Amy Steel - Wildfires And Interventions on Ecosystems

Amy Steel is a climate adaptation expert and PhD candidate with Adrift Lab at Curtin University, Western Australia. With over a decade of experience advising on decarbonisation and climate resilience, Amy is now focused on a vital question: should humans intervene to help ecosystems on the verge of collapse—and if so, how, where, and when?

Amy's research centres on the Yowli (otherwise known as Flesh-footed Shearwaters) breeding on islands in the Recherche Archipelago off Kepa Kurl, Esperance. These seabirds face increasing and worsening threats from lightning-ignited wildfires during their peak breeding season, impacted by climate change. Working with the Esperance Tjaltjraak Rangers, Amy is exploring how Wudjari cultural burning can protect these fragile habitats. Amy also reflects on moving from high-level strategy to hands-on fieldwork, the importance of Indigenous knowledge, and what it means to protect ecosystems in a rapidly changing climate.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Amy’s diverse background and what led her from leadership roles in climate strategy to research
• The long-term impacts of heat stroke that ended her competitive netball career and influenced her path
• Joining the Adrift Lab team and what inspired her to undertake a PhD
• Why islands and seabirds like the Yowli are critical indicators of ecosystem health
• The increasing severity of wildfires and extreme weather, and their impacts on vulnerable species
• Whether seabirds and other wildlife can adapt to human-driven climate change, and if natural checks and balances are breaking down
• The ethical and ecological questions around human intervention in collapsing ecosystems
• Working closely with the Esperance Tjaltjraak Rangers, and the role of Wudjari cultural burning in ecosystem resilience
• The importance of place-based policy and honouring Indigenous knowledge in climate responses
• How to communicate climate and conservation issues effectively, and create lasting change within communities
• Staying motivated in advocacy through collaboration and community action
• The role of athletes in climate conversations, and how to stay safe while being active in a changing climate
• What gives Amy hope as an environmental researcher

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