In this episode, Brooke analyzes the field of conversation tourism and answers these questions: What is conservation tourism? How is conservation travel different from ecotourism or nature-based tourism? Is conservation travel good for the planet? (Literature Review) Common arguments against conservation travel Where conservation travel falls short Where is conservation tourism heading? How Brooke discovered conservation tourism Tips for becoming a conservation traveler See full show notes at re...
Sep 15, 2022•33 min
To take us on a journey through coexistence and the evolving philosophy of conservation, in this episode we’re sitting down with John Linnell, PhD, Senior Researcher Scientist and Professor at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. John and I have one of the most philosophical conversations I’ve had yet on the show. We explore large carnivores’ history across the European continent using the lynx as a model species, what the term coexistence means to him, where the Rewilding Europe initiat...
Sep 08, 2022•1 hr 37 min
Today we are sitting down with Dena Spatz, PhD, David Will, and Nick Holmes, PhD - the three leading scientists on the historic paper that was just released called, “The global contribution of invasive vertebrate eradication as a key island restoration tool”. In this massively important paper, these scientists synthesized over 100 years of invasive vertebrate eradications from islands and found that this type of intervention had an 88% success rate. Yes, an 88% success rate! It’s rare that anyth...
Sep 01, 2022•1 hr 38 min
In case you missed one of July’s wide-ranging episodes, check out these snippets to see if you might want to go back and listen to the whole thing! Episode Recaps: Ep. 84 | From Dream Trip to Reality: Exploring the Pan-American Highway with Kayla Fratt Ep. 85 | Recovering America’s Wildlife Act: A New Hope for North America’s Biodiversity Ep. 86 | Restoring Traditional Plant Knowledge through Ethnobotany with Rose Bear Don’t Walk Ep. 87 | Into the Headlines: Translocating African Cheetahs to Ind...
Jul 31, 2022•20 min
In today’s episode, we’re going to take another deep dive into a very recent headline that was just released a couple days ago. In case you missed it, eight African cheetahs are being translocated to India. Instead of me analyzing this breaking news story, I phoned a friend, someone you all have heard more than once, and who happens to personally know the scientists in charge of this historic move – Stotra Chakrabarti, PhD. Stotra, with all of his connections and wisdom, kindly opened my eyes to...
Jul 28, 2022•12 min
In this episode, we’re sitting down with Rose Bear Don’t Walk, ethnobotanist and Ph.D. student at the University of Montana. Rose and I have such a fun conversation discussing so many topics like her childhood, how she discovered ethnobotany and why she, as a Salish woman, felt it was her calling to restore her people’s traditional food, and how you, no matter where you’re located in the world, can develop a stronger connection to your land. I hope you all are ready to feel super inspired and a ...
Jul 21, 2022•1 hr 18 min
In today’s episode, Brooke discusses what the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is, shares some history about how it came to be, and why it’s probably the biggest opportunity for conservation in the US in…a century. See full show notes at rewildology.com . If you’re liking the show, please hit the follow button and share with someone you think would enjoy this episode. Sharing is the best way to help the show grow! Check out the new Rewildology merch shop! https://rewildology.com/shop/ Recording...
Jul 14, 2022•17 min
In this episode, we’re sitting down with Kayla Fratt, a long-time friend of the show and the featured guest in Episode 28. Kayla began planning her trip along the Pan-American Highway in 2016 and has worked diligently since then to make the adventure happen. We connected in the middle of her trip outside of Banff National Park in Canada. Kayla and I chat about so many fantastic topics like how she structured her business to make passive income while she’s abroad, how she’s managing to balance he...
Jul 07, 2022•1 hr 5 min
In case you missed one of June’s wide-ranging episodes, check out these snippets and see if you might want to go back and listen to the whole thing! Episode Recaps: Ep. 79 | Turning the Music and Podcast Industries Green with Andy Land Ep. 80 | Into the Headlines: Selling Zimbabwe’s Ivory Stockpile Ep. 81 | Cougars: The Shadows of Yellowstone with Jack Rabe Ep. 82 | Biomimicry: Solving Our Biggest Challenges Using Nature’s Solutions See full show notes at rewildology.com . If you’re liking the s...
Jun 30, 2022•18 min
In today’s episode, Brooke explores what biomimicry is, what it isn’t, why it’s relevant, and how it might be the solution we need for creating a sustainable future. See full show notes at rewildology.com . If you’re liking the show, please hit the follow button and share with someone you think would enjoy this episode. Sharing is the best way to help the show grow! Check out the new Rewildology merch shop! https://rewildology.com/shop/ Recording gear provided by Focusrite: https://focusrite.com...
Jun 23, 2022•25 min
Today, we’re sitting down with wildlife biologist and Yellowstone predator expert, Jack Rabe. Jack grew up in northern Ohio hunting and fishing on Lake Erie with his father. When it came time to pick a major, Jack decided to study wildlife sciences at The Ohio State University. Upon graduation day, he received a phone call asking if he could drive 26 hours across the country to join the Yellowstone Wolf Project. Without hesitation, he said yes, grabbed his degree, and headed west. Jack has been ...
Jun 16, 2022•1 hr 23 min
In today’s episode, Brooke explores the recent headlines surrounding Zimbabwe’s desire to sell its ivory and rhino horn stockpile for economic stimulus and conservation funding. To see all resources used in today’s episode, see full show notes at rewildology.com . If you’re liking the show, please hit the follow button and share with someone you think would enjoy this episode. Sharing is the best way to help the show grow! Check out the new Rewildology merch shop! https://rewildology.com/shop/ R...
Jun 09, 2022•19 min
Today we’re sitting down with Andy Land, the Head of Sustainability at Focusrite, a top-of-the-line audio equipment and manufacturing company. Andy and I chat a lot about his fun journey that went from music tech to sustainability expert, how a company can indeed make a sustainable product with recycled materials that is just as good as its current products, what it takes to develop accurate impact numbers, and resources for anyone else trying to turn their company green. See full show notes at ...
Jun 02, 2022•59 min
In this episode, I’m trying something new! I listen to a lot of podcasts (shocker, right?) and recently I heard a fantastic monthly recap episode on The Tim Ferriss Show. I absolutely loved the idea and decided to bring you all a similar style episode with samples of each of the month’s interviews. That way if you were on the fence about listening to an episode, then you can hear a taster here and decide if you want to listen to the whole thing. Since this is brand new out of the ethers, please ...
May 31, 2022•34 min
It’s been a hot second since I’ve released a bonus episode for you all, and I thought now was a great to time share a special interview that I did with Episode 48 guest, Stotra Chakrabarti, PhD for his conservation class at Macalester College. Stotra loved my unconventional approach to conservation and invited me to speak about why I went to such lengths to create a podcast from scratch. He asked me several questions about my story, the journey that led to launching Rewildology, and advice for a...
May 26, 2022•1 hr 20 min
In today’s episode, we’re sitting down with Katherina Audley, founder of the Whales of Guererro project. Born in Alaska, Katherina grew up all over the United States following her father as he fixed the nation’s railroad system. When it came time to go to university, she first thought she was going to become a classical flutist but switched her major to Ancient Religion. After school, she spent the following three years traveling all over Greece and Europe having the time of her life. When she r...
May 19, 2022•1 hr 6 min
In this episode, we’re sitting with Allison Cusick, a PhD candidate at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, a founder of the Fjord Phyto Project, polar guide, and has been called a Polar Hero by Conde Nast Traveler. She also starred in Jeff Goldblum’s “The World According to Jeff Goldblum” series on Disney+. Allison and I have such a fun time covering everything including her incredibly winding path that led to today, how she discovered oceanography after being terrified of the ocean all of her ...
May 12, 2022•1 hr 51 min
In this episode, we’re sitting down with Diorene Smith, DVM, wildlife veterinarian, and the world’s leading pygmy sloth researcher. Diorene and I chat about everything currently known about pygmy sloths, how she partnered with the local indigenous community to create a successful conservation project, the current threats the species is facing, and what’s next to ensure that these mini-sized sloths stay around for millennia to come. See full show notes at rewildology.com . If you’re liking the sh...
May 05, 2022•1 hr 33 min
To teach us everything corals, today we’re sitting down with Annie Lamb, an Australian coral researcher, genetics expert, and very soon-to-be PhD. Annie grew up in temperate Victoria, Australia, but always knew that she wanted to become a marine biologist “someday”. Through a very windy path, she discovered the power of genetics to answer important ecological questions and to create conservation plans based on a species’ DNA. She finally had the opportunity to apply her newfound love of genetics...
Apr 28, 2022•1 hr 13 min
Today we’re sitting down with Mariella Superina, DVM, Ph.D., one of the world’s leading armadillo researchers. Hailing from Switzerland, Mariella’s life was forever changed when she traveled to Brazil at 18-years-old. While there, the farm’s cowboys showed her her first armadillo, and from that moment on she was obsessed. She returned to Europe wanting to consume everything she could about armadillos, but quickly realized very little was known. She later became a veterinarian and also received h...
Apr 21, 2022•1 hr 51 min
Today we’re sitting down with Fernando Trujillo, PhD, river dolphin expert and founder of the Omacha Foundation in Colombia. Fernando and I discuss how dolphins arrived in the Amazon and the special adaptations they’ve evolved during their 2 million years in the rainforest, many of the discoveries Fernando has made throughout his 35-year career, the very real threats the Amazon is currently experiencing, and tips that all of us can do no matter where we are in the world to protect this vitally i...
Apr 14, 2022•1 hr 14 min
Today, we’re sitting down with Aaron Bott, a wildlife biologist and wolf expert. In the 1800s, Aaron’s family moved west to make a new life in the wild Rocky Mountains. When his ancestors first arrived in the area, wolves were thriving and represented a very real threat to the new settlers. Over the following century, wolves were removed to make room for more and more pioneer families. Fast forward to today, and Aaron’s family still resides in the Rockies with a mixed view of wolves. Aaron grew ...
Apr 07, 2022•1 hr 55 min
Join Rewildology host, Brooke Mitchell-Norman, through a deep dive into what rewilding is, what it isn’t, and successful programs that are using rewilding the correct way. See full show notes at rewildology.com . If you’re liking the show, please hit the follow button and share with someone you think would enjoy this episode. Sharing is the best way to help the show grow! Check out the new Rewildology merch shop! https://rewildology.com/shop/ Recording gear provided by Focusrite: https://focusri...
Mar 31, 2022•18 min
In today’s episode, we’re sitting down with Daniela Alarcón, marine biologist and whale expert in the Galapagos Islands. Daniela grew up in the Ecuadorian highlands and spent her childhood camping and exploring her wild home. The first time she went to the sea and started to learn more about cetaceans (whales), she knew that she wanted to become a marine biologist and study this incredible group of animals. Daniela’s years of hard work and dedication paid off, as she was a part of the first grou...
Mar 24, 2022•1 hr 19 min
In today’s episode, we’re sitting down with Colby Brokvist, a professional adventure guide and author. Colby spent most of his childhood exploring the outdoors, and he knew that he wanted to pursue a degree in environmental sciences in college. However, when his career wasn’t following the trajectory he envisioned, he packed his bags and hiked the entire Appalachian Trail – a journey that took him over five months to complete. While on the trail, he and his hiking companion became the local reso...
Mar 16, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Today we’re sitting down with Laura Marsh, founder of Nova Conservation and host of the Nova Conversations Podcast. Throughout her career, Laura experienced exploitation, overwork, and little pay, and as a solution, she founded Nova Conservation to create special eco-tours that benefited on-the-ground conservation projects through the most ethical means possible. She also started the Nova Conversations Podcast, a platform to openly talk about conservation’s herd of elephants in the room includin...
Mar 09, 2022•1 hr 32 min
In this episode, we’re sitting down with Sarika Khanwilkar, founder of the non-profit Wild Tiger, a PhD student at Columbia University, and a tiger expert. Sarika discovered her passion for tigers during an internship studying human-tiger conflict in central India through TRACT, a well-known tiger conservation organization led by her aunt and uncle. She returned to the US a changed woman and decided to dedicate her life to tiger conservation. In keeping with that theme, Sarika recently published...
Mar 02, 2022•1 hr 32 min
Today I have a special episode for you. At the end of January, Rewildology celebrated its first birthday and in that time over 50 conservationists from multiple countries, fields, and backgrounds appeared on the show. While every person had their own unique story and life experiences, I started to notice a few themes across interviews. I’ve compiled a list of them here and wanted to share with all of you a set of tips about how to move forward in your conservation journey. If you’re liking the s...
Feb 23, 2022•13 min
In this episode, we’re sitting down with Jenny Wong, a high-arctic adventure wildlife photographer. Jenny’s story is one of strength and challenge. She comes from a line of brave refugees that escaped from China to Vietnam and then eventually settled in Canada, where Jenny was born and raised. In school, Jenny found her passion in chemistry and biology, back when her camera was only used as a paperweight. But she soon discovered the power of storytelling through visual media and using science to...
Feb 15, 2022•1 hr 48 min
Today we’re sitting down with Alex Robillard, who’s an expert on using AI for wildlife conservation through machine learning. Don’t worry – if you have no idea how machine learning or artificial intelligence actually work, Alex breaks it all down and gives the 101-level explanation. Alex shares his story of growing up in a troubled home which forced him to spend a lot of time out in nature while playing Pokemon on his Gameboy. His early experiences fostered his passion for tech and the outdoors,...
Feb 09, 2022•1 hr 40 min
