8. Adapted to extremes - Deserts, cacti and conservation in a changing climate, with Barbara Goettsch

In Episode 8, join me in conversation with conservation scientist Dr. Bárbara Goettsch from Mexico. Barbara has a background in botany, a PhD in Ecology and Conservation Biology from the University of Sheffield and is co-chair of the IUCN Special Survival Commission Cactus and Succulent Plants Specialist Group. Bárbara is also a mum, a biodancer and a therapeutic masseuse.

In this episode Bárbara invites us into her world, the vast and diverse desert ecosystems that host such rich biodiversity, and she takes us behind the scenes of the IUCN Red List for threatened species assessment process. We talk desert fog, climate change and what it feels like to meet some of the iconic cactus species she has studied in the wild for the first time.

We chat about the importance of human connection in catalysing conservation action, Bárbara's passion for dance, and how we can embrace both science and our own spirituality in an ever deepening relationship and understanding of the natural world.

I hope this conversation inspires you and sparks your curiosity to discover more about these remarkable desert ecosystems and the wondrous plants that have evolved to thrive in such extreme environments.

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Mentions and resources

IUCN SSC Cactus and Succulent Plants Specialist Group (website)

⁠IUCN SSC Cactus and Succulent Plant Specialist Group ⁠ (instagram)

Elevated extinction risk of cacti under climate change

Biodanza UK

Connect with Bárbara

Linked In

Instagram @barbara_goettsch

Follow Nicky

Instagram: @nickyjenner_hawksdawn where you can also see pictures of some of the cactus species mentioned.

Website and newsletter: www.hawksdawn.co.uk

Music © Rachel Catherine: linktr.ee/rachelmusic