Voices of Wilderness

Viviana Solange Yanez Gomez is the force behind 18,000 Trees in Ecuador, a country famous for its incredible biodiversity, cities, and landscapes. Although Viviana grew up surrounded by nature–hiking mountains and forests, she simultaneously watched these ecosystems get damaged. That early experience sparked her path toward conservation. After graduation, she worked in environmental education with...

Gwen Bridge is a member of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation from Alberta, Canada, and works in consulting and support for Indigenous nations and their partners across North America. In today’s episode, Gwen joins us to talk about Motion 107 – “Scaling Up Indigenous Leadership in the Protection of Biodiversity and the Sacred” and Motion 96 – “Setting Area-Based Targets on Scientific Evidence and Reversi...

Vivian Delgado is Joma and Tiwa. Her mother’s people are from Taos territory, which spans Northern New Mexico into Colorado, where Vivian currently lives. She has an academic background in Indigenous studies and is doing extensive work with treaties and treaty-making. Vivian also serves as a consultant for the Texas Tribal Buffalo Project, where she works on regenerating American bison populations...

Fátima Gigante is the Program Coordinator at CoalitionWILD. She began as a volunteer leading the Global Mentorship Program and now also manages the Accelerator Program—CoalitionWILD’s two flagship initiatives. With mentorship at the heart of both CoalitionWILD and WILD’s work, Fátima has been closely involved in shaping the IUCN World Conservation Congress Motion 97: “Mainstreaming mentorship for...

Anja Fjellgren Walkeapää is a reindeer herder in the southern part of the Swedish side of Sápmi. Her reindeer graze in a herding community called Mittådalen Mittahduhlen, and with a master’s degree in forestry, Anja has also worked at the Swedish Forest Agency as a national-level specialist in reindeer herding. In today’s episode, Anja joins us to talk about Motion 131 – Protecting the Sápmi Fores...

Is everything we know about wildlife rooted in science—or is it shaped by cultural beliefs?  What role does culture actually play in the disappearance of species? Sometimes, how we act toward animals is guided not just by facts, but by the stories we grew up with—stories that may be misleading, that have driven species to the brink, and that complicate our ability to coexist. You probably grew up...

A humanitarian and ecological crisis is rapidly unfolding in the southeastern lowlands of Kenya, in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro. Over 200 Indigenous families are facing eviction from ancestral lands they have lived on for generations. Since July 2nd, 2025, fencing poles have been erected around entire settlements—cutting off vital routes that have connected communities, livestock, and wildlife...

Todd likes to focus on three main ideas that many of us in this community are well acquainted with, and yet rarely stop to unpack them. First: wild places. Second: rewilding. And third: how to prevent ‘de-wilding’ or the quiet deletion of the natural world? Todd Wilkinson has been a journalist for over 40 years. Believe it or not, he began his career as a violent crime reporter in Chicago, but his...

Maggie Dewane set out to travel across all 50 states of the U.S., capturing the essence of each one through poetry, specifically haikus, and she did all of this for nature. For a while, climate change could feel like a distant, abstract threat to some of us. But now, it’s no longer far away. It’s here, showing up in our own backyards. So Maggie asked herself: How do I make others care and feel wha...

Looking back, it’s hard to find a time when humans weren’t part of the natural landscape. We’ve shaped the land for millennia, and conversely, the land has shaped us - yet, we often talk about nature as something separate from us. How do we redefine our relationship with the land when it’s always been somewhere within us? For decades, we’ve tried to manage and control natural spaces. And while man...

Today, we’re bringing you into the heart of our latest journey—one that began at the 12th World Wilderness Congress and is now heading to the IUCN World Conservation Congress in October of this year, 2025, in Abu Dhabi. It all started with important resolutions passed at WILD12, many started by passionate individuals outside of the environmental policy realm, addressing key conservation issues tha...

Jenny Dallan, a young environmental professional, works for Ontario Parks, coordinating school programs across the province. Don Carruthers Den Hoed works at the University of British Columbia, where he leads the Canadian Parks Collective for Innovation and Leadership. Jenny applied to a mentorship program offered by the organization Don runs. Though she wasn’t selected, they exchanged a few email...

Everything began with a plan by U.S. fossil fuel companies in Texas to export natural gas to the vast markets of China.  But instead of building expensive infrastructure through the U.S., developers looked south, proposing an almost 500-mile/800-kilometer pipeline starting in Guadalupe, Chihuahua, cutting across the deserts of Chihuahua and Sonora, and ending at the northern edge of the Sea of Cor...

Picture this: a vast, untouched wilderness stretching across the horizon–a land so pristine it feels like it’s been frozen in time. It’s almost hard to put words to such a place, it’s truly like another planet. This wilderness, specifically in Utah, is home to some of the last wild lands in the lower 48 of the United States, with ecosystems that help regulate our planet’s climate but sadly, it’s u...

A UNESCO World Heritage site in the Indian Ocean and home to over 400 endemic species, the Aldabra Atoll, is on the brink of destruction. A proposed luxury development has threatened its fragile ecosystem, and despite scientific arguments and official interventions, nothing has stopped the Seychelloix government from proceeding with this project. Nothing seemed to get their attention. In the end,...

Global conservation policy can feel complex: What are these big events, and why do they matter? COPs, Conventions of Parties, and member-only congresses—these spaces can seem intimidating, filled with jargon, fancy terms, and big players.  You can often find yourself lost, not only in understanding what they mean, but in grasping how they work and, more importantly, what is your place in them is a...

Wilderness seems like an innate, normal, natural concept. ‘Wilderness is the story of the planet.’ That’s what Chad Dawson, today’s guest, says at least. Wilderness is also the story of humanity. Yet, here we are, forgetting our roots and how to live in conjunction with the land. So, how did we get here? In this episode, we dive into wilderness management with Chad Dawson, retired professor and ke...

The world is hurting. People are hurting. We see it every day, all around us. It’s almost inescapable in the news. Ancestral knowledge is fading because of modern ways of life. But within these wounds, there is healing—ancient wisdom, strength, really a way back to wholeness. “The medicine is in the wound.” Ariel’s words that have stuck with Jackie since her conversation with her. A reminder that...

Einstein stated, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." This idea came to Jackie's mind during her conversation with the ever awesome Dan Wildcat at WILD12. He talks about "the age of the Anthropocene"—a time when humans see themselves as the center of everything. And here we are, facing human-caused environmental crises, thinking once again that it’s o...

How can Indigenous communities be better supported in addressing wildlife diseases? This question has inspired Avery’s work. Avery, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, is working to bring together veterinary science and Indigenous knowledge by partnering with tribal nations on wildlife health research that’s collaborative and community-driven. Having grown up in his tribal community, Avery saw that...

Hinano was born on the atoll of Vairaatea located in the central-eastern part of the Tuamotu islands of Tahiti. She is the President of the Association Te Pu Atitia and the Cultural Director of Tetiaroa Society. Growing up, her language and traditions were a huge part of her life. They inspired her to teach and fight for the environment and her people’s culture. In this episode, Hinano shares memo...

Today, we’re diving into the power of artificial intelligence, AI, and environmental stewardship. Because, let’s face it, it’s all the rage and we need to address this topic. It’s no secret that AI is growing quickly. While it has been around for decades, it is now playing a bigger role in our lives. What does this mean for conservation? What does wilderness mean to AI, and how is AI affecting it?...

Welcome to the special Voices of Wilderness episodes covering WILD12. Jackie, your host, takes you behind the scenes at WILD12, where she met remarkable people dedicated to protecting nature every day. One of these inspiring individuals is Laura Yawanawá. Laura and her husband, Tashka Yawanawá, lead the Yawanawá people in Acre, Brazil, where they developed a Life Plan to sustain their culture, pro...

Welcome to the special Voices of Wilderness episodes covering WILD12. Today we’re going behind the scenes at WILD12, where we met remarkable people dedicated to protecting nature every day. One of these amazing individuals is Jaime Rojo. You might remember him from a previous episode a few months ago, but here he is again–as I met him in person for the first time during the congress! Jaime is a ph...

Today we’re going behind the scenes at WILD12, where we met remarkable people dedicated to protecting nature every day. One of these inspiring individuals is Joey Montoya, from the Lipan Apache Indigenous Peoples. Joey is a multimedia artist, fashion designer, and entrepreneur, and the Founder and CEO of Urban Native Era , a fashion brand focused on elevating Indigenous visibility through fashion...