Articles

The ground parrot is one of only three ground-dwelling parrots in the world, says wildlife ecologist Dr Sally Bryant. It is a fantastic species about which she knew little when she started a two-year project to assess its conservation status. That project taught her about sound.

You can never replace looking into the eyes of a little pademelon or something in the pouch, or holding a devil or hearing their noise at night, writes acclaimed Tasmanian wildlife scientist Dr Sally Bryant. There's nothing that will ever replace those natural connections.

For writer Tim Winton, it's no secret the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo coast in his native WA is a place he feels intrinsically linked to, and duty-bound to protect. Here, he describes the power of eco-tourism over big industry and why we should leave our wild special places as we find them.

Acclaimed writer Tim Winton grew up in suburban Perth. But the call of the bush and the ocean was just over the fence. That proximity to wild Nature left a lasting impression and a deep, unshakeable commitment to looking after it. We forget that we are all connected to Nature, he says.

A lot of our music is very much to a beat that's super regular, and it feels quite grid-like. Through Nature, you can start to feel a pulse, writes Bruny Island composer and guitarist Julius Schwing. It's more like a cycle. The sound of Nature is as incredible as the visual aspect.

Benjamin Tacud is an irreplaceable figure in Panay's conservation community. His transformation to protector of the critically-endangered bird he once pursued, exemplifies the true spirit of conservation.

"It's just a place that you feel very alive and you feel nature feeling very alive around you," says specialist guide with Inala Nature Tours, Cat Davidson of Bruny Island in southern Tasmania. It has amazing, diverse habitat types, specialist birds and animals and a strong community. It is home.

We will often be sent a wish list by someone before they even arrive on Bruny Island, Inala Nature Tours guide Cat Davidson says of visiting bird-watchers. Nearly every single time the critically-endangered swift parrot or the endangered forty-spotted pardalote is high on the list.

According to legend, Mount Balinsasayaw originates from the Philippine swiftlet (aerodramus mearnsi), an endemic bird species known for its unique dark plumage and found throughout the Philippine islands from Luzon to Mindanao and Palawan, writes forester, photographer and environmental advocate Kynth Edrel B. Rebano.

The geographic terrain of the northwest Panay peninsula reveals fascinating nooks containing some of the most extensive and highest-quality lowland forests remaining in the Negros and Panay Endemic Bird Area. This makes it a top conservation priority, writes Aklanon photographer, mountaineer and conservation advocate Klyvin June Torres Reyes.

Iss Bautista is an Aklan-born nature writer and poet whose works explore the intersection of ecology and self. A product of UP Diliman's Creative Writing program (University of the Philippines), Iss has honed her craft through a multifaceted career in marketing and decades of “obsessive” note-taking.

I had an experience where I was volunteering with sea turtles in Costa Rica, writes ecologist and University of Tasmania PhD student Edith Shum. It was my first trip abroad and that kind of made me. It was the first time I was really out in nature on my own, and made me realise how small I was. It sparked a lot.