4. Protecting the Peruvian Amazon with Chris Ketola (Fauna Forever)

In this episode of Protect The World, I speak with Chris Ketola – Field Research Coordinator at Fauna Forever.

Fauna Forever is a not-for-profit organisation based in the Madre de Dios region of southeast Peru, dedicated to understanding, monitoring and protecting the tropical ecosystems of the Peruvian Amazon, while also promoting sustainable, regenerative livelihoods in the region.

During the conversation, Chris and I discuss the wide variety of threats facing this particular pocket of the Amazon, the role of long-term monitoring in conservation, and the extreme nature of working in the environmental not-for-profit sector in the tropics. I was particularly grateful for Chris' honesty and openness as he discussed some of the more challenging periods in his life, and for his willingness to really dive into the nuance and complexity of conservation in the Global South.

Apologies that this episode is a little late – it's been a busy couple of weeks. But the positive side is that this is the first episode of Protect The World that I've been able to record in person, which was a real delight.

As always, half the money that came into the Patreon this month was donated directly to Fauna Forever. This money will go towards new infrastructure and equipment for conservation projects in Peru, as well as general day-to-day supplies for Fauna Forever's team.

You can donate to Fauna Forever directly at faunaforever.org/donate, and if you'd like to help me give more money to more amazing NGOs in future, please consider signing up to the Patreon for as little as $5 a month via the following link: patreon.com/brodiehopkinsmedia

You can also follow the rest of my work at @brodiehopkinsmedia on Instagram.

A huge thank you to everyone who supports this podcast, and to Chris Ketola for joining me on this episode. If you enjoyed it, please be sure to leave a review and share it with your friends and family. Thanks for listening!

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A list of stuff mentioned in this episode:

Fauna Forever

Wilderness International

ACCA

Junglekeepers

Cocha Cashu

Sunbird Hill

Less is More (Jason Hickel)

Doughnut Economics (Kate Raworth)

Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature