Hope and Wonder

What is the Law's role, locally and internationally, in implementing good practises and emerging technologies to remedy declining biodiversity and a changing climate? Are legal systems too cumbersome to act with the urgency demanded by academia, community and industry?

In this stimulating episode of the EcoFuturist Podcast Prof Andrew Lowe speaks with the University of Adelaide's Dr Phillipa McCormack Postdoctoral Researcher and Dr Kerryn Brent and the Adelaide Law School.

When you disregard human factors and ignore faulty systems, you might just be left up the creek without a paddle. CIFOR ICRAF has been tackling the deforestation dilemma for decades; and considers forests as part of a larger integrated system rather than an isolated problem. In this episode host Prof Andy Lowe speaks with CIFOR DG Robert Nasi about how to influence the broader economic system to change the course of biodiversity loss and societal inequity across the globe.

Prof Andrew Lowe, Environment Institute Director, dives into an inspiring and energising conversation with Tiahni Adamson, Young South Australian of the Year 2024 and Shannon Evenden, Science Communicator with The Green Room. Together they explore how Dr. Jane Goodall's messages resonate with today’s youth and their vital role in driving a sustainable future. They discuss the power of engaging children with nature, the concept of being "more like mud, not stone" for effective conservation and innovative ideas for addressing climate change.

Prof Andrew Lowe, Environment Institute Director, had the privilege of spending time on stage with living icon Dr Jane Goodall during a public lecture as part of the The Jane Goodall Institute Australia's Reasons for Hope Tour’ in Adelaide.  We were all captivated by Dr Goodall’s presence, warmth and wisdom in this enlightening and engaging ‘fire side chat’. Dr Goodall spoke on nature education, empathy, local focus, and some timeless advice from her mother!

It can be easy to get overwhelmed by all the information we have around the effects of the changing climate. How do young adults in particular combat ‘eco anxiety’ while at the same time maintaining motivation to be part of the solution amidst a rapidly escalating sense of urgency around environmental conservation efforts?

In this episode we speak with Kirsty Bevan, CEO of Nature Conservation Society of South Australia and Acting CEO of Conservation Council of South Australia, and Maddie McShane, Nature Advocacy Researcher and Campaigner, and Director of Earth Jam! 

Have you ever had a memory from childhood that took you back to nature? Maybe it was the smell after the rain, freshly cut grass, or the warmth from of the sun on your skin. How do our experiences of the natural world as children affect us as adults? Are these effects lasting or do we need to ‘top up’ our nature reserves to reap the full benefits that nature has to give? How can we fill our ‘nature cup’ when the demands of day-to-day modern existence can often pull us away from the natural environment?

In this episode we explore all this and more with Human Geographer Prof Melissa Nursey-Bray, Deputy Director, Institute of Sustainability, Energy and Resources (ISER), and Dr Mark Kohler, Senior Lecturer at the School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, both at the University of Adelaide.

Bruce Pascoe is an acclaimed author, speaker, researcher, and farmer. He’s passionate about sharing knowledge of traditional indigenous land management and food production practices, caring for country and people across cultural and political divides. In this conversation we look to find common ground, to find a path forward together to regenerate the earth for us all.

There is increasing interest in owning wild and exotic animals and the internet is able to serve up whatever your heart desires, even if importing these animals is illegal.

In this episode we speak with Dr Phill Cassey and PhD student Charlotte Lassaline both from the School of Biological Sciences as well as from the Invasion Science and Wildlife Ecology Group at the University of Adelaide. We examine what it’s going to take to conserve and recover ecosystems in a world where wildlife is being traded not only in secret corners of the internet, but often right in front of our eyes.

Are you getting the best microbes on offer? What are microbes anyway and why should we care?

If you’ve ever heard of the term “microbiome” you probably relate it to gut health, but there’s so much more to it! It’s all around us, and in us, and affects our brains, immune systems, stress levels, and psychological state.

Join us for this episode where we speak with Dr Jess Stanhope and Prof Phil Weinstein about how public health is affected by urban environments and the promising future for disease prevention and treatment in the reversal of global urban nature deprivation.

What happened when the head of Engineering for Google Australia and the Professor and author behind Australia’s first ever textbook on Marine Ecology came together? Nothing short of the miraculous bringing back to life of an extinct ecosystem in the waters of Australia's biodiverse southern coastline.

And what’s next on the sparkly horizon?

In this podcast episode find out how the founders of AusOcean, Alan Noble and Prof Sean Connell, are stretching traditional models of marine conservation efforts through open-source hardware and software, and low-cost ways of public engagement. They are a driving force shedding light on the ‘ocean blindness’ that muddies our understanding of biodiversity conservation in marine ecosystems, looking to reverse the tide of extinction in our oceans.

Water is finally back on the global table after 46 years of not being discussed at a global scale conference. Conservation, salinity, pricing, agriculture, cultural use - the list goes on. Is the subject of 'water rights' at risk of getting lost in an endless talk fest? Where do we start when trying to come up with solutions to the many water issues we face on a local and global scale? What even are ‘water rights’?

In this podcast episode, host Prof Andy Lowe, Director of the Environment Institute at the University of Adelaide, speaks with Assoc Prof Peter Burdon and Prof Sarah Wheeler, both also from the University of Adelaide. Sarah is a water economist from the School of Economics and Public Policy, and Peter is an expert in environmental law from the Adelaide Law School.

Nature is threatened, but it is also messy and complex. Ecologists try to untangle the mess of conservation, governments and industry. Small landowners are trying to help too. How do we work to save life on Earth?

How do we get the scale of investment required to restore our degraded land? Can we create markets for nature? Where does the money come from? And who are the buyers?

In this episode host Prof Andy Lowe, Director of the Environment Institute at the University of Adelaide, speaks with renowned ecologist Prof Hugh Possingham about the need to set aside 30% of every different kind of habitat for conservation in order to sustain the health of our global biodiversity and to establish biodiversity markets to drive these outcomes.

In this episode host Prof Andy Lowe, Director of the Environment Institute at the University of Adelaide, speaks with Airan Berg, Artistic Director of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Floods of Fire Citizens’ Orchestra event, and Professor Anna Goldsworthy, Director of The Elder Conservatorium of Music at the University of Adelaide.

Together they discuss the arts as communicator of complex human situations, a flawed system for tackling climate change, and how working openly between the sciences and the humanities can unite hearts and minds for a better future.