Mongabay Explores Sumatra: Solutions and optimism that drive conservation
Release Date: 03/17/2021
Your outdoor adventures can now collect crucial data for conservation, too
Mongabay Newscast
Gregg Treinish didn’t start out as an outdoor enthusiast, but found solace and purpose in nature during his youth. After years of enjoying the outdoors, he was left feeling a need to give something back to the world. He found fulfillment by using his passion for outdoor adventures to gather critical data that researchers need for conservation and scientific research. That’s how his nonprofit organization, , came to be. “We harness the collective power of the tens of thousands of people that are outside every day — who love the outdoors and have a passion for exploring the outdoors —...
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Shark is on the menu for millions of Brazilians, but few know
Mongabay Newscast
Mongabay senior editor Philip Jacobson joins Mongabay’s podcast to discuss a two-part published this year in collaboration with the Pulitzer Center about how state governments in Brazil have been procuring shark meat — which is high in mercury and arsenic — served to potentially millions of schoolchildren and thousands of public institutions. With Mongabay’s Karla Mendes and Pulitzer’s Kuang Keng Kuek Ser, Jacobson spent a year digging into public databases of government shark meat orders, called tenders. “It's quite widespread,” Jacobson says. “We found shark meat tenders...
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Russ Feingold on the nonpartisan nature of conservation
Mongabay Newscast
Bill Gates recently claimed that protecting nature or improving human health is an either-or choice, but former national leaders like Russ Feingold, a retired U.S. Senator, and Mary Robinson, former Ireland President, . As chair of the Global Steering Committee of the , a nonprofit organization uniting prominent politicians in support of nature protection, Feingold emphasizes that supporting both nature and people is essential, and that these are not mutually exclusive goals. On this episode of Mongabay’s podcast, Feingold discusses the campaign’s mission and why he believes nonpartisan...
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Freeing ourselves from cars is simpler (and healthier) than we may think
Mongabay Newscast
Sarah Goodyear, Doug Gordon and Aaron Naparstek realized that no one was discussing the many cultural factors that have played a role in humanity’s car dependency, or the negative impacts this reliance on motor vehicles has on human health and the planet. So they started their own show to do exactly that, . Gordon joins Mongabay’s podcast to discuss just how human society got here — and how we might get ourselves out of it — which is also the subject of a new book he co-authored with Goodyear and Naparstek, : . “We felt that nobody was really covering the car as this overwhelming...
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Indigenous and local communities regain millions of hectares of land via successful legal effort
Mongabay Newscast
Nonette Royo is a lawyer from the Philippines and executive director of , a group of “barefoot lawyers” working to secure land tenure for Indigenous, local and Afro-descendant communities across the world. To date, the organization has secured more than $150 million in funding and has made progress in securing land rights covering across 35 projects, an area larger than Greece. Royo joins Mongabay’s podcast to discuss the organization’s success, its recognition as a for the 2025 Earthshot Prize, and why land rights are so crucial both for cultural survival and slowing the pace of...
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Madagascar conservation successes hinge on public education and health, famed primatologist says
Mongabay Newscast
Patricia Wright, a pioneering primatologist who established the research station in Madagascar, began her work there in 1986. As the person who first described the golden bamboo lemur (Hapalemur aureus) to Western science, her contributions led to the creation of Ranomafana National Park, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. She joins the Mongabay Newscast to discuss her conservation breakthroughs and the challenges the island faces during political instability and widespread poverty. Wright has participated in the making of numerous documentaries over the years, including Island of Lemurs:...
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Mongabay founder reflects on success, Jane Goodall, and more
Mongabay Newscast
Hello listeners. This week on the Mongabay Newscast, we ask that you take a few minutes to fill out a brief survey to let us know what you think of our audio reporting, which you can do . Mongabay founder and CEO Rhett Butler was recently awarded the by the and named to the list alongside conservation greats such as David Attenborough. The credit for this success belongs to Mongabay, Butler says on this week’s podcast. “While my name is on the award, it's for Mongabay. All that Mongabay achieves is not necessarily me. I’m the figurehead,” Butler says of receiving the Henry Shaw...
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Australia’s inspiring ‘humpback comeback’ and why krill need protection
Mongabay Newscast
News of Australia’s “humpback comeback” is making waves globally. Numbers of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on the nation’s east coast have rebounded to an estimated 50,000 from a historic low of just a few hundred before commercial whaling was outlawed in the 1970s. And wildlife scientist and whale expert Vanessa Pirotta joins the podcast to discuss this inspiring conservation achievement. Pirotta emphasizes this is a good news story that deserves to be celebrated, and that it could also bolster action for other whale species that are struggling, including the southern right...
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Understanding the psychology of environmental crime
Mongabay Newscast
Psychologist and true crime presenter joins Mongabay's podcast to discuss her latest read, examining some of the highest-profile environmental crimes and why they occur, in . She details the commonalities behind six major cases, and what can be learned from them, as described by six motivating factors: ease, impunity, greed, rationalization, conformity, and desperation. "As a psychologist, I was like, ‘What if we create a psychological profile of the various people involved with these various big crimes?’ And so that's how I came to the Six Pillars because I was using a model from...
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Innovative initiatives for nature recognized with World Future Policy Awards
Mongabay Newscast
Policies enacted by seven nations and one international agreement have been by the World Future Council for “top policy solutions for [humans], nature and generations to come.” On this edition of Mongabay’s podcast, the council’s CEO, Neshan Gunasekera, shares key highlights of the eight World Future Policy Award laureates. Under the theme of “Living in Harmony with Nature and Future Generations,” the winners for 2025 “bring to light the future orientation of the way we take decisions at [a] time that there are multiple crises facing ourselves as a species, but also the...
info_outline'I'm amazed how resilient, adaptable and optimistic the people of Sumatra are,' conservationist and HAkA Sumatra founder Farwiza Farhan says in the first moments of this episode about the women and communities she works with during the final episode of Mongabay's special series on Sumatra.
The giant Indonesian island of course faces many environmental challenges, but there is also tremendous hope and good progress thanks to the work of people like her and educator Pungky Nanda Pratama, who also joins the show to describe how his Jungle Library Project & Sumatra Camera Trap Project are opening the eyes of the next generation to the need for protecting their fabulous natural heritage.
Host Mike DiGirolamo shares the effectiveness of their efforts, what they are hopeful for, their biggest challenges, and the role of grassroots organizing in protecting and revitalizing the land, wildlife, and people of Sumatra.
More about these guests' work:
- Farwiza Farhan: Women's Earth Alliance mentor & board member
- How one conservationist is sparking a ‘young revolution’ in Indonesia
- Saving Sumatran orchids from deforestation, one plant at a time
Listen to the previous 9 episodes of Mongabay Explores Sumatra via the podcast provider of your choice or find them at our podcast homepage here.
Episode artwork: Pungky with the biggest flower on Earth, Rafflesia arnoldii. Photo by Alek Sander.
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