Eoghan Daltun has spent the past 14 years restoring 75 acres of farmland in southwest Ireland to native forest, a wildly successful and inspirational effort that has welcomed back long-absent flora and fauna, which he details in his book, An Irish Atlantic Rainforest: A Personal Journey Into the Magic of Rewilding.

 

On this episode of the Mongabay Newscast, host Rachel Donald speaks with Daltun about how easily he achieved this feat, its seemingly miraculous results, and the historical context behind the near-total ecological annihilation of Ireland, a country that today has only 11% forest cover. Daltun provides an honest but hopeful perspective on how humans can shift their relationship with nature and rekindle a powerful partnership with it. 

 

Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to get access to our latest episodes at your fingertips.

 

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See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage, mongabay.com, or follow Mongabay on any of the social media platforms for updates.

 

Image credit: Part of the guest's Irish Atlantic rainforest on the Beara Peninsula. Photo courtesy of Eoghan Daltun. 

 

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Timecodes:

 

(00:00) Introduction

(01:14) Eoghan’s journey

(05:55) Getting out of the way

(10:42) Removing invasive species

(13:50) What lies underneath

(17:26) A connection with the land

(22:48) A brutal history

(29:22) Hope for the future

(35:48) Reflections on forests

(40:45) What is a temperate rainforest?

(54:25) Credits

On this episode of the Mongabay Newscast, host Mike DiGirolamo takes you on a journey through the most biodiverse marine region in the world, Raja Ampat. 

 

He speaks with three guests about how ecotourism has provided stable incomes through conservation, including documentary filmmaker Wahyu Mul, veteran birding guide Benny Mambrasar and resort owner Max Ammer, whose biological research center trains and employs local people in a variety of skills.

 

Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to get access to our latest episodes at your fingertips.

 

If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps!

 

See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage, mongabay.com, or follow Mongabay on any of the social media platforms for updates.

 

Image credit: Cape Kri, Sorido Bay Resort, Raja Ampat Regency, by Rhett Butler for Mongabay.

 

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Timecodes

 

(00:00) Introduction

(02:20) The Role of Ecotourism in Raja Ampat

(03:01) Wahyu Mul

(10:03) The Raja Ampat Research and Conservation Centre

(15:00) Max Ammer 

(39:36) Into the Forest - Benny Mambrasar

(47:00) Threats of Development

(52:47) Credits

Objectivity is a pillar of journalism, but its definition and application are loosely defined and humanly impossible to achieve, experts say.

Podcast guest Emily Atkin argues that an uncritical adherence to objectivity (over trust) has led to gaslighting readers about the real-world causes and urgency of the climate crisis.

 

She quit her day job to launch the acclaimed newsletter “HEATED,” which was spurred by a desire to report on the human causes of climate change and ecological destruction more directly. She discusses why with host Rachel Donald on this episode.

Subscribe to or follow the Mongabay Newscast wherever you get podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, and you can also listen to all episodes here on the Mongabay website, or download our free app for Apple and Android devices to gain instant access to our latest episodes and all our previous ones.

Image: An abstract AI-generated photo of a wildfire in the forest. Image from CharlVera via Pixabay. 

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Timecodes: 

(00:00) - Introduction

(02:48) - The Birth of Heated: A Climate Journalism Venture

(05:19) - The Challenges of Mainstream Media

(14:17) - The Role of Objectivity in Journalism

(32:34) - The Role of a Journalist and Power Dynamics

(35:49) - The Relationship Between Press and Government

(38:48) - The Role of Independent Journalism

(47:33) - Journalism Ethics

(50:41) - The Roots of Objectivity

(01:00:35) - Conclusion