Thirty years’ experience in the field of Wildlife Rescue, Rehabilitation and Education
Guest: Patricia LeeHong - expert and dedicated practitioner in Wildlife Rescue, Rehabilitation and Education Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Queensland and PhD Candidate in the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences at the University of Queensland: Gatton Campus.
Introduction to this episode:
The crucially important environment protection roles served by wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and education practitioners have only increased in recent years in Queensland in Australia, nationally, and in many other parts of the world. Almost everywhere around the planet the ever diminishing remnants of the natural world ( habitat) and the wildlife species they contain (biodiversity) remain under constant further threat from impacts such as poorly planned urban and agricultural expansion. These trends have led to what has been termed by scientists the 6th species extinction crisis - and unlike the previous 5 extinction crises - this one is being driven solely by human impacts.
In the south east corner of Queensland the continuing trends of habitat and wildlife destruction are sadly all too evident and are well known to my guest in this episode of the podcast series, Trish LeeHong. Over many years Trish has worked at a variety of roles in wildlife protection, most recently from within the wildlife rehabilitation centre she has created near the town of Toowoomba. Amongst many species of animal brought to the centre for rehabilitation from injury or even starvation, Trish is devoting particular time to koala rehabilitation and building an in house facility to help improve the professional care for koala and other wildlife in this region.
Trish’s recent receipt of the Australian Wildlife Society Serventy Conservation Award 2022 is only one of several official forms of recognition of her valuable contribution to wildlife conservation.
INTERVIEW TALKING POINTS - with approximate time elapsed in mins.
- Guest foreshadow comment - 0.00
- Generic podcast series introduction. – 0.30
- Current episode and guest introduction. – 2.16
- Guest comments: how did your passion for the environment start? – 4.21
(story of juvenile wallaby care)
- Who inspired or mentored you in your work? – 12.30
(story of early 1990s Japanese research on climate change impacts)
- How did you get involved with environmental conservation to begin with? – 22.15
- When did you first realise the impact of your work on restoring the environment? – 28.30
- What are the environmental achievements you are particularly proud of and why? – 42.28
- What are some of the challenges you have faced and how did you respond ? – 51.21
- How has your work influenced your wellbeing - work philosophy?
- Are you working on any current, exciting projects? – 1.03.28
- Advice for some next steps in environmental protection. – 1.11.00
- Thanks to guest, acknowledgements and episode close. – 1.12:30
- End of episode – 1.14.18
IDEAS MENTIONED AND RESOURCES RELEVANT TO THE DISCUSSION
TRISH LEEHONG – some information relevant to her organisation and work
Wildlife Rescue Rehabilitation & Education Association Inc. (Facebook page) and Website (2023).
The Serventy Conservation award - history of the award in Australia and an article about Trish LeeHong's specific 2022 award (2023).
ABC TV Australia video clip reports relevant to Trish’s work on Koala rehabilitation in 2020 and another native species in 2010
A recent (2023) promotional video about Trish’s work made by Griffith University Queensland social marketing studies students
OTHER LINKS
ABC TV (Australia) documentary on Platypus conservation in Hobart, Tasmania; The Platypus Guardian – first broadcast in Australia in mid-June 2023.Link to streaming media broadcast of the programme in Australia. And an example of local public response in Hobart (2023)
Anthropocentric and ecocentric approaches towards the environment explanation – an interesting Indian article viewing these terms through an environmental law framing (2020)
Australian example of response to nature loss issues at the Federal level (2022)
Australia-Japan Wildlife Conservation and Education Foundation – a Japanese originated conservation partnership organisation which operates a tour group program. That program sends students from various Japanese schools and universities to study wildlife conservation here. For instance, Trish will have an exchange student staying for 2 months internship with her at the end of the 2023.
Biodiversity (nature) loss and nature positive conservation strategies - explanation of these terms (2023)
Biodiversity Conference - the UN COP 15 meeting held in Montreal, Canada in December 2022 - with information on some of the international reduction and reversal of nature loss (biodiversity) targets agreed, including the so-called 30 X 30 target (2023)
Human excessive consumption and waste as key drivers of planetary environmental problems, damage and decline. A recent UN article linking this problem to Sustainable Development Goal solution targets.(2022)
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) - a long established global non-profit organisation helping animals and people thrive together (2023).
GUEST AND CONTACT DETAILS:
Guest: Trish LeeHong
Email: WEB Tel: see details for her Wildlife Rescue Rehabilitation & Education Association Inc. above
Householders’ Options to Protect the Environment (HOPE):
Tel: 07 4639 2135 Email: WEB Facebook
Production:
Produced for HOPE by Andrew Nicholson. This episode recorded in Toowoomba, S.E. Queensland, Australia on 14th June 2023
Key interview questions developed by: Anna Kula Incidental Music: James Nicholson
Indigenous artwork: courtesy of Queensland Depart of Justice and Attorney General, Queensland Women's Strategy (2023)
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