Conservation

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.

Dog management on Bruny Island is a big issue, writes bird ecologist Dr Eric Woehler. He has many photos of dogs predating on vulnerable eggs, chicks and adult nesting birds - and he's urging dog owners to put them on a lead.

"While northern Pakistan boasts incredible biodiversity, efforts to protect these rare species have yet to gain the momentum they deserve," says Chitral Valley wildlife guide and Kuno contributor Shams Uddin. Here, Shams talks about his hopes for a thriving ecotourism industry to help protect this incredible region.

Research shows that if a potential predator is moving towards a shorebird nest on the beach, some birds, such as the hooded plover, will abandon their eggs or chicks. These ground-nesting birds are extremely vulnerable - and one of the major threats is dogs, says bird ecologist Dr Eric Woehler.

Over the years, the Tranmere-Clarence Plains Land and Coastcare group noticed a lot of large trees around Tranmere were disappearing. As they tell film-maker Marcio Conrado, they were concerned the loss of trees was having an impact on local bird species. So they're doing something about it.