Conservation efforts exist at all scales, spanning distant forests to local community spaces — and the changemakers leading these movements are just as varied as the wildlife being saved or the ecosystems being preserved. From communities steeped in deep cultural knowledge to individuals at the forefront of tech and modern innovation, these are the people on the front line of conservation.
Indigenous Communities
So much of our modern understanding of ecology and conservation is inspired by — or directly influenced by — the methods of Indigenous communities around the globe. Today, some of the most impactful restoration efforts are coordinated by Indigenous leaders, students, and activists.
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Reclaiming Bear River
Over 150 years after suffering the worst massacre in U.S. history, the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation has purchased their ancestral homeland — called Wuda Ogwa, or Bear River — with a vision to return it back to nature.
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Thunder & Fire
60 million American bison once thundered across the prairies of North America. Now, tribes and conservationists are joining forces to bring the species back from the brink.
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The Beautiful Undammed
The Elwha River’s revival is encouraging advocates to push for the removal of many larger dams in the Pacific Northwest and in the rest of the world and buoying the spirits and reviving the traditions of the people of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, who led the fight for dam’s removal.
Community-Led Conservation
The restoration of biodiversity is not achieved solely through research or engineering — it requires buy-in from local communities who can bolster efforts and support long-term and sustainable change.
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Stork Sisters
In Assam, India, the greater adjutant stork, or “hargila,” was once persecuted as an ill omen and was nearly driven locally extinct. But thanks to biologist Purnima Barman, more than 10,000 local women now protect nests and spread awareness of these incredible birds.
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Rebuilding a Forest
In Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, Mauricio Ruiz has turned his love for nature into action by working with the community to reforest a critical stretch of the nation’s most endangered forest.
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Whale Shark Homecoming
Along the coast of Gujarat, India, a renowned spiritual leader is inspiring fishermen to become guardians of the world’s biggest fish: the endangered whale shark.
Innovators & Entrepreneurs
Big solutions require big ideas. In many of the most successful conservation efforts from around the globe, there are figures spearheading these movements who demonstrate the creativity and drive necessary to rally armies of support — and to reshape our relationship with wild spaces in the process.
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The Great Ocean Cleanup
Inventor Boyan Slat is on a mission to rid oceans of plastic. His team at The Ocean Cleanup designs and deploys systems that pull trash from the open ocean — now, he’s stopping the pollution at its source.
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Wild Hope: Mission Impossible
After developing the plant-based Impossible Burger, “wacky genius” Pat Brown turns to his next frontier of restoring planetary health: building a new blueprint for rewilding ranchland, starting in rural Arkansas.
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The Big Oyster
Centuries of pollution despoiled New York Harbor, turning it into a virtual dead zone. But now, the most ambitious restoration project in any city on Earth aims to bring it back to life.
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More Episodes
Young Scientists
The future of conservation looks bright in the hands of the next generation of scientists, whose creativity, optimism, and motivation are leading to exciting discoveries and inspiring meaningful change.
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Does Nature Have Rights?
Ecuador is the first country in the world to enshrine the “rights of nature” in its constitution — now this revolutionary concept is being put to the test.
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Protecting Paradise
On Panama’s remote Pearl Islands, research on endangered sea turtles is helping the country enshrine the rights of nature into law.
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Turtle Trackers
Leatherback sea turtles nesting in southeast Florida face a range of manmade threats. Researchers know little about this amazing species — and in the battle to save leatherbacks, knowledge is key.