Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! Ever wondered what a platypus eats, how to remember native plant names, or what it takes to bring a river back to life? Today, Siwan sits down with Jed Pearson from the Rivers of Carbon team to answer some of these questions. Jed has journeyed from Armidale to the ACT and his dedication …

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! In 2019, the Upper Murrumbidgee River at Tharwa ran dry. Under a burning, smoky sky, flow stopped entirely, and the riverbed was visible except for a few algae-choked pools. This came as a shock for local residents who rely on the river for their water supply, and inspired Andy Lowes to …

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! In today's conversation, Siwan sits down with Callum Edwards from the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and Jayden Woolley of the Wadawarrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation to discuss the significance and effectiveness of mentoring, why it matters, and why it…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! Siwan talks with Henry Cooper, Project Officer for Land and Catchment Health at the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, and Matt Bowler, Manager of Project Delivery at the West Gippsland CMA about their experience as mentee and mentor, respectively, in the Waterway Management Eme…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! On a crisp Friday morning by the banks of the Cotter river in January 2024, Siwan sat down with Senator David Pocock, the ACT's first independent senator and environmental advocate, to discuss what drives him and what he cares about; his journey towards and inside the world of politics a…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! In today's episode, Siwan sits down with Australia's Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH), Dr. Simon Banks, to talk about his love of nature, his experience delivering eWater, and what it's like to be the CEWH. This conversation covers Dr. Banks' journey so far, some elements o…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! Siwan speaks with Dr. Wayne Koster of the Arthur Rylah Institute, at the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, to talk native fish recovery and research. Wayne leads research projects on native fish ecology and conservation across Victoria and more broadly in south-easter…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! In today's episode, Siwan talks with Richard Swain, a Dabee man of the Wiradjuri nation and a river adventure guide (Alpine River Adventures) in the Snowy Mountains, in Kozciuszko National Park. Richard grew up learning the history of the Australian landscape from his father, and his gra…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! Regenerative Agriculture is revolutionising Australia's agriculture industry, and for good reason. Today, The Australian River Restoration's Managing Director Siwan Lovett sits down with Australia's foremost Regenerative Agriculture pioneer, Dr. Charles Massy, to discuss his life’s work,…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! Sitting on the banks of the Wollondilly River, only two kilometres downstream of its headwaters, Siwan chats with Felicity Wheelwright. Felicity is a fifth-generation regenerative farmer in the Crookwell region and a fourth-generation farmer on Roslyn Estate, and one of our Rivers of Car…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! As we have more conversations with Aboriginal people, we find that when we acknowledge Country it means so much more. There is an upswelling of emotion as the stories that are generously shared with us gives us insight into what it might be like being an Aboriginal Australian. This podca…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! Siwan and Andy sit down with Associate Professor Angus Webb to chat about the recent floods in the Goulburn River system in Victoria and what they mean for the ecology of the system. Angus works for the Environmental Hydrology and Water Resources Division of the University of Melbourne, …

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! In this episode, Siwan chats with Professor Fiona Dyer about why science and people matter when it comes to rivers and their management. Fiona is a freshwater scientist at the University of Canberra, where she has a broad range of expertise and interests, including vegetation ecology, wa…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! In this episode, Siwan chats with Richie Allan about reconciliation and the importance of listening to Indigenous perspectives, particularly when it comes to our rivers. Richie comes from the Kamilaroi and Ngunnawal nations and is co-Director of the Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporat…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! In this episode, Siwan chats with Andrew McGovern, an avid angler and one of Australia’s most recognised fishing journalist. Andrew has been fishing in the Canberra and Snowy Mountains regions for over 40 years and has a special connection to the Murrumbidgee River, where he grew up. Siw…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! In this episode, Siwan chats with freshwater and wildlife ecologist Dr Skye Wassens and Professor of Design Mitchell Whitelaw. Skye and Mitchell share their recent work on The Sound of Water project, which visualises the different sounds of the Nap Nap swamp wetlands as it receives envir…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! In this episode, facilitator and coach Belinda Chapman shares with us the importance for people working in river management to bring their ‘whole person’ to work. We look at ways this can be done and what it means to use our head, heart and gut brains in the workplace. Belinda's company,…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! This podcast episode continues the discussion on the proposal to raise the Warragamba Dam wall in Western Sydney by up to 17 metres. We talk with special guest Kazan Brown, a Gundungurra elder from the region, who is incredibly concerned that if the proposal goes ahead it will endanger 5…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! In this episode, I speak with the Honourable Bob Debus, former Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment, Minister for the Arts for the Blue Mountains electorate and Chairperson for the Colong Foundation For Wilderness. We dive into a discussion about the proposal to raise the Warra…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! My guest for this episode is Andy Lowes, author of the Letter from the Murrumbidgee River to Canberrans. Andy is Canberra born and bred, growing up swimming, fishing and walking by the Murrumbidgee. His lifelong interest in rivers has also seen him work at the Commonwealth level on the m…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! In this episode, Siwan is joined by author Rod Taylor to discuss Rod’s new book ‘Ten Journeys on a Fragile Planet’. Rod’s book follows the stories of ten inspiring Australians who are confronting our changing climate in unique ways. Rod broadcasts a weekly science show and appears on ABC…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! In this episode, we have a Conversation over a Cuppa with Associate Professor Lorrae van Kerkhoff about why thinking about the future is hard, and the importance of institutional environments that allow for uncertain futures. Lorrae is the Director of the Institute for Water Futures and …

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! In this episode, Siwan and Professor Jamie Pittock discuss whether raising dam walls is an effective management strategy to address our changing climate. They discuss the current proposal to raise the Warragamba Dam wall in outer Sydney, and whether the stated aims of it being to address…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! In this episode, Siwan talks with Professor Mark Howden about how we can retain hope in the face of a changing climate. Mark is the Director of the Climate Change Institute at the Australian National University, as well as being the Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Ch…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! ‘Their Stories’ is a mini-series of conversations, exploring the complex and messy ways in which humanity interacts with ecology. In this episode, Siwan talks to Professor Ross Thompson, Director and Chair of Water Science in the Institute for Applied Ecology at the University of Canberr…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! In this episode, I have a conversation with Dr. Simon Mould, on what makes a river champion and why we need to support those people who are working for better water and river management. The ‘champion’ concept usefully highlights the importance of critical leaders in environmental manage…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! Paul Ryan – founding director of the Australian Resilience Centre, and a global leader in resilience, adaptation and transformation practice – joins us today for a ‘Conversation over a Cuppa’ as we look into the idea of ‘bouncing forward’. The term stems from the notion that the popular …

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! Suzy and I reflect on the tough few months we’ve had in Australia, which has caused people to be in a heightened state of anxiety and fear for longer periods of time than we are used to. This episode talks about a resource called ‘Take Care to Give Care’ – a Guide that Two Green Threads …

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! Over the past few months we have seen the devastation bushfires have caused across many of our beautiful forests – photographs of dead and injured koalas, kangaroos and echidnas have been upsetting, galvanising people to knit booties, put out water and fund food drops for wildlife. But w…

Questions, comments, feedback? Tap here to send us a message! The first episode of our new podcast ‘Conversation Over A Cuppa’ focuses on the impact of the recent devastating Australian bushfires - the loss of people's homes, death and injury to wildlife, and vast tracts of burnt bushland. Siwan talks about how it has affected her personally, leadi…