Posted on: June 11, 2019
Show Notes
Air date: 6/11/2019
About this episode:
John Francis recently retired as vice president for research, conservation and exploration at the National Geographic Society. His professional career has been rooted in wildlife biology and gaining a better understanding of humankind’s delicate position within nature. John earned a PhD in behavioral ecology and later became a film producer at National Geographic.
He developed and ran grant programs at National Geographic supporting explorers worldwide and served on the US National Commission of UNESCO, as well as the National Park System Advisory Board. In the tourism arena, he oversaw the Society’s Center for Sustainable Destinations and now continues as a lecturer for National Geographic Expeditions, as an advisor for the Lindblad/National Geographic Fund, and as a board member of Sustainable Tourism International. John recently spoke at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Maine about how tourism, when rightly managed and marketed, can have positive impact on a global scale.
In this episode:
1:57 – How John’s career started by studying seals in Alaska.
4:03 – Why John was attending the Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Maine.
4:46 – John explains the role of tourism in shaping the future of the planet, such as the use of plastic straws in restaurants.
6:03 – Nancy asks John for some of his successes in shifting the way people see their impact as global citizens. John describes how BioBlitzes have been used to get people to explore nature.
9:27 – Nancy and John discuss the trends of forest bathing and rewilding.
11:13 – John details his experience working at National Geographic.
16:48 – John explains the hurdle he faced when building his network, including being more of a behind-the-scenes kind of guy and how to stand out.
22:04 – John encourages someone starting their career to not ignore their passions.
24:54 – John tells what resources he has found helpful for getting people out into nature.
29:40 – John leaves his parting thought about people being more aware of the impact they leave on nature.
Quote
About taking care of our planet:
“An individual act can have a huge impact through ripples you might not even imagine. I am encouraging people to be a thoughtful actor as they make their march through this wonderful place.” – John Francis, retired vice president for research, conservation and exploration at National Geographic
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