In this different and exciting episode we take a completely different perspective of nature – one that is found in the metaverse. The metaverse is what many in the computer industry believe is the next iteration of the internet: a single, shared, immersive, persistent, 3D virtual space where humans experience life in ways they could not in the physical world. Our guide to the metaverse is Costantino Roselli – a leader in creating the metaverse and a member of the 50 best known thought leaders in...
Mar 07, 2024•39 min
In this episode we speak with M. Sanjayan, the CEO of Conservation International. Born in Sri Lanka, raised in West Africa, educated in the U.K. and the U.S., Sanjayan has seamlessly blended a lifelong passion for nature, an education in science, a powerful gift of storytelling, and a commanding global presence to becoming one of the world’s foremost experts on protecting and expanding nature for the future of humanity. In today’s episode, we will discuss a variety of topics, ranging from the wo...
Jan 29, 2024•37 min
In this episode we speak with Richard Vigne. Richard is the first Executive Director of the School of Wildlife Conservation, located at The African Leadership College (ALC) located in Kigali, Rwanda. The School of Wildlife Conservation has a very unique approach to conservation – what it calls the business of conservation. Which is about creating and maintaining economic incentives for the sustainable utilization of wild resources and removing economic incentives which drive unsustainable use. W...
Oct 25, 2023•35 min
In this episode we speak with Anastasia Khoo, the Chief of Staff and Chief Marketing Officer for Conservation International, about the importance of using communications and marketing strategies to engage the public to take action on behalf of nature. Founded in 1987, Conservation International is one of the world’s largest conservation-focused organizations. Combining fieldwork with innovations in science, policy and finance, Conservation International has helped protect more than 6 million squ...
Jul 25, 2023•39 min
In this episode we speak with James Wareing, the finance manager of Tenkile Conservation Alliance – often referred to as TCA. Tenkile Conservation Alliance operates in the Torricelli mountains in the north-west of Papua New Guinea. TCA was founded to protect several species of critically endangered tree kangaroos, the Tenkile, Weimang, and Grizzled. When TCA started, numbers of both the Tenkile and Weimand species were as low as 100. Now, thanks to a hunting moratorium, community engagement, and...
May 18, 2023•28 min
In this episode we speak with Marianna Burelli, an actress and entrepreneur. Born in Venezuela, educated in Africa, Mexico, and England, and now living in Los Angeles, Marianna has experienced nature throughout the world. Her passion for healthy living and protecting nature led her to co-found AMAI, an eco-beauty product line that combines the medicinal powers of plants, flower essences and herbal oils to create 100 percent natural, organic, sustainable and plastic-free products. Her desire to c...
Apr 19, 2023•39 min
In episode 26 we speak with Brett Horley, founding partner of BHS Safaris. Brett is a native of South Africa, where he currently lives. Brett has nearly 20 years of experience in the bush and has guided tours across much of the continent. Brett’s belief in education as part of a sustainable solution for the protection of wildlife led him to become involved in the training of guides in South Africa, Botswana, and Tanzania. He ran a highly successful education program in a few rural South African ...
Mar 15, 2023•42 min
In this episode we speak with West Taylor, a former businessman and IT communications contractor who decided to let go of all the worldly ideas of who he was. In so doing, West followed his dream and found what was to become his passion and purpose today. Some say he is a horse whisperer. West will say he chooses to listen to the horse and allows them to communicate with him. West has had two near death experiences that shifted who he is and how he chooses to live his life. He spent 15 years dro...
Feb 15, 2023•28 min
We speak with Stephanie Benedetto – the passionate, inspiring founder of the Queen of Raw. Queen of Raw is an online marketplace that matches buyers and sellers of unused fabric. Instead of allowing unused fabric to wind up as trash in landfills, Queen of Raw creates a marketplace so the fabrics find a useful life with designers, manufacturers, and consumers around the world. Consider these statistics to put into context the importance of Stephanie’s work: *One tee shirt takes an average 700 gal...
Jan 18, 2023•32 min
In this episode we explore the circular economy – a first time subject for Voices of Nature – and talk about how a circular innovation mindset creates new regenerative models – such as the work of the Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture - where Lindsey is the co-founder and Board President. As the Sandown Centre explains, “Regenerative Agriculture is perhaps best described as Feeding the Land so the Land can Feed Us.” Lindsey shares with us how responsible farming practices can restore t...
Dec 15, 2022•42 min
In this episode we speak with some of the filmmakers and lead characters in the Global Conservation Corps documentary film, RHINO MAN. The movie is about the South African field rangers who risk their lives to protect the rhinos from poachers. John Jurko II and Matt Lindenberg have been working on the film for the last 6 years. The main storylines they follow are those of Sergeant Anton Mzimba of the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve as he protects the reserve from threats, and Ruben De Kock as h...
Mar 24, 2022•54 min
In this episode, we turn our conversation about nature on its head from previous episodes. As always, we will explore what humans can – and must – do for nature. But we also will discuss what nature can do for us as human beings and how a closer relationship with nature makes us better people, better leaders, and better stewards of precious resources for future generations. Our guest Greta Matos lives in the south of Chile and is the Co-Founder and Director of Vision and Impact at CuraKuda.
Dec 14, 2021•33 min
In this episode we speak with Andrea Heydlauff, the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for African Parks Network. African Parks is a non-profit conservation organization that takes on the complete responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with governments and local communities across Africa. It manages 19 national parks and protected areas in 11 countries covering over 14.7 million hectares. Andrea has written and co-authored numerous...
Oct 20, 2021•34 min
Steve is a Venture Partner at Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, supporting a number of its portfolio organizations as a board member. He is the co-founder of Earth Genome – its work will be part of our conversation today and something we will turn to in a few minutes. Prior to starting Earth Genome Steve served as President of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and led the Foundation through the development of new strategies in a number of programs, including Environmental Conservation. Befo...
Oct 06, 2021•33 min
In this episode we speak with Lindsay Gordon, marine conservationist working at the nexus of humans and oceans, and the Head of Global Campaigns of Parley for the Oceans – a global network where creators, thinkers and leaders raise awareness for the beauty and fragility of our oceans and collaborate on projects that can end their destruction. A particular focus of Parley for the Oceans is preventing and significantly reducing the amount of plastic in the world’s oceans.
Sep 22, 2021•47 min
In this episode we talk with Wai-Ming Wong, the director of the Small Cats Program at Panthera. There are 40 recognized species of wild cats in the world. Most people are familiar with the big and medium-sized species - such as lions and tigers - very few can name the 33 smaller cats. Panthera’s Small Cats Program is focused on bringing the increasingly threatened small cat species to the world’s attention and enact science-based conservation action on their behalf. Ming is a conservation biolog...
Sep 08, 2021•45 min
In this episode we speak with Mathieu Crepel, one of the best snowboarders and surfers in the world. Born in the mountains, raised by the water, Mathieu is pushing the boundaries to create a series of unique expeditions that combine his passions for snowboarding and surfing. Woven through all of his amazing journeys, championships, and friendships with people around the world is his love for nature. As Mathieu has said, “Nature is the source of challenge, it drives us to get better.” To capture ...
Aug 25, 2021•44 min
In this episode we speak with Mbhoni Mzamani, a producer at Global Conservation Corps. Mbhoni has just launched Careers in Conservation, an exciting new video series hosted by Global Conservation Corps that shows all the different careers that lie within conservation. Its mission is in parallel to that of this podcast. Just as Voices of Nature believes that all of us have a role in protecting nature, Mbhoni created Careers in Conservation with the belief that there are many different careers in ...
Aug 11, 2021•30 min
In this episode we talk with Pauline Blanchet and Thea Sun of Aral Sea Productions. Both are accomplished journalists, artists, and advocates who take an inspiring approach to telling stories about people, nature, and many of the really serious challenges we face as a society - all while injecting a fair amount of disruption into the film industry. Pauline Blanchet is a photographer, videographer and producer. After graduating from SOAS, University of London Pauline founded Aral Sea Productions ...
Jul 20, 2021•34 min
In this episode Bob Ludke speaks with Dr. Abishek Harihar, assistant director of Panthera’s tiger program. Abishek takes us into the world of tigers, the risks they face, and what can be done to preserve their habitats. Abishek also shares with us insights on the technology behind his work – namely the use of camera traps – cameras equipped with infrared triggers that allow photos of animals to be taken without humans present.
Jun 29, 2021•45 min
Dr. Telmo Pievani is a full professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Padua, located in northeast Italy. Telmo is a widely acclaimed expert in biodiversity, with an extensive track record of research and publishing on the topic. He also is a frequent guest at international conferences, including speaking at a number of TED Talks. The topic of today’s episode is biodiversity – the building block of every creature, every plant, and every substance on this planet. It is the founda...
Jun 16, 2021•41 min
Hear from John Jurko – the Creative Director of Global Conservation Corps. In this episode John talks about his inspiration for using film as a way to give a voice to nature and what drives his latest passion project - the upcoming film, “Rhino Man”. John also shares his observations from an unexpectedly long stay in South Africa due to Covid-19 travel restrictions and how he used that time to pursue some amazing creative projects.
Jun 01, 2021•44 min
Ankita is an award-winning journalist, writer, and poet living in Delhi, India. In this episode Ankita shares her observations about how we can find a balance between protecting nature and allowing for socio-economic development. Listen in as we discuss her reporting on topics ranging from illicit mining in Zimbabwe to a community successfully stopping a planned uranium mine in India to the inspiring efforts of a farmer as he plunges into a career of organic farming.
May 18, 2021•45 min
In this episode we meet Ellen Miles, Founder of Nature is a Human Right – an organization based in London, England with a mission of making access to green space a recognized human right. Our conversation will take us in a lot of different directions, not all of which have been covered in previous episodes of Voices of Nature. For example, we will gain a better appreciation that nature is all around us - no matter where we live - and there is a critically important connection between mental heal...
May 03, 2021•37 min
In this episode we speak with Aristide Kamla Takoukam, a National Geographic Explorer and founder of the African Marine Mammal Conservation Organization (AMMCO). The National Geographic Society funds an international community of Explorers — like Aristide — who are working to safeguard the world's oceans for generations to come. AMMCO was created to address the severe declines in African manatee, cetacean, turtle and tortoise species that they were witnessing first hand across the African contin...
Apr 19, 2021•39 min
It has been written, “You never quite know what’s going to happen around Biver.” And that is how we treated this podcast. Prior to recording the episode, Jean Claude asked that he be allowed to speak with emotion, passion, and from the heart. At his request, there are no scripted questions – except for the last two I ask every guest. Jean Claude’s words give the listener hope for a better future - one where nature is treated as an asset to be loved and nurtured - and why he believes the younger ...
Apr 07, 2021•46 min
In today’s episode we speak with Kate Vannelli – a conservationist, artist, and the Future Rangers Program Director for Global Conservation Corps. Kate’s work has taken her from the Himalayas to Brazil to South Africa. Kate’s story is a powerful one as she recounts why she has dedicated her career to giving a voice to the many beautiful animals in some of the world’s most dynamic ecosystems.
Mar 15, 2021•48 min
GCC Board Member Michele Sofisti has combined a successful career in leading some of the most iconic brands in the world - Ferrari, Gucci, and Swatch to name a few - with a passion for protecting nature. In this episode we discuss the importance of biodiversity - the building block for both nature and humans.
Mar 12, 2021•43 min
Cara Yar Khan – an international speaker, entrepreneurial humanitarian, film producer and aspiring author. In this episode Cara recounts her 12-day, 200 mile trek into the Grand Canyon by horse and raft. More impressive, Cara did so shortly after receiving a life-altering diagnosis: Hereditary Inclusion Body Myopathy, a rare form of muscular dystrophy that leads to severe disability. Listen to Cara discuss the difference between overcoming fear and meeting fear head on.
Mar 09, 2021•30 min
Allison Devlin is a postdoctoral research associate with Panthera and its jaguar program. Panthera is the only organization in the world that is devoted exclusively to the conservation of the world’s 40 wild cat species and their ecosystems. In this episode Allison takes us into the Pantanal region of Brazil as she explains why jaguars are a “near threatened” species. Allison and the team at Panthera are working to balance the imperative of protecting jaguar habitats with providing greater socio...
Feb 22, 2021•41 min
