Articles

Bird ecologist Dr Catherine Young always said she wouldn't follow in her brother's footsteps, into environmental science. But growing up in South Africa with a mother who loved wildlife she was surrounded by it, and it wasn't long before it beckoned her as well.

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.

I think I'm going to blame my parents. I grew up on the shore of Loch Ness in Scotland and they own a garden nursery, so I was permeated with plant names since day one, says specialist bird and nature guide Cat Davidson, of her early connection to nature.

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.

"I'm not proud that I've finished it, to be honest. I'm proud that I've survived it," says acclaimed Australian author Tim Winton of his new novel Juice. "...it seems to be unleashing a kind of picked-up feeling of frustration and rage at climate inaction." We catch up with Tim in Hobart during his book tour.

We pay our respects to Tasmanian conservation giant, Distinguished Professor Jamie Kirkpatrick, who passed away last month aged 78. Kuno's Dan Broun spoke with Jamie last year and we publish this interview to help remember him and honour his life and legacy.

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.

Take a moment to think about a species you care about, and the emotions you feel when you think about the interactions you've had. You might feel a sense of magic or a loss of words. Ecologist and PhD student Edith Shum wants to understand that feeling and how it connects to place and environmental change.

Vale Professor Jamie Kirkpatrick (1946 - 2024) Jamie was a giant of Tasmania's conservation movement, a World Heritage and National Parks expert and an internationally renowned geographer and conservation ecologist. He inspired countless hearts and minds, for Nature.