Boots on the ground podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this Podcast, I'm chatting with Amanda Dewey, COO, of Dazzle Africa. Amanda has over 12 years working in conservation and her gracious voice and experiences will make you fall in love with community projects that give you a purpose that is beyond what you can imagine. We talk about her upbringing and where her love for nature, community engagement, and sustainability stemmed from. We also dive into Dazzle Africa, how it came to be, her role, and the great work they're doing. Amanda also weighs in on opportunities that exist out there for the youth in her space tying it all into her love for local communities and positive impact travel. Enjoy and be inspired!!

In this Podcast, I'm talking with Ms. Munira Anyonge Bashir, Kenya Country Director, The Nature Conservancy. We talk through her upbringing in Vihiga County and in Nairobi, her early recollections of enjoying nature and wildlife, and also her early career life working for the Kenya Wildlife Service. We also dive into her transition from Government to Non-Governmental Organization, the Nature Conservancy, her role and what that encompasses, the biggest threats facing wildlife in Kenya and what coexistence looks like in a modern and changing Kenya. Listen in to the end to hear more about the challenges she has overcome, her wins and advise to young people looking to make a difference in the places they have been planted. Enjoy!!

In this episode, I’m talking with Meena Amani, a wildlife photographer with a big passion for animals. We talk through her childhood and upbringing, her work at the Animal Track Sanctuary, the illegal pet trade and what she and her team are doing to rescue and rehabilitate wild animals. We also dive into her storytelling side, and the power of art in today’s world plus a whole lot more of other interesting stories from the wild. Enjoy and be inspired 💚🎙️

Dr Lynne MacTavish has worked at Mankwe Wildlife Reserve since 2000 as Operations Manager. She studied Travel and Tourism, has FGASA level 2, and was awarded an honorary doctorate of science in recognition of her major contribution to wildlife conservation in South Africa and promotion of conservation science at the highest level. She is also a qualified first aider. Lynne has been one of the Principal Investigators on the Earthwatch project and has lead 73 research teams. She finds being involved in research and education very rewarding and has recently been co-author on 17 publications. Besides helping her Dad, Dougal, run the reserve Lynne co-ordinates all the student and Earthwatch groups. Lynne has a passionate desire to save the rhino's in South Africa and is involved with the Rhino Protection Unit. She also has a menagerie of orphaned animals that she is rehabilitating at her house. Enjoy and learn something 💚

Jim Karani is an Environmental lawyer who works with law enforcement to ensure wildlife poachers and traffickers are brought to justice. A consulting partner at Lawyers for Animal Protection in Africa (@animallawafrica ) which is a network of lawyers in Africa working to elevate legal protections for Africa's iconic wildlife and domestic species. I hope you enjoy and learn something 👍🏾💚

Toby has vast research and field experience ranging from small mammals to large mammals. He started out as a volunteer intern (for over 4 years) at National Museums of Kenya, Mammalogy Department, before proceeding to Mpala Research Centre as Research Project Field Manager and as a graduate student. As the Ewaso Lions Research Manager, Toby takes the lead role in all monitoring activities and research programme management in order to provide data to support our mission. Toby holds a BSc. in Wildlife Management and Conservation from University of Nairobi, and a Master of Science in Wildlife Management from Karatina University. Toby has applied his skills and over the past years to implement research design, conduct field activities, write research proposals, and author publications in peer reviewed journals. Under the Ewaso Lions Biodiversity and infrastructure programme, Toby has been instrumental in collating data for the A2 Highway cutting across our study area for a consortium of partners monitoring wildlife-vehicle collisions and wildlife-road interactions and participating in consultative discussions on the Linear infrastructure development in Kenya. Enjoy💚

Anna Ashdown is a conservationist and she holds a Bachelors of Science in Wildlife Conservation and Management. Anna has travelled to South Africa every year since she was 17 to volunteer on a wildlife reserve and help them protect their wildlife. Unfortunately She’s not working in a conservation job at the moment as it’s been hard/impossible to work on projects and research expeditions during the pandemic, but she is constantly raising money for and raising awareness of rhino conservation through her Instagram page. Rhino conservation means a lot to her and has a special place in her heart. She has always been a great lover of wildlife and the natural world. Enjoy💚

I welcome all of you to our new segment dubbed , monthly travel banter with Dibblex (myself) and Felix. It’s a segment where we will be sharing current trends and issues in the travel and tourism industry. Reach out and DM us too on what topics and questions you would want us to cover. A new episode on this will be going up each and every month throughout the calendar year. Listen in to this teaser episode we did and leave a review. And also, Subscribe! Subscribe! Subscribe! Let’s do this guys! Much love,stay safe and smile😃💚

Jonathan odongo assists with the implementation of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy’s conservation education program. He holds a degree in Environmental education from Kenyatta University. His interest in the natural world and its preservation has led him to thought leadership platforms such as global environmental educators forum (USA), African regional center for expertise conference(Nairobi), United Nations framework convention on climate change (Morocco),International zoo educators conference in the United Arab Emirates among others. Lewa’s conservation education program hosts over 5,000 students from all corners of Kenya and reaches out to thousands more in the Northern part of the country. Jonathan’s goal in life is to inspire lifelong stewardship of the environment. Enjoy💚

Nina joined IRF in May of 2020 as its Executive Director. She has been a wildlife conservation professional for more than 30 years. She previously held positions as vice president of philanthropy and vice president of field conservation at Defenders of Wildlife, and was executive director at Bat Conservation International. Nina has visited all 50 U.S. states and more countries than her age, though she keeps that number a secret. She loves both remote nature travel as well as urban destinations. Despite hating the cold, she has often found herself at the top of big mountains, including Mt. Kenya and the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia. Nina feels very fortunate to travel annually to northern Kenya, where she loves the wildlife, landscapes and people. Enjoy this episode 💚