Saving our Species podcast: Business of Biodiversity

Bite 6: Regent honeyeater

The regent honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia) is a critically endangered species of bird that has lost almost all of their preferred woodland habitat. As nomadic pollinators, their decline has had a negative impact on the health and efficiency of the greater ecosystem.

Tune in and discover more about these songbirds and what’s being done to help bring them back from the brink.

Discover more about saving the regent honeyeater.

Keep listening: related Business of Biodiversity episode – ‘Conservation Journey – Innovation at Taronga Zoo and beyond’.

Bite 5: 'The butterfly effect' – purple copper butterfly

Did you know butterflies are an indicator of how healthy an ecosystem is? In this bite-sized episode, you’ll meet one of Australia’s rarest butterflies – the endangered purple copper butterfly(Paralucia spinifera).

An intriguing species with Goldilocks-like tendencies, and a mutualistic relationship with an unassuming ally, discover how their survival depends on a particular food source, and how they play a crucial role in our environment.

Discover how to report sightings of the rare butterfly.

Learn more about the Purple copper butterfly.

Bite 4: Beach-nesting birds – Share the shore

In summer, crowds of people flock to the beaches, far outnumbering the tiny beach-nesting birds who are also using this space, like the hooded plover.

Listed as critically endangered, the hooded plover (Thinornis cucullatus cucullatus) is more than just a pretty plumage. Tune in to this bite-sized episode to discover the crucial role they play in our ecosystem, the threats they face, and, as a beachgoer, what simple things you can do to help protect them.

For a more in-depth episode, dive into “How can we care for our coastal creatures”.

Plus, learn more about how you can ‘share the shore’.

Bite 3: Batting for bats

As one of the most widely misunderstood animals, these cryptic creatures can sometimes have a bad rap. In this episode, we explore how there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to our bats and discuss how they’re incredibly useful to our biodiversity. 

Listen and learn about the world of bats, why we want to help them and how you can get involved to aid in their protection.

Bite 2: Giant pink slug – It’s big. It’s slimy. It’s fluorescent pink – and it’s found nowhere else on earth.

The Kaputar or giant pink slug (Triboniophorus aff. Graeffei) is part of an endangered ecological community in the Mount Kaputar region, along with 11 species of land snail. 

Growing to about 15 cm long and 3 cm wide, the vibrant slug plays a crucial role in our environment. Tune in to our latest podcast to discover more about these unique slugs and what projects are helping to protect them.

Bite 1: Green and golden bell frog – Welcome to our first Biodiversity Bite. This bite-sized episode draws you into the wild world of the green and golden bell frog, currently listed as endangered in New South Wales. You can’t get more Australian than this frog – but there’s more than meets the eye with this threatened species.

Frogs are like fortune tellers, giving us a glimpse into the health and future of the surrounding environment. Tune in to appreciate how these frogs help humans, our wildlife and ecosystems and what you can do to help them in return!

Episode 15 – Sustainability has been a buzzword for some time now – but what does it really mean and how does it impact our supply chains?  

Listen as we dive into how one organisation is helping businesses ‘green up’ their supply chain by identifying, assessing and managing nature-related dependencies. Because, at the end of the day, without biodiversity our business economy could stand to lose.

Episode 14 – When we think of drought, what often comes to mind is the impact on farmers and the food and fibre they produce, but what about the broader impact on native plants, animals, and their habitats?

Hear from three experts who are working to bring back biodiversity and profitability to build resilience in the face of drought. 

Guests featured:

Professor David Lindemayer– Landscape ecologist and conservation biologist, ANU College of Science

Jaymie Dawes – Program Manager, Community and Partnerships, East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority 

Jillian Staton – Landowner and farmer

Episode 13 – This episode looks at – you guessed it – a holistic approach to valuing nature and biodiversity. There are a range of ways this is being done, such as providing economic incentives for behaviour change and putting a greater focus on preserving the intrinsic value of nature from a social and cultural viewpoint. Listen to 3 inspiring individuals discuss the diverse methods they're using to value biodiversity, including offset agreements, environmental accounting, carbon farming and cultural fire credits.

Guests featured:

 Sean Appoo – Project Manager, Aboriginal Carbon Foundation

 Dieuwer Reynders – Regional Manager Murray-Riverina, Biodiversity Conservation Trust 

 Chrissy Elmer – Science and Technology Program Manager, Accounting for Nature

Episode 12 – Saving our Species is excited to share an episode from the Royal Botanic Gardens’ fantastic Branch Out podcast on our Business of Biodiversity series, in our first podcast feed swap. It’s a very timely topic about a contagious disease of pandemic proportions that affects plants.

In this episode you’ll hear about myrtle rust, a plant disease threatening many of our iconic plant species. Listen and learn about this deadly and destructive disease and the cutting-edge science being used to fight it. 

Episode 11 – Threatened animals and plants may seem very remote and even irrelevant to some, but their wellbeing and survival affect us all – often in ways we can't even imagine. In this episode, learn about how we depend on and are all connected to our biodiversity. You'll hear from an ecologist and an astrophysicist, who shed light on some of the unexpected ways we rely on threatened species. 

Guests featured:

 Dr Matt Agnew – Astrophysicist 

 Dr Heidi Kolkert – Ecologist and Bat Researcher

Dr Matt Agnew is working with the Saving our Species program on the Threatened Connections awareness campaign mentioned in this episode.

Episode 10 talks to businesses that are putting the ‘jungle’ back in the urban jungle to help communities and wildlife thrive. From recreating threatened native bushland environments in residential gardens to cultural landscape and design and vertical and rooftop gardens, these businesses will inspire you to do more for threatened species in your backyard. 

Guests featured:

 Liz Smith and Erryn Blacklock – Bush regenerators, landscapers and founders, Bushy Landscapes  

 Clarence Slockee – Director, Jiwah

 Hisham Alameddine – Estimation and R&D Manager, Junglefy

Episode 9 explores the importance of taxonomy and how it can lead to an increase in society valuing nature – in all senses of the phrase.

Guests featured:

 Andy Austin – Emeritus Professor for the University of Adelaide’s Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity (and soon to be Director of Taxonomy Australia)

 Claire Ibrahim – Partner, Deloitte Access Economics

Episode 8 discusses the importance of our feathered friends. We talk to a range of passionate birdwatchers – or ‘twitchers’ – about the various benefits of birds, the key threats they face and how to create key habitat to ensure their future is bright.

Guests featured:

 Ben Humphries – Southern NSW Woodland Bird Project Officer, Birdlife Australia

 Holly Parsons – Urban Bird Program Manager, Birdlife Australia

 Jan and Neville Lubke – Bonnyrise Farmers

 Lea-Ann Ledden – Member, Birds in Backyards

Episode 7 is all about caring for our coastal creatures, exploring our native marine wildlife and the rescue and rehabilitation of these species. We talk to expert care givers to see what it takes to get threatened species back into the wild.

Guests featured:

 Holly West – Project Officer, NSW TurtleWatch

 Olly Pitt – Manager, Australian Seabird Rescue

 Stephen Van Mil – CEO, Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital

Episode 6 delves into the world of ‘conservation tech’, taking to the skies to see how drone technology is saving time and money for threatened species initiatives. Hear from 3 conservation ‘tech heads’ discuss their challenges, solutions and vision for the future.

Guests featured:

 Blaise Porter – Head of Sustainability, Fujitsu

 Aymeric Madous – Founder and CEO, Lord of the Trees

 Debbie Saunders – Founder and Chief Remote Pilot, Wildlife Drones

Episode 5 is all about connecting conservation, including how engaging the community is essential to the survival of our endangered plants and animals. Hear from inspiring individuals who discuss various ways the broader public can get involved in supporting biodiversity.

Guests featured:

 Dr Jodi Rowley – Curator of Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum Research Institute and University of NSW

 Matt Blomfield – Founder and CEO, Gather By

 Darren Grover – Head of Healthy Land and Seascapes, WWF-Australia

Episode 4 hears from a range of passionate people involved in the Australian-made Landcare movement, at all levels of the organisation. They talk about the secret to their success with biodiversity and threatened species conservation and explore what makes Landcare unique, how they're making an impact and what still needs to be done to protect our natural world.

Guests featured:

 Adrian Zammit – CEO, Landcare NSW

 Kylie Durant – Project Officer, Holbrook Landcare Network

 Cindy and Steven Scott – Farmers, Scott Angus Stud

Episode 3 hears from environmental entrepreneurs about developing businesses with a conservation focus and their journey of turning their environmental idea and passion into a viable business.

Guests featured:

 Sam Marwood – CEO, Odonata and Wild Idea Business Incubator

 Jessie Panazzolo – Founder, Lonely Conservationists

 David Brook – Founder and CEO, Wildbnb

 Kate Torgersen – Owner and Senior Consultant, Envirogolf

 Aimee Bowman and Holly Newman – Founders, Planet Warrior Education

Episode 2 delves into how growing awareness of the importance of biodiversity can help businesses make a real impact on conservation. The guests in this episode all have a love of Australian plants and animals and are not shy to share their passion in order to encourage others to get involved.

Guests featured:

 Justin and Pip Jarret – Owners, Seesaw Wines

 Sam Renzaglia – Owner and Winemaker, Renzaglia Wines

 Lou Chalmers – Founder, Yume Wine

 Luke Tilse – Owner, The Happy Wombat

 Joe Slupik – Owner, Pokolbin and Hunter Distilleries

Episode 1 hears from scientists, conservationists and farmers about their experiences and knowledge of the benefits of investing in biodiversity. Listen as they discuss how plants and animals deliver significant ecosystem services on farm.

Guests featured:

 Nigel Sharp and Annette Rypalski – Chairman and Founder/Director of Biodiversity and Mt Rothwell General Manager, Odonata

 Rich Gilmore – CEO, The Nature Conservancy

 Rob Fenton – Farmer