BSSA Podcast

Marna Banggara means "healthy, prosperous country," and it's the fitting name of an ambitious rewilding project on Narungga Country, Yorke Peninsula. The project is reintroducing the Yalgi, or brush-tailed bettong, which was once widespread across the region. In this episode, we sit down with Chloe Frick, a PhD candidate whose research focuses on the reintroduction of these vital ecosystem enginee...

Join us as we sit down with Megan Folwell, a Ph. D. student from the University of Adelaide, whose groundbreaking research made headlines in 2022. Megan, along with her supervisors, made waves with their unprecedented discovery: snakes have clitorises. In this episode, we embark on a journey with Megan as she unveils the intricacies of snake clitorises, providing the first comprehensive descriptio...

Are possum parties disrupting your slumber? We sit down with Tara McKenzie, a PhD student from the University of Adelaide, and delve into the nocturnal antics of urban brushtail possums. In this enlightening podcast, Tara unpacks her research on these adaptable creatures and their secret urban lives. Despite their common presence, she exposes the conservation risks they face, challenging our perce...

What's big, emits the stench of decaying flesh, and draws crowds of thousands? It's none other than the Amorphophallus titanum, commonly known as the corpse flower! In this episode, our guest Matt Coulter, the horticultural curator for the Botanic Gardens of South Australia, enlightens us about this botanical rockstar and much more. Embark on a damp and misty expedition through the Mt. Lofty Botan...

Veggie gardening is a hobby growing in popularity, with more and more South Aussies learning to grow their own food. But have you ever thought of growing your own food as more than a pastime, and actually an important branch of agriculture? Some hardcore green thumbs rely on their garden as their main source of food, while others simply grow the occasional herb on their windowsill. No matter your...

The arid zone covers 70% of the Australian landmass. So, how can we restore and protect our country’s largest landscape?   Arid Recovery is a wildlife reserve dedicated to conservation research in South Australia’s arid interior. Dr Katherine Tuft is the CEO and manager, undertaking conservation research to find practical on ground solutions to restore the arid landscape.   Tori Love sit...

How can we strengthen the bond between people, our landscape and cultural ways of learning? The BSSA podcast is excited to present In The Spotlight , featuring voices of conservation within South Australia that you may not have heard of. Our first guest is Mark Koolmatrie, a Ramindjeri man of the Ngarrindjeri Nation, Chairperson of the State Aboriginal Heritage Committee, founder and educator. Mar...

In lieu of our annual BBQ and presentation, we have taken to our podcast to bring you this special Q&A panel. This recording brings together professionals from the industry to communicate some insights and grounding knowledge to the budding career conservationist or environmental scientist. Is it important to study the right taxon, or just get something done? What are the strengths of governme...

In this special episode of the BSSA Podcast host Bradley Bianco takes listeners on a short audio guided tour of the South Port Noarlunga Dunes system. The tour starts at the northern trailhead of a track that winds its way through these rare relics of sand hills that would have once spanned the Adelaide Coast. On the tour we have a look at many of the dune's native plants, listen out for some nati...

In today's episode host Bradley Bianco sits down with President of the Friends of Black Hill and Morialata Conservation Parks group, Liz Milner. Liz shares her story of how she became involved in the prominent Adelaide-based Friends Group and some of the amazing work that the Group has done to restore habitat for many species of Threatened fauna. Liz also goes into detail about her ground-breaking...

What makes a species invasive? Turns out there's a lot of human behaviour at play between taking a species from the wild, and it becoming invasive in Australia. The story includes a complex pet trade, which is an ermergent global issue for wildlife. PhD Candidate Adam Toomes joins us to discuss the dynamics of alien vertebrate species establishing populations in Australia, and the key stages that...

It takes a lot to make a conservation happen. People and communities, and behaviour shifts are all essential ingredients, as well as as science and biology. PhD candidate Matt Bowie joins us to talk about social marketing, behavior, and economics in conservation projects, and how they come together for his study topic, coffee sustainability. Hosted by Bradely Bianco and featuring Matt Bowie, PhD c...

Episode fourteen welcomes Tristan O'brien, an ecologist and environmentalist passionate about fostering a connection to nature. We have a chat with Tristan about relating to the land and nature around us, individually and as a society. Tristan draws on his experience running conservation awareness campaigns, and educating others about tuning into nature. Hosted by Bradely Bianco and featuring Tris...

The Nature Conservation Society of South Austrlalia (NCSSA) is one of the core environmental organisations in the state, having helped to establish iconic parks like Deep Creek, and pushing for the original establishment of a department for the environment. We welcomed Michael and Julia from the society to talk about what they are up to now, and the state of the environment in South Australia. Fea...

Knowing about biology is one thing - but what about the interactions our society has with biological systems? The proposal for developments in the Flinders Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island has become a pivotal conservation issue. Volunteers for the park have put down their tools to lead a counter campaign. We had Bev Maxwell and Colin Wilson on the podcast to tell us what is happening, why t...

Parasitic plants are a component of most ecosystems, and in our native environments they may play a key role. Episode eleven of the BSSA Podcast welcomes PhD candidate Bernardo J. O'Connor in a conversation about the native parasitic vine Cassytha pubescens, and it's potential as a bio-control of invasive plants. Hosted by Bradley Bianco and featuring Bernardo J. O'Connor. Follow Bernardo on twitt...

Dr Kieren Mitchell joins us for a conversation delving deepinto ancient DNA, from it's technical challenges to how it's helping us understand Australia's extinct megafauna. Hosted by Bradely Bianco and featuring Dr Kieren Mitchell. Follow Kieren's research through the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA: @ACAD_Adelaide on Twitter, and @ACAD.Adelaide on Facebook. Produced by Christopher Jolly and Mya...

Episode nine of the BSSA Podcast explores the microbiome, a wonderful world of microbes that has been there all along, but hasn't always been explored. Dr Raphael Eisenhofer from the University of Adelaide joins us to discuss the significance of microbiomes, both for ourselves, other organisms. Hosted by Bradely Bianco and featuring Dr Raphael Eisenhofer. Follow Raphael on twitter: @r_eisenhoffer....

Citizen science, genes, and the surprisingly un-quantified lives of our much-loved echidnas. In episode eight of the BSSA podcast we are joined by Tahlia Perry, a PhD candidate at the University of Adelaide and one of the main drivers behind the Echidna Conservation Science Initiative (Echidna CSI). Hosted by Bradley Bianco and featuring Tahlia Perry. Find out more about Echidna CSI by following @...

Cephalotus, the Albany Pitcher Plant, is a spectacularly unique carnivorous plant living in the swamps of South-West Western Australia. Cephalotus expert Nick Kalfas joins us in a conversation about carnivorous plants, plant-animal interactions, and the spectacular endemism seen in this species and in the flora Australia. Hosted by Bradley Bianco and featuring Nick Kalfas, PhD candidate at The Uni...

Only some wasps sting! The wasps are a super-diverse branch of the Hymenoptera (ants, wasps, and bees), containing a huge diversity of parasitoid life-histories. This episode welcomes Ben Parslow, a PhD candidate at Flinders University and the South Australian Museum studying parasitoid wasps. Ben talks to us about describing the diversity of parasitoid wasps in South Australia, and how they ties...

Beyond re-introuductions and beyond revegetation: rewilding involves bringing a complex suite of natural interactions back to the land. Ecologist Grace Hodder joins us to talk about Rewilding the Yorke Peninsula, a pioneering rewilding project for Australia. We discuss how restoring balance of an ecosystem can help endangered species and ecological communities, as well as agricultural practices an...

The Myrtaceae is an iconic Australiasian family with a deep history. This episode welcomes Dr Myall Tarran, a researcher of the Paleobotany of the Myrtaceae family. He joins us to discuss gleaning knowledge from ancient fossils, the history of Australia's quintessential plant family, and how past climates can teach us about the present. Hosted by Bradely Bianco and featuring Dr. Myall Taran. Follo...

Episode three of the BSSA Podcast welcomes Dr Chris Shepherd, a conversation researcher focusing on the illegal wildlife trade. Dr Shepherd joins us to talk about the illegal wildlife trade, the challenges it poses, the conventions in place to stop it. Hosted by Bradely Bianco and featuring Dr Chris Shepherd. Dr Shepherd is the founder executive director of the Monitor Conservation Research Societ...

Episode two of the BSSA Podcast is about our iconic eucalypts, and the story of their flowering patterns. Hayley Merigot joins us on the podcast to discuss her research into Eucalypt flowering times and the marvelously complex pollination web. Hosted by Bradley Bianco and featuring Hayely Merigot. Follow Hayley's work: @hmerigot on Instagram, @HayleyMerigot on Twitter. Produced by Christopher Joll...