A conversation with Elizabeth City State University students Angel Teagle and Aniya Martin, majoring in Emergency Management, who participated in Lenovo's Work for Humankind initiative. Lenovo specifically wanted to partner with HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) as part of their efforts to use their technology in a way that improves diversity in environmental fields and in access to nature.KEY TOPICS

·       The integrative, applied field of emergency management (seriously, it’s fascinating)

·       Lenovo’s Work for Humankind partnership with HBCU Elizabeth City State University

·       Diversity in education and career opportunities, and empowering access to nature

·       Immersive, practical learning experiences for students

·       The impact of generosity in sharing information and connections with students

A conversation with Chris Johns, Ph.D., cover guy for National Geographic's funding website, terrestrial (yes, I know some land folks) ecologist, talented photographer and videographer, currently working in communications and marketing for good causes at RTI International. KEY TOPICS:

- The importance of formative field immersion opportunities for youths in conservation, e.g. Youth Conservation Corps, AmeriCorps

- The privilege of witnessing natural places, and the responsibility for sharing our observations of how they're changing

- Connecting to conservation of a place as an "outsider" compared to places linked to your heritage

- Moving away from the traditional conservation career path

- Communications and marketing - the powers of persuasion! - and the skills, organization, and dedication required to effectively engage

Episode 10! Double digits! An excellent conversation with marine biologist and science communicator Jean Utzurrum from the Philippines, who you can follow at @jean8rum on Twitter (or whatever the "X" thing is now!). Covering colonial mindsets, complex conservation contexts, correcting misconceptions about coastal communities, and the complicated realm of social media advocacy.

KEY TOPICS:

* Colonial science in the Philippines, and internalized colonial mindsets

* “Prestige” and privilege of big international organizations

* Social media advocacy & how to retain your mental well-being while engaging in it

* “Sachet economy” and the shaming of marginalized groups for “less environmental” practices

* The need to consider the actual context of conservation problems versus copying solutions from different contexts

* Fighting the “ignorant, lazy” stereotype often used against coastal communities

* Different forms of knowledge and expertise

Episode 9! A monologue on the bycatch of charismatic marine megafauna (cool big large marine animals) in small-scale fisheries, and the complex system that it exists in. This is a major threat to marine megafauna around the world; on the other hand, small-scale fishing communities are often marginalized and vulnerable. There are no easy fixes and no getting away from the reality that conservation approaches need to change in order to solve the bycatch problem.

Episode 8 is a (spicy!) continuation of my conversation with Dr. Jo Marie Acebes (BALYENA.ORG) from Episode 2. We talk about the human collateral damage that can come with conservation interventions, including the case of mobula ray fisheries in Bohol, Philippines.

Episode 7! A bit late, but still great. This conversation with Dr. Ruth Brennan, an integration expert in environmental governance, is a fascinating and wide-ranging tour of ideas related to fisheries management and conservation in the context of Ireland's island communities. Key topics include: co-design in management and conservation efforts; humanity and social relationships in conservation and management; small-scale fishing communities, particularly island communities, in Ireland and Scotland; policy on paper versus in practice; found poetry from community voices; gender in fishing communities; and what "integration expert" means!

Full transcript & Dr. Brennan's bio at conservationrealist.substack.com

For episode 6, we hear from Yin Yin Htay, of the Myanmar Coastal Conservation Lab at Point B Design + Training in Myanmar. She shares her perspectives as youth in conservation who grew to support other youths developing their capacity for conservation, including the importance of opportunities for building connections and confidence.

In this episode, I dive a bit into ideas of power and empowerment in conservation based on my experiences in Myanmar. Every 4th episode will be a chance for me to dig a little deeper into ideas that have come up in the interviews or to insights from my own experiences in the field.

Since February 2021, a brutal military junta has taken over Myanmar - on top of the raging COVID19 pandemic. Thanda Ko Gyi from the Myanmar Ocean Project shares the realities of conducting conservation work as a small organization in this difficult context. She has shown remarkable tenacity and conviction in her work on ghost gears and community engagement, all the more remarkable because she came into the field with no professional training. This is the first of 3 consecutive episodes focusing on Myanmar.

Episode 3! This was a fantastic conversation with Brooke Tully about conservation marketing and how to approach it in a respectful, responsible, and effective way, as well as how the conservation field compares to her experiences in the private sector. Brooke is a marketing expert who brings insights from time in advertising in the corporate realm to the conservation world, first with Rare and now independently. Check out her website for workshops, courses, and a treasure trove of informative blog posts!