Show Notes
While we work hard on season 2 of This Is Wild, we’re bringing you some special bonus content: the first episode of Good Nature with Megan Leslie, a new podcast from WWF-Canada. You can keep up with future episodes on Youtube, Instagram, or wherever you get your podcasts.
To stay up to date on what’s going on at WWF-Canada, sign up for Living Planet News: https://wwf.ca/signup-for-living-planet-news/
Nature is in need right now. More than ever. But who is answering the call?
Good people, that’s who. And there are more of them than you might think. That’s why Megan Leslie, WWF‑Canada’s president and CEO, is chatting with folks who are proving that hope for nature isn’t just alive — it’s thriving. On this podcast, Megan celebrates both the good we find in nature and the good‑natured people working to protect it, proving that real change is not only possible, it’s already happening.
In the first episode of Good Nature, Megan sits down with Andy Ridley, the co‑founder of Earth Hour, just as the global movement marks its 20th anniversary. Andy reflects on how a simple idea — turning off the lights for one hour — sparked a worldwide expression of collective action. The conversation traces the evolution of the environmental movement over the past two decades and explores what Andy is working on now: protecting coral reefs by empowering everyday people to help monitor and restore them. From Earth Hour’s origins in Sydney Harbour to its little-known Toronto connection and eventual global ignition, this episode is a hopeful look at how creativity and shared purpose can help turn concern into action.
Megan is also joined on this episode by WWF-Canada’s resident botanist, Ryan Godfrey, who answers her call on the orca phone to tell her something good about the weeds in your garden.
More from This is Wild
Peat moss might seem like an ordinary ingredient in potting soil, but the peatlands it comes from are some of the most powerful carbon sinks on the planet! In northern Canada, these vast, waterlogged landscapes store billions of tonnes of carbon. But they’re increasingly at risk. In this episode of This Is Wild, host Aliya Jasmine explores the Hudson and James Bay Lowlands, one of the largest continuous peatland systems on Earth. These wetlands are vital for wildlife, the climate and the First Nations communities who call them home. Now, plans for industrial development are raising urgent questions about the future of this vast ecosystem. With valuable mineral deposits in the so-called Ring of Fire attracting growing interest from developers, what will it take to protect one of the planet’s most important carbon stores…and ensure the Indigenous communities who have stewarded these lands for generations have a say in their future? To learn more about WWF-Canada's work to protect the peatlands, head to wwf.ca/thisiswild Give to WWF-Canada: wwf.ca/donate Sign up for WWF-Canada’s newsletter, Living Planet News: wwf.ca/signup-for-living-planet-news If you have any questions or suggestions for the show, you can email us at [email protected]
Every spring, millions of people gather to celebrate one of Canada’s sweetest traditions: maple syrup. But hidden among Quebec’s sugar maples is a small bird that may be telling us something important about the health of these forests: the yellow-bellied sapsucker. In this episode of This Is Wild, host Aliya Jasmine dives into the surprising relationship between sapsuckers, biodiversity and maple syrup. As sapsuckers slowly start to forego the forests they once called home, forest ecologists are learning how the health of Quebec’s environment could be key to its economy, and why a forest with more than just maple trees may actually be healthier—and more productive.
Killer whales are one of the most iconic species in Canada. They’re cultural symbols, tourist attractions and even hockey icons. So why aren’t we doing a better job of protecting them? In this episode of This Is Wild, host Aliya Jasmine explores the world of the southern resident killer whales, an endangered subpopulation that swims up and down the coast of B.C. and Washington State. There are only around 75 of them left in the wild. Despite legal protections under Canada’s Species at Risk Act, industrial development and shipping continue to put pressure on the whales’ critical habitat. From the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline to Roberts Bank Terminal 2, the fight to save these whales raises a question that extends far beyond the Salish Sea: What happens when economic development collides with the fight to save an endangered species? To learn more about WWF-Canada's initiatives to protect southern resident killer whale habitat, you can go to wwf.ca/thisiswild Sign up for WWF-Canada’s newsletter, Living Planet News: wwf.ca/signup-for-living-planet-news/ If you have any questions or suggestions for the show, you can email us at [email protected]
This Is Wild is returning to your feed on September 17, 2026! This podcast from WWF-Canada is all about the incredible species that call Canada home and the people working to protect them. In each episode, Season 2 host Aliya Jasmine takes listeners on a journey into the life of one species to learn all about how it survives, the threats it faces, and the conservation solutions that could change everything.
If you like This Is Wild, you might like WWF-Canada's new podcast, Good Nature with Megan Leslie. On this episode, Megan sits down with science communicator Jill Taylor to talk all things puffins!