PROTECT

Angela Fedele
PROTECT

PROTECT explores encouraging stories of sustainability, ocean and animal protection. The show will feature regular guest interviews with climate change advocates, organisations and concerned citizens who are creating authentic and accountable change. Hosted by writer, Angela Fedele who is reframing the generally distressing way environmental challenges are communicated across media and social platforms in a bid to leave you informed and inspired. She ventures globally for stories and looks forward to building a positive community in solidarity of a clean and protected planet.

  1. 08/27/2024

    Fight Fire With Fire: Indigenous Land Management with Firesticks

    A warming and drying climate is connected to the increased frequency, severity and duration of extreme wildfire weather conditions in Australia.  And in the months leading up to Summer, Australian’s are reminded of bushfire season and advised by government and community organisations to prepare. Generally, the recommendations are for people who live in bushfire prone areas to prepare their homes and ensuring they have an evacuation plan. But I wanted to find out how our natural spaces are being prepared through appropriate land management.   So, I reached out to the team at Firesticks, a national Indigenous network that works with communities and organisations to help restore the cultural wellbeing and identity of their country. I had the pleasure of speaking to Thungutti, Bundjalung and Mualgal man and Lead Fire Practitioner Leeton Lee. Leeton works across Southeast Queensland and brings a wealth of traditional knowledge to this episode on the climate and community benefits of cultural land management. We had a great conversation discussing Country of Fire, where timed burns are used to improve the health of the land plus how local land management plays a critical role to reduce the risk of bushfires, improve natural areas for endangered animals and when it comes to reforestation, why plant selection is so important. It was also a personal reminder of the incredible value in Indigenous voices whose traditional knowledge can help us rethink current climate policies and adapt to what is truly suitable for our survival. I hope you enjoy the episode. You can learn more about Firesticks through their website, donate or follow them on their socials below: Facebook Instagram This audio was edited by Peter Magill.

    29 min
  2. 04/09/2024

    Reducing Our Fashion Footprint With Tiffanie Darke

    While oil and energy garner the bulk of attention for the climate crisis, there is another major culprit - the fashion industry that is responsible for 8 to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions. Impacts include water and plastic pollution and fashion is also a major human rights issue through fast fashion’s unethical production. There is a lot of work to do for the industry to align with the Paris Agreements 1.5-degree pathway and in Australia, we are large fashion consumers. With a population of approximately 26 million, on average, Australian’s buy 56 brand new items of clothing a year. So here to help me explore how we can all improve our fashion footprint is communication and brand specialist Tiffanie Darke. With over 30 year’s experience in editorial sensibility and commercial strategy, Tiffanie is the co-founder of Ibiza’s luxury sustainability fashion boutique, AGORA and the creator of Rule of Five – a global movement where participants only buy five fashion items a year. Tiffanie and I discuss what makes a garment truly sustainable from fabric and production to sale. She also offers advice on how to shop sustainably and even alter current items in our wardrobes to give our clothes longevity. We also discuss the sustainability concerns around new plant-based materials and the responsibility of designers to create fashion items with circularity. Tiffanie’s transformation from luxury fashion consumer to one of sustainable fashion advocate is inspiring and achievable without costing the earth.   I hope you enjoy the episode. You can follow Tiffanie via her Instagram and read her newsletters at: Its Not Sustainable Rule of Five This audio was edited by Peter Magill.

    46 min
  3. 03/19/2024

    Mike Coots: Surfer, Shark Bite Survivor & Ocean Photographer

    Mike Coots grew up on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The lifestyle fuelled his obsession with the ocean along with an aspiration to be a professional bodyboarder. When he was 18 years old, Mike and his teammates took to the water one morning looking to catch a wave at Majors Bay where Mike was almost killed by a Tiger Shark. Mike’s survival instincts helped him paddle back to shore and with the help of his friends and passersby who witnessed the attack, Mike survived but underwent emergency amputation surgery losing his leg.  But instead of turning his back on the water, Mike went from shark survivor to shark supporter. Mike began to learn about sharks – their behaviour, their quirks and their environmental challenges.  He has since spent his life advocating for their protection and has turned his hand to photography in a bid to share sharks’ beauty and their critical place in the oceans ecosystem.  Today, Mike and I discuss his recovery, shark conservation and his new book, Shark Portraits. To create this captivating book, Mike travelled the globe, free diving and scuba diving, often without a cage to record sharks. Mike has turned his adversity into activism and his respect for sharks and the ocean is contagious and inspiring. I hope you enjoy his story today. You can find out more about Mike via his website or Instagram or purchase a copy of Shark Portraits here. Two documentaries are also mentioned during this podcast. One is Shark Water and the other is Envoy – Shark Cull.  This audio is edited by Peter Magill.

    36 min
  4. 03/05/2024

    The Black Mambas, South Africa’s All Women Anti-Poaching Unit

    Women in wildlife conservation just make sense and continue to demonstrate that they are key to protecting nature and their communities. Patrolling the critical areas of the Greater Krueger National Park is South Africa’s first all-women anti-poaching unit, The Black Mambas. The Black Mambas are women who are selected, trained and deployed rangers which avoid a gun-first approach instead working to deescalate conflict towards potential poachers protecting The Big 5 and countless other animals. Today on the podcast, I speak to the founder and director of Transfrontier Africa and founder and manager of the Black Mambas, Craig Spencer. Craig discusses his innate traits to protect nature along with the growing success of The Black Mambas since founding the team in 2013. The team have a gruelling schedule patrolling the African landscape but are also creating sustainable incomes for their families and communities including supporting, feeding and teaching children the importance of wildlife conservation through the Bush Babies Environmental Education Program. We discuss the traits that women possess to see them successfully disrupt the poaching space without the violence helping create a happy and peaceful landscape. I hope you enjoy the episode. You can support The Black Mambas here or follow them on Instagram for updates. Learn more about Transfrontier Africa here including the Bush Babies Environmental Program. This audio is edited by Peter Magill.

    53 min
  5. 02/27/2024

    Wildlife Tourism and it's Curtain of Cruelty with Aaron Gekoski

    Many animal lovers will seek out wildlife encounters when they travel. Sometimes tourists are sold a once in a lifetime experience to pet a tiger cub, have breakfast with an orangutan or ride an elephant. But it’s important to note that these experiences often have a dark side with animals in these venues subject to degrading entertainment, cruel training methods and horrendous living conditions – deprived of their right to live a full, wild life.  So how do we know this? Well, today’s guest spends his days documenting these difficult stories in the hope that we can bring urgent change to wildlife tourism. In today’s episode we speak to internationally-acclaimed photojournalist and film-maker, Aaron Gekoski. Aaron specialises in human-animal conflict and for more than 15 years he has travelled the globe to report on our complex relationship with wildlife. Covering issues from the illegal wildlife and pet trade, to deforestation, marine conservation and wildlife tourism. He is also a previous winner of Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Nature Photographer of the Year, and many others. His documentary, Eyes of The Orangutan has received multiple award nomination and is a four year investigation that documents orangutans in wildlife tourism and the not so ethical experiences they are subject to. Aaron details his journey to wildlife photography and film, we talk about Eyes of the Orangutan, wildlife tourism, and how to avoid contributing to the industry. Plus, if you're an aspiring photographer or filmmaker, Aaron offers some sound advice on documenting a cause you're passionate about so the world can see it.  I hope this episode brings you learning and value ~ Angela  We've entered this state whereby we think that animals are there simply for us to exploit or to enjoy ~ Aaron Gekoski You can visit Aaron’s website or follow him on Instagram for updates. You can also learn more about Orangutans through Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation. This audio is edited by Peter Magill.

    43 min

About

PROTECT explores encouraging stories of sustainability, ocean and animal protection. The show will feature regular guest interviews with climate change advocates, organisations and concerned citizens who are creating authentic and accountable change. Hosted by writer, Angela Fedele who is reframing the generally distressing way environmental challenges are communicated across media and social platforms in a bid to leave you informed and inspired. She ventures globally for stories and looks forward to building a positive community in solidarity of a clean and protected planet.

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada