Live & Travel Sustainably

Today is #worldmonkeyday but I’m going to be a cheeky monkey 🤪 and make this post a little FYI about primates in general*. Originally I was going to discuss how ‘a dog is for life, not just for christmas’ is now familiar to all of us, but how about a monkey for Christmas? The primate pet trade is still rife, and largely legal(!) in the U.K... but while researching this I came across a recently published paper (swipe to see) that piqued my interest. 286 of the 439 (that’s 65%!) primate species are found across only 4 countries; Brazil, ...

We love Nature. You’ve probably got that though! And as much as we LOVE sharing our sustainable tips and tricks, enabling everyone to be @conservationwise (which we really do) we’ll always prefer be OUTSIDE rather than tapping away on a screen. Yesterday morning I spent hours prepping the #conservationwise #christmas insta story, meanwhile missing an incredible pinky red orange sunrise that was coming over the Pentlands - and then the app crashed and I lost all the work anyway. It was a pretty tense few minutes debating whether or not to lob my phone through the bus window... but ...

YAHOOO! NEW BLOG ON ConservationWise.org ✨⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Third and final piece by Alex on the natural-ness of Scotland’s nature and this one focuses on the Rewilding Movement. A very exciting and thought provoking subject and a welcome distraction from the Christmas Chaos ⛄️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #sustainableliving #greenteam

Ho Ho Ho, it’s time for the Christmas tree! In the UK we buy millions of them every year, both real and fake, but what exactly is the carbon footprint of the biggest decoration you’re likely to put up over the Yule Tide period? Real trees can take up to 12 years to grow to the standard 4-7ft size and in that time they’ll do all things good for the environment, like taking in carbon and nitrogen 👍🏼 However, once Christmas is over the ‘real’ tree’s carbon footprint does a 180° & it all depends on how we ...

Choosing eco-conscious products not only saves the world but it makes you feel totally awesome too... We’ve been sharing the how’s, what’s and why’s we all need to consume more responsibly for a little while and want to take it to the next level. Make it crazy convenient for everyone to convert to eco alternatives... and so... DRUMROLL PLEASE 🥁 we want to put together some @conservationwise starter kits and packs and say ‘here’s what you should be doing, and here’s what you need to do it!’ Simple. BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP. Please follow the link in bio ...

We need your help! ConservationWise has entered the Wildlife Blogger of the Year Award. Will you vote for us? Entry #46! ✨ Rewind a few months: We had the pleasure of brainstorming some ideas with Nick Askew and Kristi Foster as they prepped to launch their new ecotourism advice platform Terra Incognita @terincogeco. If you haven’t heard of it yet and are an avid explorer or nature nerd we highly recommend looking it up. 🌎 Not all eco tourism operators are created equal and Nick and Kristi use their field experience and connections to find the real deal ...

NEW BLOG ALERT 🦌⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Alex has continued his Autumn series (yes we’re mid Winter but give us a minute will ya) and gives a ‘tell all’ about one of Scotland’s Big 5, the iconic Red deer. Did you know that not only are Red deer one of the biggest tourist draws here 🤑 but they may also be wild Scotland’s biggest enemy? Read more to find out. It’s a complicated but fascinating situation that’s for sure.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #beconservationwise #conservation ...

What. A. Week. See our stories for all the juicy goss but to sum it up - WOWZERS. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This week felt like our first launch into the universe. Presentations at media launches, panel events, photo shoots... a little out of our comfort zone to say the least! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We’re *just* conservation biologists, a passionate pair who love exploring the natural world; sharing what it has to offer and how we can safeguard it into the future. Building that love into a business is a terrifying and thrilling experience. But the world depends on us and likeminded individuals communicating that ...

Our latest ConservationWise student has recently touched down in Java! Claudia will be spending the next six months designing, developing and implementing enrichment for these adorable creatures - Asian short-claw otters! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Read Claudia's first ever blog today and hear how she prepared for the trip of a lifetime and her first impressions on arrival - link in our bio. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #studentlife #studentplacement

Isn’t this OTTERly adorable! Not even a bit sorry 🤣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Perhaps one of my worst wildlife photos (I had the wrong lens on my camera), but right up there with one of my favourite wildlife experiences. This otter was absolutely loving life along the shores of Loch Erisort on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Finding Ravenspoint Cafe on the penultimate day of our trip was an actual miracle. We'd been looking out for otters the entire week and although seen plenty of signs of their existence but had yet to spot the creatures themselves. I could ...

Bonobos, chimpanzees, Eastern gorillas, Western gorillas, Bornean orangutans, Sumatran orangutans, Tapanuli Orangutan. There are four types, seven species, thirteen subspecies of nonhuman great ape. A much more diverse group than we could ever have imagined and we’re still learning so much about them. The Tapanuli Orangutan was only discovered last year! Great apes have been in the news a fair bit lately. Both negatively when discussing the plight of orangutans and palm oil but also positively - mountain gorillas have just been reclassified from Critically Endangered to Endangered. These species are our closest relatives, let’s build on ...

Our first golden eagle. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Raptors in Scotland have made quite the name for themselves as both the heroes and the villains of the story. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ First you have historic persecution of (pretty much all) grouse and game predators which has decimated the populations of birds of prey to the point of extinction. But then the species enthusiasts and tourists in pursuit of these top of the chain species bringing in tens of millions of pounds every year. The sea eagles reintroduced to the Isle of Mull for example have established an entire industry! Humans are weird. Not to mention ...

Can we clear something up? Palm oil is not the problem! It is a super efficient crop. It is the PROCESS not the PRODUCT that is responsible for the destruction we’re all finally up in arms about. Boycotting palm oil will NOT solve the problem - it will actually make it much worse. Palm oil is up to 40x more efficient than alternative vegetable oils (soy, coconut, rapeseed etc.) so refusing to use it will only require further land conversion. Sustainable palm oil is the answer. Yes, it’s true right now the sustainable options aren’t always available ...

It's been a busy few weeks all round hasn't it!? ...A lot of milestone reports being published including the IPCC's review on the pace and safe limits of climate change and the rapid decline of global species populations from WWF. Not to mention the damning article of our beloved Sir Dave ahead of his new series 'Dynasties' (who watched last night!?) he warned against being alarmist in the fight for sustainability and conservation. Yikes. A lot to think about. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This photo shows the Callanish stone circles on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. It's older (like 5000 ...

70% of land in the UK is farmed. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ If you take a look at the landscape out of a plane window that figure isn't so surprising. Last month we went to a talk by @Chris.Packham and one of the pearls of wisdom he left us with went something like this... 'one of the best things you can do to protect the environment is get to know your local farmer.' ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Farmers are responsible for well over two thirds of UK countryside and understanding the hows and whys farmers manage the land the way they do is crucial when trying ...

At first glance it looks idyllic. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ On closer inspection the harsh edges of the tree line on the hillside, the limited fish species in the lake (nowadays pretty much just pike) and the slow return of iconic species indicate a disturbed ecosystem undergoing change... hopefully in the right direction! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Click the link in our bio to read part one of Alex's rewilding journey! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #sustainableliving #greenteam

This is a beach like no other. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Loch Morlich is an inland freshwater loch fringed by sandy shores and ancient forests in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. Not to mention it is the highest beach in Britain! Walking into it at golden hour was really something. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The Cairngorms is the largest of the 15 National Parks in the UK covering over 4500 square kilometres. Over the last few years NPs have really picked up their game and advertised their accessibility. With the option of hiking trails, water sports, cycling, horse riding, wildlife spotting, camping and even ...

Outside is my happy place. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Wild spaces, wild creatures and wild adventures! My love for nature and passion to preserve it keep me busy. Exploring unbeaten paths as often as possible and advocating on its behalf whenever I’m not. Whether it’s watching whales in the wild (which this beautiful beach is famous for!) or feeling proud when I convert another individual to a reusable bag/cutlery set/mug it’s all connected. If you love the outdoors - whether it’s the remote and risky type or the view of your own back garden - you MUST complete the circle and stand up ...