Saving our Species podcast: Business of biodiversity

The Business of Biodiversity, brought to you by the Saving our Species program, aims to prove why biodiversity is not just good for the environment – but good for business too.

Can you imagine Australia without many of the unique plants and animals that make our natural environment so special? What about the impacts on our tourism industry or food supply chains? The impact of biodiversity decline is real, and our natural environment is changing rapidly. There's still time to counter this decline, but we must act now and at scale.

What is the Business of Biodiversity podcast?

Biodiversity is essential for a thriving environment and our economy. The Business of Biodiversity podcast talks with businesses, environmental entrepreneurs, scientists, landholders and innovators about how protecting threatened species can help improve their products and bottom line, as well as the environment. Biodiversity is not only important to maintaining a healthy ecosystem; it also impacts our everyday lives and underpins our very survival. 

The Saving our Species program is committed to ensuring the future of NSW threatened plants and animals shines bright, and we want you to join our journey. Learn more as we unpack the complexities of our biodiversity challenge, and what’s being done to overcome it, through the Business of Biodiversity podcast.

What does the podcast include?

The podcast features monthly 30-minute episodes with a variety of inspirational guests sharing the positive outcomes they’ve achieved through researching, developing, or incorporating biodiversity-friendly business practices. 

Guests have included:

  • Nigel Sharp, CEO at Tiverton Agriculture Impact Fund and Founder of Odonata 
  • Dr Jodi Rowley, Australian Museum Research Institute and UNSW Curator of Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology 
  • Claire Ibrahim, Partner – Deloitte Access Economics 
  • Sean Appoo, Aboriginal Carbon Foundation Project Manager. 

Where can I listen?

Listen to the Business of Biodiversity wherever you get your podcasts, or click on the episode links below.

Biodiversity Bites – your 10-minute biodiversity fix!

For biodiversity facts and news on the go, Biodiversity Bites – a new segment of the Business of Biodiversity podcast – features a different threatened species every month, giving you the opportunity to deepen your knowledge of Australian wildlife in as little time as it takes to brew a cup of tea.

Listen to Biodiversity Bites

 
Green and golden bell frog 

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.

 
Green and golden bell frog 

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!

Business of Biodiversity episodes

Episode 15: Sustainability in supply chains to protect biodiversity 

 

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: Building drought resilience for threatened species

White Box Yellow Box Blakely’s Red Gum Woodland, Riparian grassy Blakely's Red Gum Woodland, Threatened Ecological Community 

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: Valuing biodiversity – A holistic approach

An example of a cultural burn, a  fire deliberately put into the landscape authorised and lead by the Traditional Owners of that Country. 

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: Battling a plant disease pandemic

The fungal disease myrtle on a rhodamia type of rainforest plant. 

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 connections

 

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: Innovative ways to boost biodiversity in urban gardens

Caley's grevillea (Grevillea caleyi) 

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: Taxonomy – The benefits of naming nature

Trap door Spider female Arbanitis species 

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: Twitcher Tales – The beautiful benefits of birds

Public Event, Little Llangothlin Nature Reserve 

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: How can we care for our coastal creatures

 Green sea turtles Chelonia mydas hatchlings first ocean swim 

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: Taking to the sky with conservation drone technology

Drone survey for orange hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum subsp. carpathicola), Kosciuszko National Park 

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: Frogs, bees and wallabies, beating the drum for threatened species

Spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) 

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: Bring back the birds with Landcare

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: Biodiversity entrepreneurs

 

Squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) 

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: Innovative ways to promote the importance of biodiversity

Manning River helmeted turtle (Myuchelys purvisi)

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: Investing in biodiversity

Northern brown bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus)

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

The Business of Biodiversity podcast series is hosted and produced by Grow Love Media.