers how simple practices like finding a ‘sit spot’ can help us to develop a mindful approach to the natural world and in turn to the rest of our lives. Taking this more mindful approach to life can help us to deal with challenging situations and become more aware of our emotional reactions and where they come from. We are part of nature and nature is part of us, so Claire sees it as common sense for us to undertake mindfulness in a natural setting since it heightens our senses and perception. Practising mindfulness can also be a great way to see wildlife and to enter a state of stillness that encourages it to become more confiding and come closer. Claire also describes how she fell in love with Central and South America, and explains how she has left her day job in order to move there this winter to lead workshops and retreats where she hopes to inspire many more to reconnect with the natural world - through mindfulness meditations, discussions, games, hikes and shared experiences of the wilderness in beautiful places. And she explains the linkages between mindful experiences of nature and our motivation to protect things that we love. In turn, she explains that mindful experiences of nature might be able to help us conserve and restore it. The Wild Voices Project podcast tells the stories of people saving nature. You can find us online at <a href="http://www.wildvoicesproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.wildvoicesproject.org</a> and @WildVoicesProj on twitter. And you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitchr. We are part of WILDVoices media, a global production team bridging emerging storytellers with aspiring environmental professionals. Learn more about the global community at <a href="http://wild-voices.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wild-voices.org</a>.

Wild Voices: The harmony that comes from a mindful approach to the natural world, Claire Thompson

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