Let's Talk Ecosystems Podcast

by the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030)

In the context of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Europe Office and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have interviewed young environmentalists who are making a positive change for our planet. This podcast aims to give the floor to these passionate people who are doing great things all around the world, so they can share their experience a ... 

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Podcast episodes

  • Season 1

  • Ecosystems and Biodiversity Fighters are Unstoppable - How we Can Restore our Natural Environment

    Ecosystems and Biodiversity Fighters are Unstoppable - How we Can Restore our Natural Environment

    Meet two great actors who are working for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, not only behind the scenes: Ann-Kathrin Neureuther from UNEP, Communications and Partnership Manager on the UN Decade and James Obata from FAO, Focal Point for communications surrounding the UN Decade. In this episode, you will find out why we need to restore nature, bring it back into our lives, and protect our remaining ecosystems. You will hear what we can do in our daily life to take action, since we are the last generation that can make peace with nature. Now is the time to act, with many activities and challenges to be implemented by all of us. We are running out of time to save our ecosystems and biodiversity, an urgency which defines the 2021-2030 timeframe of the UN Decade. Let’s all join in the fight for ecosystems and biodiversity! Links: UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration UNEP UNEP Young Champions of the Earth FAO Ecosystem Restoration Playbook IUCN: Community Organizing- Toolkit on Ecosystems Restoration Hosts: Jennifer Gacich (FAO) and Mateusz Benko (UNEP) Producers: Cecilia Casalini (FAO), Giorgia Cherubini (UNEP), Katia de Prado (UNEP), Pierre Flecheux (UNEP) and James Obata (FAO). Music © “Jungle” by DayFox

  • Mediterranean-Style for Plastic Fishing: A Youth Initiative to Encourage Fishermen to Clean the Mediterranean Sea of Plastic Waste in Addition to Fishing

    Mediterranean-Style for Plastic Fishing: A Youth Initiative to Encourage Fishermen to Clean the Mediterranean Sea of Plastic Waste in Addition to Fishing

    Today, we meet Lefteris Arapakis from Greece. He is the founder of Enaleia, a non-profit social enterprise tackling plastic sea pollution by promoting fishing practices that preserve local fish populations and remove the mounds of plastic that pollute the world’s seas, adapting the fishing industry for a greener future. Enaleia’s mission is to make the marine ecosystem sustainable by tackling both overfishing and plastic pollution. We discover how a small idea has blossomed into a multi-national effort to find solutions to rid our oceans of plastic debris. Links: Enaleia website Enaleia Instagram Enaleia Linkedin Video: Lefteris Arapakis - UNEP 2020 Young Champion of the Earth for Europe Video: Enaleia - The Hellenic Initiative Video: Enaleia: A School to Save Greece's Dying Fishing Sector UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Hosts: Jennifer Gacich (FAO) and Mateusz Benko (UNEP) Producers: Cecilia Casalini (FAO), Giorgia Cherubini (UNEP), Katia de Prado (UNEP), Pierre Flecheux (UNEP) and James Obata (FAO). Music © “Jungle” by DayFox

  • Saving the Congo Rainforest and its Indigenous Communities - Life Support for the Second Largest Rainforest

    Saving the Congo Rainforest and its Indigenous Communities - Life Support for the Second Largest Rainforest

    Remy Zahiga, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is a young climate activist and environmental defender who has made it his life mission to save the Congo Basin Rainforest. To do this, he’s been planting trees in areas that have been damaged by mining activities, while also lobbying authorities to prioritize the saving of the rainforest. The Congo Rainforest is the second largest tropical rainforest in the world, covering an area of 2 million square kilometres, and is also one of the most biodiverse areas on Earth, supporting hundreds of species of trees and an estimated 10,000 species of animals. In addition, an estimated 75 million people (including approximately 150 ethnic groups) live in this forest and depend on it for their livelihoods. In this episode, Remy shares why he wants local communities, young people and governments to help him save this vital region. Links: Global Citizen: Why I'm Working to Save the Congo Rainforest and Its Indigenous Communities Remy Zahiga Twitter Remy Zahiga LinkedIn Save Congo Rainforest website UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Hosts: Jennifer Gacich (FAO) and Mateusz Benko (UNEP) Producers: Cecilia Casalini (FAO), Giorgia Cherubini (UNEP), Katia de Prado (UNEP), Pierre Flecheux (UNEP) and James Obata (FAO). Music © “Jungle” by DayFox

  • The Amazon Rainforest has Guardians who are Fighting to Protect it - Support the Kayapo Indigenous People whilst Enjoying a Unique Experience

    The Amazon Rainforest has Guardians who are Fighting to Protect it - Support the Kayapo Indigenous People whilst Enjoying a Unique Experience

    Don’t miss this episode as we are speaking with Natalie Knowles, a Canadian conservationist and explorer focused on social, economic, and environmental sustainability in adventure travel and outdoor recreation. Natalie was awarded the 2020 Adventure Travel Conservation Fund and Explorer's Club Rolex grants for her work with the Kayapo developing conservation-based and indigenous-led adventure tourism in Brazil's Xingu River basin. In this episode, Natalie shares her thoughts on the essential role of indigenous people in conserving biodiversity, as they are very intimately related to the environment in which they are living. She explains not only the fascinating stories of the Kayapo Indigenous people but also all the challenges these people and the Kayapo Project are facing in preserving the Amazon forest, lungs of the planet. Links: Natalie Knowles website Natalie Knowles Instagram The Kayapo Project Kayapo Project Instagram Associação Floresta Protegida website Floresta Protegida Instagram UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Hosts: Jennifer Gacich (FAO) and Mateusz Benko (UNEP) Producers: Cecilia Casalini (FAO), Giorgia Cherubini (UNEP), Katia de Prado (UNEP), Pierre Flecheux (UNEP) and James Obata (FAO). Music © “Jungle” by DayFox

  • Regenerative Agriculture - The Agriculture that Mimics Nature: How Farmers and Corporations can Learn from Nature to Produce our Food while Regenerating our Land

    Regenerative Agriculture - The Agriculture that Mimics Nature: How Farmers and Corporations can Learn from Nature to Produce our Food while Regenerating our Land

    In this episode, we’re speaking with Felipe Villela from Brazil. He is the co-founder of reNature, an organization based in the Netherlands that works worldwide with farmers and corporations to support the transition towards regenerative agriculture. Considering that 95% of our food starts in soils, regenerating and restoring degraded lands is critical for food security. Felipe brings working solutions to the table on how communities and businesses can regenerate and restore the land following nature’s example. Links: reNature website reNature Instagram reNature Twitter renature LinkedIn Felipe Villela - Finalist UNEP 2019 Young Champion of the Earth TEDx Video: reNature Solution UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Hosts: Jennifer Gacich (FAO) and Mateusz Benko (UNEP) Producers: Cecilia Casalini (FAO), Giorgia Cherubini (UNEP), Katia de Prado (UNEP), Pierre Flecheux (UNEP) and James Obata (FAO). Music © “Jungle” by DayFox