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Planet Pulse PacificAuthor: The Lentil Intervention
The climate and health crises are two of the most urgent issues of our time. Change must happen, and it needs to occur sooner rather than later.Join your hosts, Ben Eitelberg and Emma Strutt, for conversations about people and planet. Find more details at www.athletesfornature.org Language: en-nz Genres: Earth Sciences, Science Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Amy Steel - Wildfires And Interventions on Ecosystems
Episode 9
Sunday, 3 August, 2025
Amy Steel is a climate adaptation expert and PhD candidate with Adrift Lab at Curtin University, Western Australia. With over a decade of experience advising on decarbonisation and climate resilience, Amy is now focused on a vital question: should humans intervene to help ecosystems on the verge of collapse—and if so, how, where, and when?Amy's research centres on the Yowli (otherwise known as Flesh-footed Shearwaters) breeding on islands in the Recherche Archipelago off Kepa Kurl, Esperance. These seabirds face increasing and worsening threats from lightning-ignited wildfires during their peak breeding season, impacted by climate change. Working with the Esperance Tjaltjraak Rangers, Amy is exploring how Wudjari cultural burning can protect these fragile habitats. Amy also reflects on moving from high-level strategy to hands-on fieldwork, the importance of Indigenous knowledge, and what it means to protect ecosystems in a rapidly changing climate.In this episode, we discuss:Amy’s diverse background and what led her from leadership roles in climate strategy to researchThe long-term impacts of heat stroke that ended her competitive netball career and influenced her pathJoining the Adrift Lab team and what inspired her to undertake a PhDWhy islands and seabirds like the Yowli are critical indicators of ecosystem healthThe increasing severity of wildfires and extreme weather, and their impacts on vulnerable speciesWhether seabirds and other wildlife can adapt to human-driven climate change, and if natural checks and balances are breaking downThe ethical and ecological questions around human intervention in collapsing ecosystemsWorking closely with the Esperance Tjaltjraak Rangers, and the role of Wudjari cultural burning in ecosystem resilienceThe importance of place-based policy and honouring Indigenous knowledge in climate responsesHow to communicate climate and conservation issues effectively, and create lasting change within communitiesStaying motivated in advocacy through collaboration and community actionThe role of athletes in climate conversations, and how to stay safe while being active in a changing climateWhat gives Amy hope as an environmental researcherTo view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky, subscribe to this podcast, and share this episode with your friends and family.
