For The Wild

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, Indigenous feminisms, social & environmental justice, and decolonization. Dr. Risling Baldy is Hupa, Yurok, and Karuk and an enrolled member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe in Northern California. In 2007, she co-founded the Native Women's Collective, a nonprofit organization that supports the continued revitalization of Native American arts and culture. Music by Aisha Badru, Holy River, and Theresa Andersson. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.Support the show

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 website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points. Support the show

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 the full episode description, references, and action points.Support the show

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, a world-renowned environmental thinker and activist, dives into the urgent need for reclaiming our intellectual freedom in a digital age dominated by corporate interests. She critiques the encroachment of companies like Monsanto on traditional farming practices and advocates for self-governance, or Swaraj, as a means to resist corporate control. Shiva emphasizes the vital connection with nature and the importance of unity in combating ecological degradation. Her insights inspire a call to action for a sustainable, sovereign future.

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