EarthVoice

EarthVoice is a podcast series that tells stories of individuals and organisations working to protect animals and the environment. Created and produced by Elizabeth Claire Alberts. Audio engineering by Jacob Round.

This fourth episode of EarthVoice takes you to North Sumatra, Indonesia, where native forest is being rapidly destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations — and animals like orangutans are struggling to survive. This story focuses on the work of the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP), and includes interviews with director Ian Singleton, landscape protection specialist Graham Usher and senior vet Yenny Saraswati.

This third episode of EarthVoice takes us to Watamu, a small coastal town on the Kenya coast. I traveled there in June 2016 to spend time with the team at the Watamu Turtle Watch, which rescues and and rehabilitates critically endangered turtles. We’ll hear from founder Nicky Palazzo, program director Casper van de Geer, and local team members, including Fikiri Kiponda, one of the rescue coordinators.

The second episode of EarthVoice will introduce you to the Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit, a mostly-female group that protects wildlife in Balule Nature Reserve, a region at the edge of Kruger National Park in South Africa. You will hear from Black Mamba members, including Felicia Mogahane and Lewyn Maefala, as well as the group's founder, Craig Spencer, and other passionate individuals.

This first episode of EarthVoice will take you to Cape Town, South Africa, where a team of animal lovers sacrifice their time, money and even their personal safety to care for dogs and cats in the city’s poorest communities. We’ll hear from Rosie Kunneke, cofounder of Tin Can Town, a local animal welfare group, as well as several volunteers.

AUSTRALIAN ENVIRONMENTALIST Paul Sharp operates “Shark in a Bus,” a museum-on-wheels in a 1957 MMT bus that features whale skulls, marine fossils, and vintage diving gear. His most prominent exhibition is a 16-foot great white shark called “Frankie” that Paul’s father killed in the 1970s. But Paul isn’t advocating shark hunting – he’s actually promoting conservation, especially to those who may not be environmentally minded.

When visitors step inside the museum, Paul talks to them about protecting sharks, plastic pollution, and other environmental and animal rights issues. By the time they leave, many have gained a greater respect for sharks and the marine environment.

Paul has often wondered if he should be on the frontlines of conservation, working with organisations like Sea Shepherd Conservation Society or Greenpeace. But Paul sticks with what he’s doing because he believes in the importance of preaching to the unconverted, and changing the hearts and minds of everyday people.

Originally published in Alternatives Journal: http://www.alternativesjournal.ca/community/blogs/aj-special-delivery/audio-preserved-great-white-shark-travels-bus-inspire-australian