Earth to Humans Podcast - Diving for Rays - a queer conservationist's story.
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I LOVED making this podcast episode. This film caught my eye one night when I was browsing through WaterBear Network - Diving for Rays is a wildlife documentary about the lack of LGBTQIA+ visibility with the conservation space, and how that can compromise the dreams of those hoping to get into the sector. Our planet needs all of us, so missing anyone out of the conservation movement because of who they love, or them not conforming with enforced societal genders, is yet another environmental catastrophe. I, for one, don't want to be part of a movement that excludes anyone. If you want to be a better ally, no matter what industry you work in, this is a conversation for you!
Read more about the episode and listen here.
I started my conservation career as a researcher/author for the Arkive online natural world encyclopedia, before managing the Wildscreen Exchange project which gives 350+ organisations across the world access to free photographs and videos for their communications. From working on this project, I developed a keen interest in conservation communications and began researching impact and technique.
I also ran the public section of the Wildscreen Festival, Witness the Wild, which is an event programme that includes a travelling bicycle-powered wildlife film cinema, the world's largest recycled and recyclable photography exhibition, and a nature-themed street art gallery. Since then, I have been running my own conservation communications business, Song and Dance Communications, but split my time 50/50 between this and field work, which mostly centres around ecosystem restoration and short-term contracts in the ecotourism industry. I also produce a seldom updated blog, which I hope to spend more time on at some point in the not-too-distant future!
