Finding Nature, a True Adventure – Long Bio

Theme: Sample (Environmental, Creative, Factual, Adventure, Opinion).

Reading Time: 20 Minutes.

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Hey,

I’m W. A. Greenly,

Mechanic/Salesman turn science geek, Earth lover, and opinionated writer who now has a Bachelor’s Degree in Biodiversity and Conservation.

If you read my last blog, then you have already been briefly introduced to me. However, in this article, I intend to give you a much more in-depth story explaining why I am here, how I got here and what I’ll be covering in my future pieces.

First off, let me paint a picture for you.

If I say to you, there’s a country that boasts the world’s second-oldest national park, namely Royal National Park⁽¹⁾, a country that has 3.3 million square kilometres (36%) of its oceans zoned as marine parks⁽²⁾, and this country encompasses a range of contrasting yet beautiful terrestrial and marine ecosystems that at one stage were bursting with an abundance of native wildlife… Would you know what country this is?

Let me elaborate; this country also has tropical savannas, coastal floodplains, coral reefs, drier rainforests, and inland wetlands⁽³⁾. It features Mediterranean ecosystems in the southwest, temperate eucalypt forests scattered throughout, plus salt marshes, mangroves⁽³⁾ and 8,222 islands⁽⁴⁾ each of which is host to its own unique ecosystem. Yet, this is only to skim the surface of its true ecological depth.

How about now, think you know it?

If you grew up here like me, I’d suspect you guessed the country I was referring to quicker than seagulls to an unguarded lunch.

Australian memories:

I grew up here, Australia. As a young boy, I vividly remember the streets lined with Eucalyptus, Callistemon, and other native trees, that when flowering delicately littered the asphalt with crumbling leaves, colourful filaments, and rock-hard gumnuts that were never pleasant to trod on in bare feet. Whispers of the legend himself Bob Hawke, the beer ‘skulling’ environmentalist prime minister who declared the 1990’s the “Decade of Landcare”. Watching and singing along to “Skippy the Bush Kangaroo” on the Nine Network before school and then admiring mighty Steve Irwin wrestling crocs and harassing snakes in the arvo while we ate tea.

It’s quite easy to reminisce about a time when life for me was carefree and “responsibility” was just a word that I heard grownups say. But what’s happening now?

The present:

Well, as you know mankind is facing one of the most gruelling challenges to have confronted us in the twenty-first century, climate change⁽⁵⁾. The debate surrounding climate change in Australia is most certainly alive and well, as it should be in any country.

Various independent studies affirm that the climate change currently occurring is anthropogenic, that is, caused by humans, and over 97% of climate scientists agree on this^(6;7;8;9;10).

Yet, currently, the primary energy consumption of Australia is still supplied by coal (around 40% as of 2019)⁽¹¹⁾ and despite the imminent threat of climate change, in the 2017-18 financial year Australia exported around 382 million tonnes of black coal. A figure that has been growing on average by 4% a year over the last decade⁽¹²⁾.

Currently, 91 species of Australian flora and fauna are listed as extinct, plus 1 fish species Galaxias pedderensis is listed as extinct in the wild(13;14). While another 1790 species of Australian flora and fauna are listed as being either vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered, with a further 8 fishes currently listed as conservation dependent^(13;14).

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the main drivers of biodiversity loss are:

• Habitat destruction (on land and at sea).
• Resource overexploitation.
• Climate change.
• Pollution.
• And invasive species⁽¹⁵⁾.

Australia is in no way a stranger to these driving issues; land clearing rates in Queensland tripled in the years 2013-2014 when compared to 2009-2010⁽¹⁶⁾. Invasive species and feral animals are continually exerting more pressure on Australia’s biodiversity and the fragmenting and degradation of habitats is ongoing⁽¹⁶⁾.

Sadly, the overall outlook for Australia’s biodiversity is very poor⁽¹⁶⁾.

Not to mention that as of October 3^rd, 2019 the population of Australia exceeds 25.4 million, a figure that in 1995 was just 18.1 million⁽¹⁷⁾. Now, an increase of 7.3 million may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, but an increase of just over 40% within 24 years is quite a substantial jump. On a global scale, the world population is 7.6 billion⁽¹⁸⁾ and is predicted to reach 11.2 billion by 2100⁽¹⁹⁾, another worrying increase of well over 40%.

Yet, despite the population growth history, the predictions, and the undeniable fact that human population growth adds further pressure to all the drivers of biodiversity loss, the pressures of local and broad-scale population growth are barely heard amongst any climate change or biodiversity loss commentary.

So, we have just touched on climate change, carbon emissions, coal exports, energy production, species extinctions, the drivers of biodiversity loss, the poor outlook for the future, and I’ve even slipped in some population growth figures and predictions. But to be brutally honest, the above-mentioned issues and facts aren’t even skimming the surface of the current environmental issues that face the world or Australia.

Why do I care?

In some way, all those pressing issues continually drive me to seek answers and explore our natural world, but if it wasn’t for one special moment in time they may not have been on my radar at all.

Let me explain.

As you likely already know, little over 12 months ago I was employed as a qualified Mechanic and Service Advisor spending my time in a dirty old workshop waiting for the next broken-down car to be towed in so I could try and make my next big sale. The closest I would get to the environment between 8 am to 6 pm every weekday was the all-too-familiar tree that was visible when I caught a glimpse of the outside world through the garage door of the workshop, or the dirt that would fall off the worn tyres of a customer’s sad sounding European import when removing the wheels to check the brakes.

If it wasn’t for my decision to take a month off work, stack the Hilux sky-high with camping and 4×4 gear, and head off from Adelaide across the Nullarbor to Perth, I may have never realised my true passions and how freedom and happiness truly felt.

This trip may not sound like much to some, but to me, it changed my life forever.

Overall the trip taught me that if you dare leave your comfort zone, life will reward you, and there’s certainly more to life than working a 9-5 and looking after only your own interests.

But 3 Key moments stick in my mind that completely changed my mindset and opened my eyes.

Key moment 1: “Schooled by Snakes”.

Ok, so perhaps this is not really one key moment, more of 3 key moments involving snakes… but I’m going to group them all together.

I’d never properly seen a snake in the wild, so when I took this trip across the Nullarbor, I was eager to spot one. My first sighting came only a few days into the trip, just one kilometre out of Fowlers Bay, South Australia. As I was travelling toward the town on a dirt road, I saw a thin black figure scoot out of the bushes and straight underneath my car. I was shocked, saddened, and absolutely devastated once I had confirmed it was my first snake sighting and I had accidentally run it over. I carried the burden for days. The death of this snake made a lasting impression on me and confirmed my love for animals of all kinds.

Luckily, that was not to be my only experience with a snake.

One morning I headed off towards the Fitzgerald River National Park which is on the coastline just west of Hopetoun, Western Australia. I happened to look up at the sky above me and noticed a cloud had formed into a weird hook shape. Simultaneously, I noticed an almost identical hook-shaped piece of land appear on my GPS and it was very close by.

It seemed as if it was a sign of some kind, so I pulled over and explored.

As I ventured toward the tip of this mini peninsula, I could see a small wooden bird-watching hut at the very end, only about 50 metres away. I don’t exactly know why, perhaps instinct, but something made me look down just as I stepped over a long, thick, brown snake that was curled up on the path and watching me with caution.

It just sat watching me, slightly covered with some grasses for camouflage but for the most part allowing its thick smooth and scaly body to bask in the sun and soak up some much-needed energy.

Wow… a snake, an alive snake, and what an odd situation that had led me to find it.

I was very happy to say the least, but at the same time, I was kind of scared. What if it decided it wanted to attack me? Australian snakes have an infamous reputation. I snapped a quick photo on my phone and continued along the path respecting the snake’s space.

Upon my return, the snake had disappeared.

I learnt 2 things that day:

1. If you get out there and amongst it, nature will reward you.
2. Snakes are not out to get you, they are just trying to survive and will, like most animals, avoid conflict if they can.

I had another and perhaps more memorable experience with a snake on this trip whilst practicing my photography at Greens Pool and Elephant Rocks, Western Australia.

I was drawn towards 2 enormous, bulbous rocks that sat oddly in the middle of the beach. Eventually, my curiosity overcame me, and I followed a thin trail of water from where it met the ocean to its source up in between the 2 oddly placed rocks.

Suddenly I was startled, my heart skipped a beat and I paused for a second not knowing what to do.

A beautiful tiger snake had also paused, possibly shocked, it too not knowing what to do. It stared at me, and I stared back at it, each awaiting the other’s move.

Slowly, the snake began creeping forward, reaching for something a few feet in front of it – a large green frog, semi-limp but still kicking slightly. The snake had obviously determined at this stage that the frog was too much of a prize to pass up and I was obviously not enough of a threat. So, it began again from where it had left off before I’d rudely interrupted its lunch.

I just watched this snake, mesmerised. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. It had the most striking yellow and brown horizontal stripes running across its body. The colourful scales shimmered and glistened in the sunlight. Although now sadly passed, its meal too was beautifully coloured with bright greens and creamy yellows. But the snake’s eyes never left me and it watched me the whole time while slowly consuming its slippery meal.

I must have snapped about 100 photos before the snake had finished and eventually slipped away, disappearing behind a boulder and into the bushes.

A complete adrenalin shot, and all while I felt 100% safe.

That was it, the moment I fell in love with exploring nature.

Key moment 2: 1080 (ten – eighty) baiting.

As I travelled towards Beedelup National Park Western Australia, I noticed some signs along the road that reported “1080 baits used in this area” and “Be aware, 1080 baiting”.

I was somewhat aware of 1080 baiting which is why I chose not to take my dog Bruce, especially seeing as this was my first real adventure so I didn’t know what to expect.

However, the signs don’t tell you much, they are simply a warning to people with dogs or possibly children that there is a risk they may come across a 1080 bait in these areas. Fairly mundane and un-informative really.

That night I lay in my swag, mosquito net closed, peering out at the stars above which flickered beyond the swaying trees listening to the many birds calling to one another against the sound of the soft winds and the rustling of leaves, and I questioned… What exactly is 1080 baiting?

I admit, that night I committed a cardinal sin when it comes to enjoying nature, I whipped out my mobile phone and began to do some research.

I will not go into too much detail in this article, but I will say I was shocked to find out what these baits do, whom they target, and the inhumane way in which they kill. Not to mention the little amount of research that has gone into it from an ecological point of view.

The implementation and longevity of this baiting scheme taught me there are animals out there that need help, voiceless animals that are targeted by certain industries or individuals who ultimately are unnecessary victims of humanity, or inhumanity as it seemed.

At that moment, I realised there’s more to life than doing oil changes or trying to up-sell windscreen wipers to Joe Blow. There are innocent and forgotten animals and whole ecosystems that desperately needed assistance, the health of which we all ultimately rely upon.

Key moment 3: True Freedom.

Never have I felt the freedom I felt after travelling alone, just me, the road, my hiking boots, and nature. Once a few weeks had gone by, I had not a care in the world, no stress, no idea of the time or date, no restrictions at all. I was completely free, and the feeling was almost indescribable.

If I had to put it in a few words I’d say; enriching, addictive, euphoric.

I was ultimately high on life at those moments.

I think this feeling made me realise how and what life could truly be, rather than what it currently was.

Back to my false reality:

Sadly, that trip came to an end, and I had to return to work… but it was not the last, and I have many more to come.

At that time of my life, I was buried in debt, 28 years old with a mortgage, car loan, and all the usual bills. Trapped again, working a job I now knew was not where I wanted to be for the rest of my life.

So ultimately, I had a decision to make. Follow the social norm and slave away at a job I most certainly did not love to pay my debt down for the rest of my life?

Or, ditch it all, forget my overgrowing mountain of desires and promise to seek happiness, give back when possible, head to university to learn about my newly discovered passion, and start an afresh and brand-new journey?

No-brainer huh? Obviously, I chose the latter!

To the future:

This realisation and the discovery of my true passion led me to quit my job, put my house and car on the market, move home with my parents (thank you mum and dad), and totally alter all my goals and desires. Decisions that have resulted in a complete upheaval of my life and what is now a totally different direction and an exciting new adventure and lifestyle.

I studied biodiversity and conservation at Flinders university and volunteered when I could with conservation projects or in the palaeontology lab. I worked a casual job, and spent all my spare time (when not studying or working) researching and learning about our natural world or getting amongst it! Of course, I also wrote (another newly discovered passion). Articles, and creative pieces, and I began working on my first book.

I am proud to say, I have never felt better. There is a complete sense of happiness and joy that comes with exploring our natural world and trying to do positive things within it even if they have no apparent value to one’s self, or as is often the case, come at a cost.

But despite the cost, most importantly, I am happier than ever.

Still, there is much more to learn and write about the environment and our natural world, there are adventures to be had, many fields of exciting and cool science to explore, and of course, ongoing controversy to debate.

From what I have shared, I hope to have sparked your interest, while providing you with a sneak peek of my writing style, my passions, and what I intend to write about. However, most of all, I hope you keep reading. Possibly one day, if not already, you may find the beauty that is the natural world and fall in love with it, just as I have.

If you want more adventures, facts, controversies, opinions, even interviews with academics or just creative pieces to read that all have scientific, environmental, and earthly viewpoints drawn upon from my passion, I would love you to subscribe to my blog and follow my Facebook or Instagram via the below links.

Look out for my future posts and articles and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to comment below or on my Facebook feed and I’ll be sure to answer you straight away.

Thank you and enjoy,

W. A. Greenly.

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Literature Cited:

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10. Zhang, B., van der Linden, S., Mildenberger, M., Marlon, J.R., Howe, P.D. and Leiserowitz, A., 2018. Experimental effects of climate messages vary geographically. Nature Climate Change, 8(5), p.370.
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