Opwall's Field Notes Operation Wallacea

Dr. Nick Askew is the Founder and Director of Conservation Careers, one of the biggest advice centres and job boards for conservationists in the world. Nick started his career as an ornithologist and his PhD and dissertation focused on the behavioural ecology of barn owls. He then went on to work in a number of conservation fieldwork and communications roles before founding Conservation Careers. Since launch, Conservation Careers has provided advice to 630 000 conservationists in 178 countries to help them find work and make an impact for the planet. In this episode, we discuss how the conservation field has changed since he started Conservation Careers, what conservation employers and employees should understand about each other, and what skills are in high demand in the conservation industry today. If you are thinking about starting a career in conservation at any stage of your life, this episode is for you.

Conservation Careers website: https://www.conservation-careers.com/

Conservation Careers podcast: https://www.conservation-careers.com/podcast/

Karen Rodriguez is Vice President of Program Operations at Kiss the Ground. Originally from Guatemala, Karen grew up in California and followed a deep love of food into the restaurant industry. Through this work, she learned an incredible amount from chefs, farmers, and other people connected to our food systems, which led her to join the Kiss the Ground team. Karen sees connection with nature and the soil as a healing force that can generate healthy ecosystems and communities. She is whole-heartedly aligned with Kiss the Ground's mission of teaching and providing the tools for regenerating soil at the local level, as well as working to shift policy to improve outcomes for food production in the US and abroad. In this episode, we discuss why Karen sees each regenerative agriculture project as an experiment, how to support regenerative practices in your own community, and how to look for meaningful work that you love. 

Katie Bell leads Opwall's fundraising team and manages our site in Borneo. She originally joined Opwall after becoming passionate about marine science, and achieving a bachelor's degree in marine environmental science and a master's degree in coastal resource management. Katie is also Opwall's Environmental Officer working to lower the environmental impact of our daily operations, from offsetting travel to eliminating plastic waste. We discuss how anyone can lower their environmental impact during the holiday season while still enjoying the festivities. We also discuss tips for low-waste gift giving and holiday meals, and how to address controversial topics like anthropogenic climate change with friends and family in a sensitive way. As you prepare for this holiday season, take a moment to reflect on small ways you as an individual can make a difference for the environment. Katie explains how even a small change can make a positive impact.

Ellie Field is Opwall's Rewilding Lead and International Sales Manager. She spent much of her time during the Covid-19 pandemic learning about efforts to improve agriculture in the UK and rejuvenate biodiversity. Ellie first joined Opwall as a volunteer in South Africa, then went on to complete a master's in biodiversity and conservation with African ecology before joining us full-time to run our Madagascar site in 2017. In this episode, we discuss why nature is so depleted in the UK, what can be done to help biodiversity without threatening food security, and how individuals can support a shift towards regenerative agriculture.

John Kahekwa is the director of the Pole Pole Foundation from The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Pole Pole Foundation recently reached international acclaim as a finalist for the first ever Earthshot Prize founded by Prince William, and has been recognized previously by the Goldman Sachs Whitley Award. John grew up among the endangered eastern lowland gorillas of the DRC and always dreamed of working with them to help their population survive. He believed that the fates of the gorillas and local people were bound together by the poverty and war surrounding Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the DRC. Since 1992, he has led the Pole Pole Foundation to try to solve the root causes of deforestation and poaching, poverty, and hunger in local communities. In this episode, we discuss the Pole Pole Foundation's agricultural projects that grow low-cost nutritious foods to help lower local community dependence on the resources of the national park and build local capacity. John discusses how these agricultural programs protect biodiversity (the gorillas in particular) by engaging the surrounding communities in conservation efforts, and how this model can be applied anywhere in the world. 

Manuel Sanchez is an Ecuadorian ornithologist and science communicator who joined our expedition in Ecuador this year to run the bird surveys. Manuel grew up in Southern Ecuador and fell in love with the hundreds of bird species he found in the forests around his home. He went on to study tourism, but with a strong focus on ecology, and then science communication in Edinburgh, Scotland before making his way back home. Manuel's biggest passion is using rapid biodiversity assessments to protect threatened ecosystems across Ecuador and northern South America by engaging local people and politicians to move projects forward. Manuel has been all over, from contested territory in Colombia to endangered ecosystems in Turkey, to register and protect birds. As you'll hear, he strongly believes that in conservation biology, getting data is only have the work. To make an impact, you have to know how to get politicians and local people on your side. In this episode, we discuss how Manuel uses soundscapes to rapidly assess an area, and his love for engaging local communities in his work.