Forces for Nature

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This season of Forces for Nature featured alumni from the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders community. Across very different ecosystems and roles, the same patterns kept showing up. I pull those threads together into a handful of practical lessons you can apply whether you work in conservation professionally or you just care deeply and want to be useful in whatever you’re passionate about.
Highlights
Lesson 1: Listen first. Trust is needed before solutions.
Lesson 2: Durability comes from local ownership.
Lesson 3: Small wins are not small.
Lesson 4: Storytelling is not fluff. 
Lesson 5: Coexistence is engineered in the details.
Lesson 6: The “unsexy” stuff matters.
Lesson 7: Civic participation is also a conservation tool.

What YOU Can Do
Listen: Have one conversation with someone who is directly affected by a local issue — and do not lead with your solution.
Join something local. A watershed group, park friends group, community garden, citizen science effort—show up once.
Support: Give money to the backbone — operations, salaries, field costs — or volunteer a concrete skill you actually have.
Share a story: Share one episode and add one sentence about what action it made feel possible.
Show up civically: Bentley reminded us that public comments, specific asks, and local relationships matter. Choose one thing and do the small step.
Resources
Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders  
Ep. 97 with Hugo Pereira 
Ep. 98 with Kaitlyn Bock 
Ep. 99 with David Tucker 
Ep. 100 with Gaby Ochoa 
Ep. 101 with Kate Gersh  
Ep. 102 with Alex Goetz & Justin Grubb 
Ep. 103 with Bentley Johnson 
Ep. 104 with Ali Abdullahi 
Ep. 105 with Shivani Bhalla 
Ep. 106 with Jamal Galves 
Ep. 107 with Rhett Ayers Butler 
If you'd like to sponsor next season (or even just an episode) reach out to me and let's chat! My email is [email protected].

Want a free guide to help you become a force for nature? Get it HERE!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.
Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit can be a game-changer because imagine if a billion people also adopted that!
What difference for the world are you going to make today?

Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show!
For this special live conversation, Crystal sat down on stage with Rhett Ayers Butler, founder and CEO of Mongabay, one of the most trusted sources of environmental journalism in the world.
Together, they explored the current state of conservation- from resilience and adaptation to the role of journalism, storytelling, technology, and informed optimism. The conversation also opened up to the audience, inviting questions from conservation practitioners working across ecosystems, regions, and disciplines.
This episode was recorded live at the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders (EWCL) 20th Anniversary Summit, a gathering that brought together conservation leaders and practitioners from around the world to celebrate two decades of community, collaboration, and impact.
What emerged was an honest, nuanced dialogue about where conservation stands today, what is changing, what is working, and how we continue moving forward- together.
Highlights
 What are the characteristics of conservation initiatives that are scalable or replicable across the geographies? 
How is Mongabay adapting to the challenges of distrust in science and disinformation campaigns?
How is Mongabay using optimism as a strategy?
WhatYou Can Do
Pay attention to the stories you share. Seek out and amplify conservation stories that highlight solutions, learning, and community leadership, not just problems.
Build constituencies, not just projects. Think about who needs to be at the table for conservation efforts to succeed, especially local and Indigenous communities.
Practice informed optimism. Look for evidence of what is working, acknowledge setbacks honestly, and use both to guide action.
Support independent environmental journalism. Reliable, transparent reporting plays a critical role in accountability, awareness, and change.
Stay connected to nature and to one another. As Rhett reminds us, getting outside and nurturing community are essential for sustaining long-term conservation work.
Resources
Mongabay 
Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders (EWCL)
How to Find Optimism article
Rethinking How We Talk about Conservation and Why It Matters article
Health and Harmony (Project ASRI)
If you'd like to sponsor next season (or even just an episode) reach out to me and let's chat! My email is [email protected].

Want a free guide to help you become a force for nature? Get it HERE!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.
Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit can be a game-changer because imagine if a billion people also adopted that!
What difference for the world are you going to make today?

Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show!
This is another episode of the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders program series! 
Affectionately known as the Manatee Man, Jamal Galves discovered his calling earlier than most. Growing up in the coastal village of Gales Point Manatee, he saw these gentle animals almost every day, never realizing they were endangered until a team of researchers arrived and opened his eyes to their struggle. At just eleven years old, he stepped onto a manatee research boat for the first time and that moment reshaped the entire trajectory of his life.
Today, Jamal leads the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute’s Belize Program, home to the longest-running manatee conservation effort in the Greater Caribbean. His work blends rigorous science with the wisdom and partnership of local communities, creating a model of conservation that is as people-centered as it is wildlife-focused.
This episode explores the heart and science behind his work from marine mammal rescue, to the shifting health of manatee populations, how he gets buy-in of his conservation efforts, and more. 
Highlights
How did an 11-year-old kid with no shoes talked his way onto a manatee research boat?
How a two-day old manatee rescued after a hurricane inspired a whole nation.
A first look at Belize’s new Marine Rescue & Education Center, built to heal manatees and inspire people toward action.
What YOU Can Do
Be mindful on the water. When boating or visiting coastal areas, follow no-wake zones, avoid seagrass beds, and stay alert for wildlife.
Start young - or start now. There is no age or skill requirement to make a difference. All you need is your desire to help.
Volunteer for cleanups, youth programs, or community events.
Share stories that inspire action. Spreading positive conservation messages helps reach people who may never encounter them otherwise.
Practice sustainable habits at home. Small changes in waste, water use, or energy matter when many people do them.
Resources
Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute – Belize Program
Manatee Conservation Information (Greater Caribbean / Antillean Manatee)
Jamal’s Instagram
Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders (EWCL)
Clearwater Marine Aquarium – Belize Marine Rescue & Education Center Announcement

Want a free guide to help you become a force for nature? Get it HERE!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.
Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit can be a game-changer because imagine if a billion people also adopted that!
What difference for the world are you going to make today?

Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show!
When you imagine lions, you probably picture big prides sprawled across open savannas.
But in northern Kenya’s Samburu landscape, lions live a very different life, often alone, slipping quietly through a patchwork of people, livestock, and shrinking wild spaces. It is a hard place to be a lion… and an even harder place to protect them.
For nearly two decades, Shivani Bhalla, founder of Ewaso Lions, has been working alongside Samburu communities to understand and safeguard this uniquely challenging population of lions. What started as her desire to learn why lions were disappearing has grown into a powerful example of coexistence - one where warriors, women, and even young herders play a central role.
In this episode, we talk about the realities of living with lions, the deep cultural knowledge that makes conservation possible, the heartbreaks and wins that shape Shivani’s days, and the unexpected visitor who reminded us - mid-conversation - what coexistence looks like in real time.
Highlights
Why do Samburu’s lions live so differently from the ones we see in documentaries?
What made young warriors shift from hunting lions to protecting them?
How did a group of local women convince Shivani that they could restore habitat better than anyone else?
Who was Nana, the lioness whose story continues to shape an entire landscape?
What YOU Can Do
Spend time in nature. Reconnecting with the natural world, even in small, everyday ways, builds empathy and a desire to protect it.
Help others access nature. Support programs that give children and communities the chance to experience wildlife positively.
Speak up for local green spaces and wildlife. Your voice can influence how your community values and protects nature.
Support community-led conservation. Funding essentials like salaries, fuel, medical care, emergency response, and habitat work helps organizations like Ewaso Lions stay effective.
Champion efforts grounded in local leadership. Programs created by the community, like Warrior Watch and Mama Simbas, are the ones with real staying power.
Resources
Ewaso Lions 
Instagram 
YouTube 
Facebook  

Want a free guide to help you become a force for nature? Get it HERE!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.
Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit can be a game-changer because imagine if a billion people also adopted that!
What difference for the world are you going to make today?

Send Crystal a text letting her know what you thought about the show!
Most people have heard about elephants and rhinos being in trouble. But few realize that giraffes are quietly disappearing too. And also the hirola, a graceful antelope found only along the Kenya–Somalia border, is down to fewer than 500 left on Earth.
In this episode, Dr. Abdullahi Ali shares how his journey from a nomadic childhood to a Ph.D. in ecology led him to found the Hirola Conservation Program and the Somali Giraffe Project - two community-led efforts rewriting what coexistence looks like.
Ali’s story is as much about people as it is about wildlife. From restoring grasslands once maintained by elephants before they were poached to helping farmers swap mango trees for lime trees to prevent conflict with giraffes, his work shows that when conservation is rooted in local knowledge, everyone thrives.
Highlights
How Dr. Ali’s childhood herding goats (and occasionally getting lost doing it!) shaped his lifelong connection to nature.
How climate change is creating “climate refugees” - not just people, but also animals.
The power of community-led solutions: from adult literacy classes to wildlife-friendly livelihoods.
What You Can Do
Partner with the Hirola Conservation Program and the Somali Giraffe Project.
Share what’s going on with giraffes and hirolas. It might be a surprise to most.
Look for ways to design coexistence where you live - in your garden, your community, or your workplace.
Remember that conservation works best when it’s collaborative between species, between people, and across borders.
Resources
Facebook    
X  
YouTube
 
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate and review it on your favorite podcasting app! This helps to boost its visibility.
Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit can be a game-changer because imagine if a billion people also adopted that!
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What difference for the world are you going to make today?

Want a free guide to help you become a force for nature? Get it HERE!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.
Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit can be a game-changer because imagine if a billion people also adopted that!
What difference for the world are you going to make today?