Andrea Pawel | Oana Namibia

12/09/19 • 27 min

Oana wildlife reserve in the deep south of Namibia is 45,000 hectares of breath-taking mountainous semi-desert. Home to a previously unknown population of leopards, the reserve encompasses 50km of the lush Orange River, which is a wildlife refuge amid the extensive hues of orange and red rocky and sandy plains.

For the past three and a half years, Andrea Pawel and her partner Ed have been working to establish Oana Namibia, which is an enterprise seeking to restore this ex-hunting farmland through a series of wildlife conservation initiatives. They offer a mix of conservation expeditions, community development, adventure endeavours and ultimate relaxation programmes for anyone seeking a wildlife refuge.

During this podcast we talk with Andrea about Oana Namibia and how she came to be starting such an exciting and innovative project in a forgotten area of Africa, we discuss how people can get involved and her career journey from PR in London to African conservation, and hear her advice for others who may dream of following in her dusty footsteps. So if you love African wildlife and want to escape the rat race for a while, you’ll love this episode. Enjoy.

Previous Episode

Suzanne Smith | Amazon River Dolphin Conservation Foundation

When you think about the Amazon basin and the vast area of dense jungle and vegetation, do you think about seeing dolphins? Me neither.

Today we’re talking to Suzanne Smith, the Executive Director and Founder of the Amazon River Dolphin Conservation Foundation. This is a charity set up in 2014 to conserve the species through research, education and collaboration efforts.

Suzanne has worked with marine mammals for over 30 years and in this podcast we explore her career journey to establishing the charity. We also discuss her passion for this remarkable and unique species, and her work with local communities in the Brazilian Amazon basin to study and conserve the dolphin.

Now when many fires in the Amazon are still currently burning, long forgotten by international press and media, it’s a timely reminder about how diverse and important this area of the planet is for our wildlife.

Next Episode

Dr Nick Askew | Conservation Careers

Today we’re turning the tables slightly and talking about, well us; Conservation Careers. We thought it would be a good end to the year and to the decade to look back at the journey of Conservation Careers over the past six years and also to look forwards to where we might be going next.

Leading the discussion is our Head of Engagement Kristi Foster and we’re exploring things like how to get a conservation job and how to start your own eco-enterprise. We also discuss the importance of finding your target job in order to secure a role which makes you happy, content and impactful and also talk about things like resolutions, reflecting on what you’ve done so far and where you want to go next.

So grab a minced pie and some mulled wine and enjoy this Christmas cracker of an episode. Sorry! Over to you Kristi.