Clancy Lester - Native Bee Conservation

In this episode, we’re joined by Clancy Lester (AKA Bee Man), a passionate environmental educator, documentary director, and native bee advocate, whose work is dedicated to protecting pollinators and rewilding the places we live.

Specialising in native bee conservation, native plants, and science communication, Clancy combines hands-on ecological research with a gift for making complex ideas accessible and engaging. Through his social enterprise Bees and Blossoms, Clancy creates native bee habitats, delivers workshops, and champions nature-based climate solutions across urban and regional Australia.

Driven by a deep commitment to restoring biodiversity, he shares practical, hopeful insights into how Australia’s native bees are faring, and what we can all do to support pollinators and wildlife, no matter where we live.

In this episode, we explore:

• Clancy’s background, his connection to the natural world, and how his fascination with native bees began
• His experience in the Wattle Fellowship at the University of Melbourne and working with remote Aboriginal communities in north-east Arnhem Land
• Bee Hotels 101: What they are and why they matter
• The challenges pollinators face in urban environments, and how cities can better support them through habitat and native planting
• Clancy’s workshops, what gives him hope for the future, and how he inspires people to connect with nature
• His role as Director of 7 Seasons, and key moments from making the documentary that reshaped his thinking
• The importance of genuine collaboration and two-way learning with Indigenous communities
• Why honouring thousands of years of on-Country knowledge is essential for climate adaptation
• Staying connected to Country in urban environments
• Using social media for climate advocacy
• A fun breakdown of Bee Movie—what it got right (and wrong) about pollinators

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

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