green beef, stressed mangroves, happy estuaries

Remember the guy who rode his horse across the harbour bridge a few weeks back? It was great to have an intrepid  farmer like Glenn Morris on the show this week – smart, learned, progressive, committed and all round top bloke, Glenn explained why he is committed to improving the biodiversity of the land on his organic beef farm, Figtrees Organic Farms.

He also reassured us his horse coped well with the traffic and has recovered from all the excitement and media attention the pair generated when they protested the Baird government’s attempts to water down the current tree protection laws with its Biodiversity Review. We also had a chat to Professor Damien Burrows from James Cook University about the massive mangrove die off in the Gulf of Carpenteria which has rung the climate change alarm bells all over the world. He told us these badly underrated aquatic vegetables filter sediment, prevent erosion, create spawning grounds for fish and hiding places for dugongs and turtles. Carol Martin also came on the show to tell us about a survey she’s running for Newcastle University about the cultural benefits of estuaries, in particular the Lake Macquarie system just North of Sydney. I spent my childhood yabbie pumping, prawning, picnicing and fishing with my grandfather in this area – we often forget cultural systems services such as these are offered free by the planet, along with oxygen, sunshine, and happiness! Riley Lavelle Long reviewed both the new Tarzan movie (apparently Alexander Skarsgard is a worthy successor to Johnny Weismuller) and Embrace Of the Serpent – a unique piece of cinema you shouldn’t miss if you’d like a break from silly, sugary, mainstream fare. You can listen online or catchup with us again next Monday!