For The Wild

Emboldened by the rapid development of technology, a cultural ethos of rugged individualism, globalization, and the monopolization of our media, the era of efficiency in the so-called Global North has significantly altered our communal symbiosis. For many, acts of service that would have once been fulfilled by neighbors and community have now been replaced by apps and gig workers, ultimately commodifying most of our social relations in one form or another. This week on the podcast, we are joined by guest Vijay Prashad to explore how societies take care of themselves, what true public action looks like in crisis, and how movements across the world have resisted the privatization of life and the devaluation of care that we have become accustomed to. Vijay Prashad is the Director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, Chief Editor at LeftWord Books and Chief Correspondent for Globetrotter. His most recent book is Washington Bullets, just out from Monthly Review Press with a preface by Evo Morales Ayma

In the United States, land ownership is dishonorable no matter how you frame it. For example, 60% of land in the U.S. is owned privately and 30% is owned by the federal government, comparatively tribal nations own about 2.5% of their land. Meanwhile, the Gates family recently became the largest owners of American farmland, owning a total of 260,000 acres of land across 19 states, with 242,000 acres being characterized as “farmland.” In today’s episode, we are joined by guest Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy to explore what land ownership means across the United States, how to begin seeding the concept of land return in mainstream consciousness, and the grave injustices we perpetuate when we continue to draw upon Traditional Ecological Knowledge for climate mitigation and adaptation without working towards land rematration simultaneously. Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy is an Associate Professor and Department Chair of Native American Studies at Humboldt State University. Her research focuses on California Indians, Indigenou

Currently, less than 15% of terrestrial land exists in some form of protected area, the percentage of marine protected areas is significantly lower. It’s undeniable that protecting some of the last vestiges of wild places from industrial decimation is a critical and worthy cause. However, large-scale land conservation projects have also historically displaced many populations and distressed communities that have relied upon pasture and forest for their livelihoods because of previous colonial impositions. In this episode, we explore the complex world of large-scale land conservation and wildlife restoration through the work of Tompkins Conservation with guest Tom Butler. A writer and conservation activist, Tom Butler is author, volume editor, or co-editor of more than a dozen books including Wildlands Philanthropy, Plundering Appalachia, and Overdevelopment, Overpopulation, Overshoot, and ENERGY: Overdevelopment and the Delusion of Endless Growth. Music by Jeffrey Silverstein and Galen Hefferman. Visit our we

Cumberland Island is one of Georgia’s most biologically diverse barrier islands, with its maritime forests, coastal beaches, and salt marshes providing a habitat for many endangered kin, in addition to being a resting point along the transatlantic migratory flyway. This wild place has been fervently loved and protected over the past couple of decades by biologist, naturalist, environmental activist, and full-time resident of the island, Carol Ruckdeschel. This week on the program we speak to Carol about the importance of places like Cumberland Island, some of the most pressing threats Cumberland currently faces, and the dangerous precedent that will be set if we continue to allow private-interest to chip away and fragment the very little bit of wilderness that is currently protected. Music by Eliza Edens, Kesia Nagata, Lauren Alegre, and I Goodfriend. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.Support the show

After the 15th century, only five countries in the world had not been colonized by European empires in some form or another. Today we see how the policies, strategies, and technologies intended to “address” climate change will ultimately echo colonial pursuits under the guise of sustainable development and carbon offsets. This week, we explore climate colonialism, reparations, carbon removal, and a real “just transition” with guest Olufemi O. Taiwo. Our conversation doesn’t provide easy answers or solutions but rather reminds us that while climate colonialism is unfurling before us, there is a myriad of tangible ways countries and movements across the so-called global North could begin making reparations. Olufemi O. Taiwo is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University. He studies and teaches social and political philosophy, with an emphasis on the Black radical tradition and anti-colonial thought. Music by 40 Million Feet, Ulali, and Rajna Swaminathan. Visit our website at forthewild.world for

Called "the queen of canopy research," Nalini Nadkarni explores the rich, vital world found in the tops of trees. Dr. Nadkarni has spent two decades climbing the trees of Costa Rica, Papua New Guinea, the Amazon and the Pacific Northwest, exploring the world of animals and plants that live in the canopy and never come down; and how this upper layer of the forest interacts with the world on the ground. In this episode of For The Wild, initially aired in December of 2017, we journey into the canopies with Nalini to learn about the spectacular biota of the canopy. Music by Emma Tricca, Bert Jansch, and Michael Ching. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references and action points.Support the show

How do we navigate the settler desire to own land? How can our understanding of the commons invite us into collective commitment to caring for the land & staving of speculative land privatization? In response to these questions, Severine shares the messiness & opportunity of living amongst the prosperity of extraction in the spaces we inhabit while dedicating ourselves to a land-based livelihoodSupport the show

Camille Defrenne shares about the role of mother trees in forest regeneration, how mycorrhizal networks are faring, and the ramifications of large scale reforestation and afforestation efforts when they are not implemented thoughtfully and locally.Support the show

Dr. Vandana Shiva shares how we are being set up to become accessories to the digital world and how we can reclaim our intellectual freedom and sovereignty from the hands of digital dictatorship despite Monsanto’s targeted erasure of Traditional Ecological Knowledge. This episode is a powerful reminder that we are meant to live beautiful lives as sovereign beings, not as digital appendages.Support the show

We talk with guest Harsha Walia on why it is imperative to rid the concept of legal/illegal personhood in movements for the climate and environment.Support the show

Dr. Ramsey shares how climate change impacts the nutritional quality of pollen and how human design and development has strengthened and spread spread parasitic mites to the disadvantage of bees globally. Support the show

In this powerful conversation with land defender Sii-am Hamilton, we discuss ways forward that recognize that Indigenous communities have been practicing creative resistance against colonialism & capitalism for hundreds of years and what it means for settlers to ally with Indigenous sovereignty, exploring youth leadership, the media’s role, the necessity of abolishing colonial government and more.Support the show

Corrina Gould reminds us that Ohlone territory still holds tremendous abundance and that the land can sustain us in a way that would provide for our wellbeing should we choose to really re-examine what it is we need to survive. But more than a conversation on the wealth of the land, we explore responsibility and reciprocity on stolen homelands by asking what it means to be in right relationship.Support the show

We seek counsel from Joanna Macy on finding emotional courage, building allyship, and practicing gratitude. Joanna begins by reminding us that “the whole late capitalism project would have us distrust our feelings and privatize them” instead of succumbing to denial, complacency, or isolation we can emerge from it, and move through it...Support the show

We explore the messy and difficult endeavor that is democracy, why voter suppression has become so rampant, the anti-democratic nature of debt, and more. Astra Taylor reminds us that “elections matter, but they are not synonymous with democracy”. Support the show

It’s been almost a year since the 2019 wildfires across Australia began. We recall harrowing images of burnt orange skies, vast swaths of scorched forest, and our beloved kin searching for shelter amidst one of the most intense wildfires. It’s estimated that nearly 30 million acres caught fire, over 20% of Australia’s forests were burnt, and around one billion animals perished...Support the show

Dr. Natasha Myers cultivates a body of thought and practice that prioritizes the intertwined relationship between plants and people, aptly referred to as the Planthroposcene. She leads us to a world where magic happens as we discuss finding non-human guides, the responsibility we have to make room for plants, anthropomorphism, restoration ecology, and reconfiguring our relationship to the future.Support the show

Dr. Caldicott, discusses the environmental and health impacts of the nuclear fuel cycle We explore the health ramifications of nuclear power reactors and the “industrial vandalism” that occurs at these sites and through the transportation and storage of their waste. We also explore nuclear proliferation and global politics. Support the show

Dr. Francis shares his journey including his vow of silence that lasted 17 years, and the profound impact that silence and slowing down can have.Support the show

Investigative reporter and producer Shannon Service, joins us to discuss the cycle of abuse within the Thai fishing trade alongside the larger systemic issues that drive such exploitation. Support the show