How to Save It

Kate Humble and Edward Whitley mark Sir David Attenborough's 100th birthday live from the 2026 Whitley Awards to celebrate his very special relationship with the NGO. This episode discusses the collective action that Sir David inspired and features the "Bat Man of Mexico" Professor Rodrigo Medellin, and dentist Dr Hotlin Ompusunggu, who gives free treatment in exchange for planting tree sapli...

The brown spider monkey and its "orchestral" Magdalena River Valley habitat in Colombia have been the focus of Dr Andrés Link's work for 20+ years. Birds, not monkeys were his original plan, he tells Kate and Edward, but the monkey's graceful movement and complex social behaviour drew him to the species whose forest habitat had become fragmented, cleared for ranching and palm oil. Reconnectin...

It’s a happy accident for the Javan gibbon that Rahayu Oktaviani could not find funding to study orangutans and switched to gibbons for purely practical reasons. She was hooked once she heard “the most beautiful song” of her life in the forest and is working with her team at KIARA, the NGO she founded, to make sure that it doesn’t disappear. Less than 10 percent of forests remain in Java, one of t...

The healing powers of Nepal's orchids and yew trees have always been prized by local communities but global demand is stripping the forests of its healers. Step in Reshu Bashyal who's not only raising awareness of illegal harvesting of what she calls "the tigers of the plant world" but has a plan to protect these natural resources. Reshu tells Kate and Edward that she grew up understanding that pl...

Argentina’s Somuncura Plateau in the Patagonian steppe resembles a vast rocky lunar landscape. It’s where a volcanic stream allowed for the evolution of a tiny amphibian, the El Rincón stream frog which has found its biggest champion in Dr Federico Kacoliris. "Unlike most people, I was drawn to those often seen as ugly or feared – frogs, snakes, lizards, but also many insects. I like them. I don’t...

The Lower Kinabatangan in Malaysian Borneo is a tropical mix of lush forests, mangroves and oxbow lakes and home to the Bornean elephant, the world's smallest as well as roundest and cutest elephant, in the opinion of Dr Farina Othman. She and her team are building a protected corridor in partnership with oil palm plantations for the 250 elephants...

"Shy, incredibly powerful, they are the biggest cat in America…." and jaguars are free to roam Iguaçu National Park in Brazil's Atlantic Forest, home to one of the world's biggest waterfalls and 185,000 hectares of lush and diverse sub-tropical broadleaf forest. They are also critically endangered locally.   "If you remove your fear glasses and you really look at them, you see that they...

Rwanda’s Grey Crowned Cranes were in trouble before a vet and former gorilla doctor stepped in with an innovative plan to save the leggy bird, known for its striking plumage and elaborate courtship dance. Dr Olivier Nsengimana tells Kate and Edward how his campaign won support from both Rwandans and the government, boosting the crane's fragile population by 1,000 individuals. ...

Join us for new stories of hope and agency from conservationists around the world in Season 2 of How to Save It with Kate Humble and Edward Whitley. Listen to their sometimes unlikely paths to protecting wildlife species from Javan gibbons to jaguars in Brazil and learn how a small frog in remote Patagonia found its biggest champion. Tune in for a dose of inspiration and optimism as we hear from a...

Tapirs and night monkeys are two of the estimated three million species of the Amazon rainforest which plays a vital role in stabilising the world’s climate. Dr Pati Medici from Brazil and Dr Angela Maldonado from Colombia are on a mission to ensure these species stick around and play their role in preserving the world’s largest tropical rainforest. Danger abounds as they must share habitat with a...

The Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan is known for its pristine forests, prioritising wellbeing over economic growth,   and being the world's first carbon negative country. In this episode, Kate Humble and Edward Whitley hear from wildlife biologist Kuenzang Dorji on how Buddhism is the cornerstone to conservation in Bhutan. He's restoring harmony between two populations in Bhutan's forests: G...

In the savannah grasslands and forests of Guyana's South Rupununi, the scientific discovery of a little songbird catalysed the creation of the country's first Indigenous-led conservation NGO. Leroy Ignacio was determined to chart a new destiny for the Red Siskin when it was first identified in Guyana in 2000. The finch had been hunted almost to extinction in nearby Venezuela - for the pet tra...

The African manatee is an elusive marine mammal inhabiting the Atlantic coastal waters of 21 African countries from Mauritania to Angola and whose population is unknown. Cameroon's foremost manatee expert, Dr Aristide Kamla, had never heard of what's considered the elephant's closest relative when he started university; he couldn't swim and he wanted to be a doctor. In this episode, Kate Humb...

The Waimiri-Atroari people fought with their lives to protect their land when Brazil’s military dictatorship forced the BR-174 highway through the Amazon rainforest in the 1970s, cutting the habitat of wildlife in two. The Waimiri subsequently recorded more than 20,000 road fatalities of wildlife. In this episode, Kate Humble and Edward Whitley hear from Fernanda Abra, a road ecologist and pioneer...

He is the mastermind of one of Nepal's biggest conservation festivals. But it's not in honour of the solitary snow leopard, the majestic Bengal tiger or red panda - it's for the humble owl. In this episode, Kate Humble and Edward Whitley hear from Raju Acharya, who is known as "owl, sir" in Nepal. The Himalayan country is home to 23 species of owls which are simultaneously regarded as good and bad...

The "Amazon of the Seas" is a vast marine area in the western Pacific Ocean that is home to 76 percent of the world's coral reef species. In the Papua New Guinea corner of the Coral Triangle, a local biologist is accelerating protection for them. In this episode, Kate Humble and Edward Whitley hear from Naomi Longa who leads an all-female team of Indigenous divers who monitor and manage the reefs...

The Greater Adjutant Stork is a misunderstood bird that Dr Purnima Devi Barman in Assam, India, has devoted her life to protecting. In this episode, join Kate Humble and Edward Whitley to hear how Purnima built a 10,000 strong army of local female fans of the reviled scavenger. Saving it, not only dramatically transformed the outlook for the bird, known as "Hargila," but also the lives of the loca...