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Big Sky Country

Big Sky Country

By: Bush Heritage Australia
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About this listen

Join conservation organisation Bush Heritage Australia to travel the vast Australian continent: from the flanks of the Mighty Murrumbidgee River in New South Wales where over 40,000 trees have been planted, to the ‘Galapagos of the Kimberley’ where some slimy snails have scientists extremely excited, and across to the ancestral lands of Waanyi and Garawa people where they are keeping culture and biodiversity alive. Meet experts in conservation and Country who are on the ground working to address some of our most pressing environmental threats. Theme music by The Orbweavers. Sign up to our newsletter at www.bushheritage.org.au or follow us on socials @bushheritageaus

© 2025 Big Sky Country
Nature & Ecology Science
Episodes
  • Restoring nature: Platypus comeback, oyster reefs and habitat corridors
    Aug 10 2025

    When nature is destroyed and removed, can we ever truly restore it? Across Australia, scientists and communities are sharing powerful stories of ecological restoration – from city rivers to deep-sea reefs. In Adelaide’s River Torrens, urban ecologist Prof. Chris Daniels is leading platypus reintroduction for the city. Downstream near Glenelg beach, one of Australia’s true conservation success stories is occurring underwater: marine scientist Dr Dominic McAfee is restoring oyster reefs, using the sounds of the sea. In Southwest Western Australia – a global biodiversity hotspot – entire ecosystems are being revived from the soil up. Restoration is getting smarter and stronger, one tree, one banksia, one oyster at a time.

    Guests:

    • Dr Dominic Mcafee, shellfish restoration expert
    • Professor Chris Daniels, University Professor and Chair of the Board of Green Adelaide
    • Alex Hams, former Healthy Landscapes Manager, southwest WA, Bush Heritage Australia

    Support the show

    Bush Heritage Australia is a leading not-for-profit conservation organisation that works to protect and regenerate millions of hectares of ecologically important land across the continent. This podcast's focus on trees and Country is especially vital to understanding and advancing Australia's conservation future.

    Get email updates: https://www.bushheritage.org.au/news/subscribe

    Learn more about the show and our work at www.bushheritage.org.au or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or X

    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
  • Trees & Climate: Bob Brown, cultural connection, and why forests matter
    Jul 27 2025

    On an island at the edge of the Earth – Lutruwita/TasmaniaTiahni sits down with legendary environmentalist Bob Brown. Among flowering blackwoods, they explore tree conservation and community, courage and staying optimistic. She speaks with Pakana Elder Hank Horton on deep cultural ties to trees, and with arboriculturist Dr Gregory Moore about a sobering truth: without trees, humans can’t exist.

    These biodiversity magnets store carbon, support life and help us breathe – so why are we still clearing trees? What would the world look like if we protected them instead? Find out more about the vital role of trees in fighting climate change.

    Topics Covered:

    • Why tree conservation is critical to our survival
    • The emotional and ecological power of trees
    • The importance of Indigenous ties to Country

    Guests: Dr Bob Brown, Gregory Moore, Uncle Hank Horton

    Support the show

    Bush Heritage Australia is a leading not-for-profit conservation organisation that works to protect and regenerate millions of hectares of ecologically important land across the continent. This podcast's focus on trees and Country is especially vital to understanding and advancing Australia's conservation future.

    Get email updates: https://www.bushheritage.org.au/news/subscribe

    Learn more about the show and our work at www.bushheritage.org.au or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or X

    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
  • Big Sky Country Season Three Trailer
    Jul 17 2025

    Prepare for Big Sky Country Season 3, our most expansive season yet. In six captivating new episodes, we take you down the backroads of this diverse country to investigate how biodiversity quietly – and powerfully – offers solutions to the climate crisis.

    Hosted by wildlife conservation biologist and proud descendant of the Kaurareg nations Tiahni Adamson – the 2024 Young South Australian of the Year – this series introduces you to people with moving, personal stories who are restoring and protecting ecosystems one block, one banksia, one oyster at a time. If you’re familiar with our first two seasons, you’ll notice one big change - we’ve ventured into the broader conservation space, offering up big ideas, big voices and big solutions.

    You'll meet die-hard conservationists safeguarding tree species that dinosaurs once ate. Scientists measuring the body temperatures of desert animals to help them survive climate change. Traditional Custodians who are reading the signals from plants, animals, landscapes and Country – physically, spiritually, emotionally – and lending their knowledge to show us all how to live in balance, so that we don’t simply survive, but thrive.

    Subscribe now

    Support the show

    Bush Heritage Australia is a leading not-for-profit conservation organisation that works to protect and regenerate millions of hectares of ecologically important land across the continent. This podcast's focus on trees and Country is especially vital to understanding and advancing Australia's conservation future.

    Get email updates: https://www.bushheritage.org.au/news/subscribe

    Learn more about the show and our work at www.bushheritage.org.au or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or X

    Show More Show Less
    3 mins
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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.