Smart Forests Radio

In this episode of Smart Forests Radio, we speak with Niall Burnside , Senior Lecturer in Biogeography and Geoinformatics at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) , about marine ecosystems and their connections to Scotland's Atlantic temperate rainforests. The conversation explores how ecological research is increasingly organised around interconnected ‘source-to-sea’ systems rather t...

In this episode of Smart Forests Radio, we speak with Gordon Gray Stephens, Saving Scotland’s Rainforest advisor and director of the Native Woods Co-op, about the growing movement for restoring temperate rainforests on the west coast of Scotland. Gordon reflects on how the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest coalesced around a single shared term, “rainforest,” and why that shift in language has mad...

In this episode of Smart Forests Radio, we speak with Rachel French, former biodiversity officer at the Mull and Iona Community Trust (MICT) , about the regeneration of the Ardura Community Forest on the Isle of Mull and the vital role forests play as community spaces. Rachel discusses connecting people with woodlands through school visits, volunteer programmes, and wildlife-themed events, alongsi...

In this episode of Smart Forest Radio, we are in conversation with Gethin Davies, senior project manager at Celtic Rainforest Wales , about efforts to restore temperate rainforests across four Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in Wales. Gethin discusses how the initiative is using technologies, such as drones, LiDAR, electric collars, and the INNS (Invasive Non-Native Species) Mapper app, to mo...

En este episodio de Smart Forests Radio, hablamos con Simón Crisóstomo Loncopán, lonko («jefe» en mapudungun) y presidente de la Comunidad Mapuche para la Gobernanza Territorial de Curarrehue, en la región de la Araucanía, Wallmapu, Chile. Simón reflexiona sobre cómo los procesos de liderazgo y gobernanza han surgido desde el interior del territorio, moldeados por la educación política mapuche, lo...

In this episode of Smart Forest Radio, we speak with Dr Max Bodmer, former Head of Nature-Based Consultancy at rePLANET . Max is now based at spin-off, Renew Earth , an independent biodiversity Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) and digital platform company. In this podcast, Max explains how integrative approaches to carbon and biodiversity credits can channel private capital into natu...

En este episodio de Smart Forests Radio, hablamos con Felipe Ortega, biólogo y guardaparque del Parque Nacional Villarrica, en la región de la Araucanía (Chile), sobre el compromiso intercultural con las comunidades y los ecosistemas. Felipe explica cómo la gobernanza participativa, la educación ambiental y el monitoreo de los ecosistemas mediante cámaras trampa y drones se combinan para hacer fre...

In this episode of Smart Forests Radio, we speak with Sylvain Vaquer, founder of Mozaic Earth , a biodiversity and nature-intelligence startup. Sylvain outlines Mozaic Earth’s tools for making biodiversity monitoring more scalable and accessible, including a mobile app that supports ground-level data collection by local communities and an AI-powered platform that enables ecologists to conduct remo...

En este episodio de Smart Forests Radio, hablamos con Andrés Fuentes Ramírez, biólogo y doctor en Ecología y Biología Evolutiva, y con Paola Arroyo Vargas, ingeniera en Recursos Naturales Renovables y doctora en Ecología del Fuego, ambos miembros del  Laboratorio de Ecosistemas y Bosques  de la Universidad de La Frontera, en Temuco, Chile. Andrés y Paola exploran una perspectiva ecológica sobre có...

In this episode of Smart Forests Radio, we speak with Murtaza Taj , Associate Professor and Director of the Computer Vision Lab , as well as former Director of Technology for People Initiative at Lahore University of Management Sciences, about his work developing early forest fire detection systems in Pakistan. Murtaza explains why he prioritized low-cost, energy-efficient, and easy-to-deploy tech...

In this episode of Smart Forests Radio, we are in conversation with Mohammad Meer Hamza about the Van Gujjars , an indigenous pastoralist community in South Asia. We explore the community's rich history, the challenges they have endured due to colonial conservation practices, and how modern technologies, including digital tools, are reshaping forest governance and mapping practices. Interviewer: T...

En este episodio de Smart Forests Radio, hablamos con Jorge Felez-Bernal. Jorge es Geógrafo, con postgrado en Ingeniería del Medio Ambiente y Máster en Tecnologías de la Información Geográfica para la Ordenación del Territorio. Desde 2018, está cursando un programa de doctorado en Ordenación del Territorio y Medio Ambiente, en la Universidad de Zaragoza, España. El 2009 llegó a vivir a Concepción,...

En este episodio de Smart Forests Radio, hablamos con Claudia Arellano, geógrafa y especialista en Estudios y Riesgos de Desastres. Actualmente es consultora de la Dirección de Gestión de Riesgo de Desastres de la Municipalidad de Pucón, Región de La Araucanía, Chile. Claudia cuenta con más de 11 años de experiencia en el estudio de riesgos de desastres y planificación territorial, abarcando temát...

In this episode of Smart Forests Radio, we speak with Dr Waleed “Lee” Haddad, cofounder of BurnBot . BurnBot is a semi-automated mobile technology for facilitating prescribed burns. Through remote control technology, a burn chamber, and other components, the device enables prescribed burning and vegetation thinning to mitigate destructive wildfires, while ensuring minimal smoke production. Lee dis...

En este episodio de Smart Forests Radio, hablamos con Jorge Saavedra. Jorge es Ingeniero Forestal, Diplomado en Geomática y Tecnología Satelital, Magíster en Teledetección y Jefe del Departamento de Desarrollo e Investigación en Incendios Forestales en la Corporación Nacional Forestal de Chile (CONAF). Jorge cuenta con más de 15 años ligado al Manejo del Fuego, se especializa en áreas como el anál...

In this episode of Smart Forests Radio, we talk with Dr Shefali Juneja Lakhina about socially led innovations in fire technology and policy. Shefali is the co-founder of Wonder Labs , a climate justice-focused social enterprise based in California. Since 2021, as part of Wonder Labs’ flagship initiative—the Reimagining 2025: Living with Fire Design Challenge —Shefali has mentored student teams in...

In this Smart Forests Radio episode, we speak with Dr Frank Vorhies. Frank is the director of African Wildlife Economy Institute at Stellenbosch University in South Africa and the founding director of Earthmind , a conversation network founded in Switzerland and now based in the UK. He explores the economic aspects of conservation initatives, focusing on how different views of conservation and bio...

In this Smart Forests Radio episode, we invite Arthur Eijs, a policy advisor on Natural Resources at the Ministry for Infrastructure & Water Management in the Netherlands. Formerly, he oversaw strategy, pilot projects, and economic incentives on biodiversity at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, and served as a member of the Dutch CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) delegatio...

In this Smart Forests Radio episode, we speak with Jen Castro, co-director of Awana Digital (formerly Digital Democracy), about Mapeo , an open-source, offline-first toolset for forest monitoring and territory mapping. Jen discusses how Mapeo supports participatory data collection and sharing, reinforcing community sovereignty over their land and data. She also describes Mapeo’s transformative rol...

In this episode of Smart Forests Radio, we venture into the forest on the Peelrandbreuk in Boekel, the Netherlands. Recorded during a forest walk on a warm summer day in June 2023, the episode features visual artist Michiel van Bakel and ecovillage founder Ad Vlems. The Peelrandbreuk, a geological fault line, is clearly visible in the landscape due to variations in elevation. During our walk, we h...

In this episode of Smart Forest Radio, we speak with Sandyakala Ning Tyas from the Mountain and Jungle Explorer Association Foundation ( Wanadri ) in Indonesia. Sandyakala shares insights from the development of their Tree Guardian program, launched in 1998 to combat deforestation in an area exceeding 1000 hectares in West Java. In 2008, the programme began using digital technology to improve the...

In this episode of the Smart Forests Radio, we speak with Rob Lewis, an ecologist at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) in Bergen, Norway. Our conversation focuses on Forest-Web-3.0 , a collaborative project aimed at incentivising biodiversity data sharing and pro-forestation practices, thereby improving forest biodiversity. Rob discusses the potential of blockchain technologies fo...

In this episode of Smart Forest Radio, we invite Emmy Primadona and Famila Juniarti from the Indonesian Conservation Community Warsi to discuss the implementation of carbon funds in the landscape of Bukit Panjang Rantau Bayur, commonly abbreviated as Bujang Raba, located in the Bungo regency, Jambi province. Emmy discusses how she assures the community that the funding that comes from the carbon p...

Within the Netherlands, there are a lot of widely contrasting ideas about biodiversity. The ‘Stichting Deltaplan Biodiversiteitsherstel’ is a foundation that connects parties, including biodiversity organisations, politics, farmers, and local initiatives, together to create plans for biodiversity restoration. Fleur Bokma worked as a biodiversity advisor for this project. In this interview, she dis...

In this Smart Forest Radio episode, we invite Benita Nathania, Mirzha Hanifah (Hani), and Hidayah (Iday) Hamzah from the World Resources Institute (WRI) Indonesia to discuss the use of Global Forest Watch (GFW) , an online platform for near real-time forest monitoring in Indonesia. Benita, Hani, and Iday talk about the challenges of utilising GFW in Indonesia. They especially consider complexities...