Nature Solutionaries is a podcast about conservationists who do amazing things for nature and bring inspiration into our lives.
I’m Veronika Perková. I’ve always loved nature and admired people who protected it. I studied Environmental Studies, volunteered for different organizations and wrote extensively about conservation, sustainability and circular economics. I created this podcast to support inspirational conservationists and encourage listeners to do something good for nature. Click Play to learn more about this podcast.
How family planning programs help women live better lives and get involved in local protection of nature
When Colombian conservationist Sara Inés Lara started helping women from rural communities access family planning and education and become guardians of their own environment, she got a lot of pushback from local men and conservation colleagues. After all, it was a taboo to address environmental protection, women’s empowerment and population. Seventeen years later, her NGO …
Claire Lewis: Bye, bye, poachers! The black rhinos and elephants are back in North Luangwa
While in most places, we hear about rhinos and elephants being killed, in North Luangwa National Park in Zambia, one of the most untouched wilderness sanctuaries in Africa, the situation is quite the opposite. This little-known park is home to Zambia’s only black rhino population, which continues to show one of the highest growth rates …
How to save saola – an animal that no biologist has ever seen
With fewer than 50 animals in the wild, saola is possibly the most threatened mammal on the planet. Even though it was discovered in 1992, very little is known about it, as no biologist has ever seen it in the wild and there are only a handful of photos of it from camera traps – …
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Paul R. Ehrlich: The Most Effective Conservation Strategy? Empower Women
The impact of our growing population on nature is such a sensitive topic that nobody really dares talk about it. Better sweep it under the carpet and forget about it, right? Well, not necessarily. If you think it through, the solution is really simple and beautiful: give women full rights, opportunities and access to family-planning …
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Terry Spahr: Talking About Overpopulation Isn’t Sexy, But We Have to Do It
For 7.8 billion people to live sustainably on the planet, everyone would have to be a vegetarian; never drive a car or fly in an airplane; live in a one-room apartment with minimal electricity and no heat, hot water, washing machine, dryer, or dishwasher; and have only a few sets of clothes and pairs of …
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Arthur Sniegon: We Can Still Save African Elephants. Here’s How
Even though the elephant population decline is a gigantic problem – only 415,000 elephants remain compared to 10 million in 1930 – there are ways to protect this iconic species. The nonprofit Save Elephants, in collaboration with EAGLE Network (organizations fighting corruption and wildlife crime), have seen some success protecting elephants in Congo, Cameroon and …
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Mazariegos & Pimm: Animals in Western Andes Can Finally Find a Date
In this episode, I am talking to Luis Mazariegos and Stuart Pimm about their successful conservation project in Western Andes Cloud Forest, in Colombia, one of the most biodiverse spots on the planet. Since 2008, The Hummingbird Conservancy, with financial support from Saving Nature has restored 3,500 hectares of degraded land and connected about 100 …
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Lisa Carne & Maya Trotz: Belize Is a Shining Star of Coral Reef Restoration
Coral reefs provide food, coastal protection and livelihoods to a billion people worldwide. They are the planet’s most vulnerable ecosystem to climate change and are under threat from excess nutrients, overfishing and ocean acidification. Luckily there are amazing organizations like Fragments of Hope that have been able to achieve great results in coral reef restoration. …
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Arjoon-Martins & Thompson: Protecting Sea Turtles and Mangrove Forests in Guyana
Annette Arjoon-Martins is a Guyanese conservationist and pilot who founded the Guyana Marine Conservation Society, an NGO that originally started with protecting sea turtles on Shell Beach, Guyana, and now aims to protect mangrove forests and marine habitats in general. Ivana Thompson is a young marine biologist who has recently joined the organization to deepen …
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Hana Raza: Fighting for a Better Future for Persian Leopards in Iraq
Hana Raza is a Kurdish wildlife conservationist who rediscovered the Persian leopard, once thought to be extinct, in the mountains of Kurdistan in 2011. She dedicated her career to establishing a program for conserving this globally endangered species. In 2017, she was awarded the prestigious award of Future for Nature. Together we talk about: Why …
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