Adrian Sherriff has spent much of his life bringing people closer to Australian wildlife, not simply to admire animals, but to understand the systems that keep them alive. Animals Anonymous began as a straightforward idea: taking native animals into schools and community spaces to spark curiosity and connection. Over time, that idea grew into a broader mission encompassing education, inclusion, conservation, and a sense of belonging.

Animals Anonymous now operates across several areas. The organisation delivers wildlife education programs, teaches animal handling to university students, and hosts private wildlife encounters at its property in Mylor in the Adelaide Hills. It also runs an NDIS program supporting people with disabilities, helping them develop confidence, social skills, and purpose through working with animals. Watching people find connection and belonging through shared care and curiosity has become one of the most meaningful outcomes of Adrian’s work.

More Information

https://open.spotify.com/show/3hcErP3avhLkKVIK2LAIAd?si=75189ffee06847c6

https://aussiewildlifeshow.podbean.com/

https://www.reptilecreative.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/AussieWildlifeShow/

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David Lindenmayer’s scientific life began in his mid-teens, shaped by birdwatching trips with his father and groups of volunteers who seemed able to hear and identify birds long before they were visible. Learning bird calls became like learning another language, one that opened his eyes to how landscapes function and how life is distributed across them. That connection to the environment has never left him, and decades later he still finds inspiration simply by spending time in the bush, where something new reveals itself every time careful attention is paid.

The idea that nature is always resilient is, in his view, only partly true. Ecosystems can recover if given the chance, but resilience breaks down when multiple stressors occur too frequently and too intensely. Long-term data are essential for understanding these patterns, particularly in a country as variable as Australia. Maintaining those studies has required relentless effort, constant fundraising, and support from dedicated collaborators and volunteers, but without them there would be little understanding of what is really happening to biodiversity.

Some of the hardest truths in conservation involve recognising the scale of human impact. Humans and their livestock now dominate global mammal biomass, leaving only a small fraction for wild species. Confronting that reality is uncomfortable, but it is necessary if damage is to be repaired and further loss prevented. At the same time, David emphasises that there are genuine reasons for hope. Successful feral animal eradication on places such as Macquarie Island shows how quickly ecosystems can recover when pressures are removed.

Restoration projects have also demonstrated powerful outcomes. Renovating poorly managed farm dams can transform them from sources of greenhouse gases into carbon sinks, while improving water quality, boosting biodiversity, and increasing farm productivity. These results show that well-designed, science-based investments can benefit nature, climate, and people at the same time.

Working alongside First Nations elders has deepened his understanding of land management, particularly fire. Indigenous knowledge and Western science offer different but complementary perspectives, and when brought together respectfully they reveal insights that neither system can achieve alone. Cultural burning, in particular, is highly localised, purposeful, and fundamentally different from broad-scale hazard reduction burning, a distinction that is often misunderstood.

More Information

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-lindenmayer-34b165223/

https://researchportalplus.anu.edu.au/en/persons/david-lindenmayer/

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Tuckers Nob State Forest is prime koala habitat but sits outside the proposed Great Koala National Park because it is zoned as plantation. Under New South Wales regulations, plantation zoning allows clearfell logging, meaning entire areas can be logged without safeguards for wildlife. Although koalas live in these forests, they are effectively rendered invisible by planning frameworks that assume plantations are not suitable habitat. Without protecting core koala habitat, Tim Cadman argues, there is no future for koalas either in the region or more broadly.

Tim works with Meredith Stanton and a team of around thirty citizen scientists, Tim has been mapping important habitat trees and documenting koala presence using drones, night vision equipment, and on-ground surveys. The aim of this community-driven science is to demonstrate that plantation forests are functioning ecosystems. Meredith reflected on her own experience living in Clouds Creek State Forest, once known for a high koala population that has steadily declined over decades of repeated logging. Long before the 2019 bushfires, she noticed fewer sightings, the absence of breeding females, and the disappearance of familiar seasonal calls.

More Information

https://www.facebook.com/timothymarkcadman

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The name The Real Sea Mob reflects their belief in honesty, community, and connection. They aim to present science clearly, without exaggeration or despair, and to show both the challenges and the opportunities facing marine and coastal environments. Maintaining optimism, they said, comes from spending time in nature, working with engaged communities, and supporting each other through shared purpose.

After moving to Australia three years ago, Lucia’s first local citizen science project involved mangrove monitoring with Positive Change for Marine Life in northern New South Wales. That work connected her with Jock Mackenzie, now her manager at Earthwatch Australia where she is the Program Manager for wetlands, coastal, and marine environments in Queensland. Based in Townsville, she now works closely with communities, Traditional Owners, and Indigenous rangers across large sections of the Queensland coast.

Owen’s pathway into citizen science began during his undergraduate studies, when he travelled to Indonesia to conduct coral reef surveys under academic guidance. His interest in coastal ecosystems continued into his master’s research, which focused on mangroves and their role in buffering heat and supporting marine life. That research brought him to Mexico, where he and Lucia met while working on a citizen science project in Akumal. Lucia managed a dive centre and led scientific dives, while Owen carried out mangrove research, and their shared enthusiasm for coastal ecosystems grew from there.

More Information

https://www.instagram.com/therealseamob/

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Ghost nets have become one of the most confronting environmental issues facing northern Australia, and hearing directly from those working on the ground makes it impossible to ignore the scale of the problem.

Speaking with Kristen Sierke, the Ghost Net and Marine Debris Coordinator with the Northern Land Council, highlighted how deeply this issue is woven into both marine conservation and Indigenous ranger work across the Northern Territory.

Kristen’s path into this work began with a long-standing connection to the ocean, from studying marine biology in South Australia to working in tourism on the Great Barrier Reef, and later as a ranger and in biosecurity roles in the Northern Territory.

That progression led her to work closely with Indigenous rangers, and eventually into a role dedicated entirely to tackling ghost nets and marine debris in Southeast Arnhem Land.

Ghost nets are abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear that continue to trap wildlife long after they are no longer under human control. Designed to catch fish, they do exactly that without discrimination, drifting for years or even decades.

An aerial survey in the Gulf of Carpentaria alone identified more than 2,500 ghost nets on beaches, with estimates suggesting that across northern Australia there is roughly one ghost net for every kilometre of coastline.

More Information

https://www.facebook.com/kristen.sierke/

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Heidi first recognised the scale of marine debris while working as a diving instructor, a career that placed her in the water almost daily and offered close encounters with marine wildlife.

Over time she began noticing increasing amounts of rubbish appearing in some of the world’s most treasured dive sites.

Later, while exploring the southwest coast of Western Australia, she saw debris washing onto remote beaches and began questioning its origins and how the flow could be stopped.

These observations planted the seeds of what would become Tangaroa Blue and the Australian Marine Debris Initiative.

People can get involved in many ways: participating in beach clean-ups, establishing monitoring sites, supporting data analysis, contributing to awareness campaigns or using the AMDI Data Collection App.

The value of sustained volunteer data cannot be overstated; it would be impossible to fund an equivalent program using paid staff alone.

More Information

https://tangaroablue.org/

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Tonight on the show we gather the team and revisit some of the Citizen Science Show highlights for 2025.

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During one calm day in March 2025, Samantha noticed something unusual: thick, persistent sea foam spread across the water near West Island.

It was far more extensive than anything seen before, and instinctively it seemed wrong. 

With guidance from Faith and Peri Coleman, Samantha learned how to use the equipment, how to prepare samples, and how to identify phytoplankton. 

What stood out most was the absence of historical baseline data. There was no clear record of what “normal” looked like for these coastal waters. The only option was to document what was present now and to keep watching.

From that need, Samantha created an open Facebook group, Phytoplankton of South Australia, making all findings public and transparent.

More information

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1315762396637652

https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations?project_id=249644

Photo Credit

Lynlee Johnson

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Australia has roughly 25 to 30 freshwater turtle species, depending on the day’s taxonomy debates, and Ricky Spencer's work centres on these inland species found in almost every river, dam and creek.

Among the most fragile is the Bellinger River turtle, which came close to disappearing ten years ago when a virus reduced a population of more than four thousand to just sixteen survivors.

Those rescued turtles continue to breed under human care, yet the road to recovery is long.

Meanwhile, species that are still widespread are also declining.

Long-neck turtles, familiar to many Australians, have dropped by around ninety per cent over three decades despite their apparent abundance.

More Information

https://www.turtlesat.org.au/turtlesat/

https://1millionturtles.com/

Photo Credit

Dr Donald McKnight

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Alicia McArdle’s work in conservation has been shaped by community from the beginning.

Early in her career, not long after university, she was employed by Save Our Waterways in Brisbane, helping coordinate a project to restore an entire creek system. Local residents carried deep knowledge of their waterways, and working alongside them showed her how powerful citizen-driven stewardship can be.

That experience stayed with her, just as her first sight of the Great Barrier Reef at age twelve on Green Island did.

The colours, marine life and the fleeting shock of spotting a moray eel set her on a path toward marine biology.

More Information

https://citizensgbr.org/

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