Hills Wildlife Sanctuary | Saving Australia’s Wildlife Together
Hills Wildlife Sanctuary is led by Sanctuary Manager and Director Ben Dessen, who is a passionate conservationist, wildlife advocate, author and educator.
Hills Wildlife Sanctuary is led by Sanctuary Manager and Director Ben Dessen, who is a passionate conservationist, wildlife advocate, author and educator.
“Is it love to possess and restrict other beings?” The question comes from Juliana Ferreira, Executive Director of Freeland South America, and it is not rhetorical. It is an invitation to rethink how we relate to wildlife, consumption, and conservation itself. “Demand is born from the desire to have, to own,” Juliana explains. “Since childhood, we’re
Dr Marisa Tellez knew from a young age that she was destined to work with the world’s apex predators—particularly crocodiles. While her peers played with dolls, she immersed herself in books, documentaries, and wildlife centres, determined to one day turn her fascination into action. In this episode, we sit down with Dr Tellez, Executive Director
What happens when you stop fearing sharks — and start listening to them? In this inspiring episode, we dive into the extraordinary world of Cristina Zenato – a trailblazing shark behaviourist, cave explorer, and professional diver who has spent over three decades in the Bahamas. As Founder of the non-profit People of the Water, Cristina has
What can three decades in one wild place teach us about conservation? In this episode, we sit down with Craig Ralston – Natural England Senior Reserve Manager at Yorkshire’s Lower Derwent Valley National Nature Reserve – to explore his remarkable 30-year journey of restoring landscapes, inspiring communities, and navigating change. Craig shares his reflections on the
Can a primary (elementary) school teacher be a conservationist? It wasn’t a question on Edd Moore’s mind when he first took his job as a freshly qualified teacher, trained in sport science. However, having soon decided to create a school garden, he continued along this unexpected path and transformed his campus from an ‘eco’ blank
How One Caribbean Biologist is Shaping the Future of Conservation From Cambridge to the Tropics. In this episode of the Conservation Careers Podcast, we speak with Dr Howard Nelson—Lecturer in Conservation Leadership at Fauna & Flora International and the University of Cambridge. Howard brings over 30 years of experience across the Caribbean and the UK,
How Nick Bubb Combines Fundraising, Empowerment, and a Life of Adventure to Guide One of Africa’s Leading Conservation Charities, Tusk. What’s it like to lead one of Africa’s most influential conservation charities? How do you support grassroots leaders across a continent while balancing fundraising, strategy, and your own wellbeing? And how can a mid-career pivot
How aspiring and mid-career conservationists can land their dream roles and make a real impact, with Dr Nick Askew. What does it really take to build a meaningful, impactful career in conservation – and how can we better support the next generation of conservationists to succeed? Our very own Director, Dr Nick Askew, joins as
For Nathalie Gil, President and CEO of Sea Shepherd Brazil, life has been a journey of profound transformations. From a corporate career advising global giants like Nestlé and Shell to leading conservation campaigns that save marine species, her story is one of courage, passion and redefining success. This is not just a tale of career
Lessons From Four Decades of BirdLife International: Richard Grimmett on Conservation Success and Challenges. How does a passion for birds turn into a lifelong career in global conservation? And what can four decades of experience teach us about the evolution of biodiversity efforts? Today’s guest is Richard Grimmett, Senior Conservation Adviser at BirdLife International, where
How do you transform landscapes, restore biodiversity and reconnect people with nature – all at scale? And what does it take to build a pioneering conservation initiative from scratch? Today’s guest is Frans Schepers, co-founder and Executive Director of Rewilding Europe. Frans has dedicated over a decade to leading rewilding efforts across Europe, turning ambitious
Today’s guest is Sir William Worsley, Chair of the Forestry Commission (England). Sir William shares his rich experience in forestry management, conservation, and the evolving mission of the Forestry Commission since its founding in 1919. In our chat, we discuss the Commission’s role in afforestation, timber production and wildlife conservation, and the importance of balanced
What does it take to lead one of the world’s largest conservation organisations through a time when 41% of UK species are in decline? And how can today’s conservation leaders inspire millions to fight for biodiversity? Today’s guest, Beccy Speight, CEO of the RSPB, offers her insights into what it takes to manage over 1.2
What can Coca-Cola teach us about how to better save wildlife, in Australia and beyond? And why should more governments set up charitable foundations to protect their national parks and threatened wildlife? We discuss these and many other issues with today’s inspiring guest – David Goldman. David is the Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer at
Conservation organizations are a big puzzle. Every piece, whether it is a department, board of directors, staff, or volunteer, has a role to play in the big picture. But, as a young staff member, what is the best way to discover new roles within your organisation? For Gui Proença, Associate Director of Development at Loggerhead
How passionate individuals can transform their careers and save wildlife, with our guest Greg Cummings. How can someone transition from being a bartender in London to leading an organisation helping to protect Gorillas – one of the most charismatic species on the planet? And how can they raise millions of dollars in the process –
How can corporate professionals contribute to conservation efforts? What skills can they bring from the boardrooms of the private sector to help wildlife charities specifically to develop and grow? These are some of the topics we discuss with today’s guest Raoul Bollen. Raoul has been on a career journey from the corporate sector, from leading
Today we’re speaking with an old friend and colleague Ademola Ajagbe, the Regional Managing Director at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) for Africa. Ademola discusses the urgent challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, emphasizing the need for scalable solutions and partnership-based approaches for meaningful impact. He shares TNC’s mission, its’ conservation model, and strategies for
Have you ever caught yourself feeling too small to make a difference? It’s a common experience among conservationists and, considering the severity of global issues including biodiversity loss, resource exploitation, and climate change, it’s not surprising we feel overwhelmed. However, focusing on individual conservation stories it’s easy to see big changes can come from small
In this episode, we speak with the Deputy Global Conservation Director at WWF International, Cristianne Close. Cris describes herself as ‘passionate about creating positive change in the world, especially aiming to make the impossible, possible’. We discuss how she gave up a fast-paced corporate career to follow her purpose and work in conservation. Now,
Increasingly, the private sector is taking a growing interest in their impact on wildlife, and this could lead to a much-needed step change in conservation efforts. But why do companies care about nature? How can they assess and minimise their impacts? And what sort of jobs are opening up for conservationists seeking to work in
Tucked away in a remote corner of southwestern Uganda lies a hidden gem, the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its exceptional biodiversity, it is home to nearly half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. A forest oasis in the midst of one of Uganda’s poorest and most densely
How do you raise nearly $169,000,000 per year to protect and conserve America’s 420+ National Park Sites? Sites important for recreation, education, and the conservation of endangered landscapes, natural communities and species. We discuss this, amongst many other things, with Lise Aangeenbrug. Lise is the Chief Program Officer at America’s National Park Foundation, the official
There are many threatened species in the world, but Southeast Asia’s Critically Endangered species are particularly vulnerable to extinction. With limited conservation attention on these species in the region, the IUCN SSC Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP) was formed to end species extinctions of birds, amphibians, mammals, freshwater fish, and reptiles. ASAP is a partnership
If you’ve spent time in the UK and visited a local nature reserve, then chances are you’ve been to a site managed by one of the 46 individual Wildlife Trusts that collectively represent 2,000 staff, 35,000 volunteers and nearly 1 million members. Helping to coordinate this huge force for nature is the Royal Society of
You may notice the landscape of conservation is evolving, becoming increasingly diverse each day, with a growing number of people expressing their interest in getting involved. Numerous opportunities are available, indicating a positive outlook for the future of ocean health. However, amid this positivity, a challenging reality remains – the task of enhancing ocean literacy
After graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 2005, Canadian Aram Kazandjian took the expected route into the corporate sector. Fast forward 12 years and he was living in a national park in Sierra Leone as Manager of Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Aram shares his route into conservation and discusses how typical ‘business’ skills are
If you are passionate about wildlife and conservation, you have probably wondered about the role people can play in conservation. You are not alone. Dr Rebecca Jefferson, Marine Social Scientist, Founder and Director of Human Nature asked herself the same question when she was seeking a career in ocean conservation. Since Dr. Jefferson was a
We ran a live event in partnership with Conservation Optimism, to explore and celebrate the work of Dr Charu Mishra – the world’s foremost expert on snow leopard conservation, and double Whitley Gold Award Winner. Conservation Optimism is a global community dedicated to inspiring people to make a positive difference for nature, and co-hosting the