Hey, friends. Welcome to another episode of Rewildology where we explore conservation, sustainability, travel and leave it all out on the table.
In this episode I’m chatting with Court Whelan, PhD, who is an entomologist and ecotourism expert. We chat about his interesting path into entomology and photography guiding, why he chose a career over entrepreneurship, and the importance of tourism for wildlife conservation.
This one is a goodie and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Here is my convo with Court:
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Show Notes
- You’re first and foremost an entomologist. What gave you your love of bugs? Where did that come from? [1:10]
- So then what were you like as a child? [3:30]
- Court chats about his early academic career and performing research abroad. [7:36]
- Court lays the groundwork for his PhD studies and what later gave rise to a potential ecotourism business. [11:21]
- What do you do in your role as a conservation director at a travel company? [32:40]
- So where in your story did wildlife photography come into play? Because you’re a scientist, but you’re really good photographer. So how did that happen? [42:45]
- Court talks about his podcast, The Wild Photographer. [45:34]
- Can you shed some light on what’s going on with the western Monarch butterfly situation? [49:45]
- Why do you think, or from your expertise and know-how in the field, why do you think we’re not further along in conservation? [1:01:38]
- What would you define as success for you and when you feel like you will have achieved it? [1:07:57]
- What is your final ask of anybody listening? What’s one thing, if you could get everyone listening to do or think about what would that be? [1:14:41]
- Parting thoughts. [1:19:33]
Download the full transcript below.
Links
- Court’s Website: https://www.courtwhelan.com/
- Court’s Monarch Butterfly book: https://www.amazon.com/Monarch-Migration-Journey-through-Butterflys/dp/1513644998
- The Wild Photographer Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kzULqOOnQ6h1Jc8xKYBrm
Check out other Rewildology episodes.
Ep. 4 Show Notes | The New Face of Conservation with Jawnie Payne
Ep. 3 Show Notes | Let’s Get Real with Corrin LaCombe
Ep. 2 Show Notes | Finding Your Path with Dave Johnson
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