From country to coast, this podcast maps climate action at work

As a wildlife biologist, Big Sky Country podcast host Tiahni Adamson doesn’t sugar-coat the state of the climate crisis. But she believes we can find answers through research – and is channelling this sense of practical hope into Big Sky Country, the podcast she hosts with Bush Heritage Australia. “We have the skills and the wisdom,” says Adamson, the 2024 Young Australian of the Year for South Australia. “We just need to listen to the right voices and inject energy, funds and understanding into these places to have a better future. When we give nature a chance, it flourishes and thrives.” The third season of Big Sky Country podcast takes an inclusive and evidence-based look at practical solutions to a warming world, from regenerative farming to cultural burning. While there’s life, there’s hope In the first episode, Adamson travels to Lutruwita/Tasmania to meet Dr Bob Brown, who she says has been “a role model in conservation and social justice for most of my life”. Sitting under a blackwood tree on his property in Liffey Valley, the legendary environmentalist, former leader of the Australian Greens and founder of Bush Heritage Australia tells Adamson: “While there’s life, there’s hope.” Dr Bob Brown remains hopeful about the future of our environment, despite ongoing challenges. Photo: Bee Stephens This message runs through the six episodes, connecting interviews with the scientist Dr Rebecca Spindler, the urban ecologist Prof Chris Daniels and traditional custodians such as Noongar elder Lester Coyne and Waanyi and Muruwarri woman Aunty Bernice Hookey, all of whom are doing trailblazing work on the frontline. Numbats face threats from habitat loss, introduced predators, and the escalating extreme heat caused by climate change. Photo: Emma Coast Their work is often hyper-local but has the potential for global impact. In a remote corner of the South Australian desert, the researchers Dr Katherine Moseby and Jack Bilby share the novel strategies they hope will help native animals such as bilbies and numbats survive soaring temperatures. Then it’s off to the Sea Country of the New South Wales South Coast, where Yuin/Dharawal woman Dr Jodi Edwards talks about her family connection to the orcas that inhabit those waters. On a remote island off the Kimberley in Western Australia on Wunambal Gaambera Country, marine biologist Dr Melissa Staines and the Uunguu rangers are studying the impact of climate change and ocean warming on turtles. With rising sea levels forcing them to nest further back from the ocean, hatchlings must make a perilous journey to the water’s edge. But turtles are resilient, says Adamson – as a species, they’ve already survived for 120 million years. “They just need the right conditions, and we need to inject that energy in.” Turtles are just one example of the need for on-the-ground conservation, Adamson adds. “We’re bringing back native species that weren’t here since the land was cleared for agricultural use, and we’re bringing back people onto country who haven’t been able to be on their own country for 150 years. That’s amazing.” People on the ground In researching the series, Bush Heritage was committed to sharing the stories of people who might not have previously had their voices heard. A proud descendant of the Kaurareg Nations (Zendah Kes/Torres Strait), Adamson relished travelling to remote communities to “sit with rangers and elders and click on a microphone and be able to hear their stories. We meet people on the ground who are doing incredible things.” Adamson hopes that sharing stories and knowledge will inspire connection as well as optimism. “It’s now that we need action. The stakes are high, but there are stories of resilience, with thousands of people doing incredible work and dedicating their lives to protecting species and heritage.” Listen to Big Sky Country, a podcast by Bush Heritage, wherever you get your podcasts.