Explorer and Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative partner Steve Boyes has spent decades navigating Africa’s wild rivers. He tells Adam Vaughan how illness and resilience has reshaped his outlook and why protecting rivers, landscapes and communities has become his life’s mission.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Guest: Steve Boyes, Conservationist and National Geographic Explorer

Host: Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor, The Times

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Lausanne, Switzerland, neuroscientist and Rolex Awards Laureate Grégoire Courtine and neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch have pioneered a “digital bridge” that translates brain signals into spinal stimulation, giving people with paralysis new ways to regain movement. They tell Tom Whipple about the science behind the technology, the patients leading the way and their hopes for the future of movement recovery after paralysis.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Guest: 

• Grégoire Courtine, Neuroscientist and co-founder of NeuroRestore.   
• Jocelyne Bloch, Neurosurgeon and co-founder of NeuroRestore. 
• Suzanne Edwards, Patient at NeuroRestore. 

Host: Tom Whipple, Science Writer, The Times.

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over a billion people live with preventable vision loss. Eye surgeon and Rolex Awards Laureate Andrew Bastawrous has created a smartphone app that is transforming eyecare, facilitating sight restoration for millions and changing lives. He tells Tom Whipple, how glasses – a 700-year-old invention – have transformed his own life, and why he’s determined no one should lose their sight for lack of access.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Guest: Andrew Bastawrous, eye surgeon and founder of Peek Vision

Host: Tom Whipple, science writer, The Times

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marine scientist Ben Fitzpatrick is fighting to protect the Ningaloo Coast and Exmouth Gulf – one of Earth’s last wild marine frontiers, home to whale sharks, dugongs, manta rays and vibrant coral reefs. Speaking with Adam Vaughan, he reflects on growing up in Western Australia and why safeguarding this rare ocean wilderness matters for future generations.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Guest: Ben Fitzpatrick, Marine Scientist and Mission Blue Hope Spot Champion

Host: Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor, The Times

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle has spent decades exploring the blue heart of our planet. From leading the first all-female aquanaut team to founding Mission Blue, she has dived deeper and stayed longer in the ocean than almost anyone alive. As she celebrates her 90th birthday, Rolex Testimonee, Sylvia reflects with Adam Vaughan on her extraordinary career, the changes she’s witnessed, and why she still believes in a future full of 'Hope Spots'.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Guest: Sylvia Earle, Marine Biologist, Oceanographer and Rolex Testimonee

Host: Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor, The Times

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

High in the Arctic, beneath Greenland’s ancient ice, lie caves that hold clues to our planet’s past and its future. Climate researcher and Rolex Awards Laureate Gina Moseley leads daring expeditions into these hidden worlds to uncover how our climate has changed over hundreds of thousands of years. She tells Adam Vaughan why exploring these caves matters to us all.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Guest: Gina Moseley, climate researcher and Rolex Awards Laureate

Host: Adam Vaughan, environment editor, The Times

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the remote Himalayan valley of Humla, Rinzin Phunjok Lama is protecting endangered species like the snow leopard and wild yak. Using Buddhist principles, local knowledge, and community-led conservation, he is tackling climate change in one of the world’s harshest landscapes. He tells Adam Vaughan why saving one Himalayan valley matters to the world.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative.

Guest: Rinzin Phunjok Lama, Conservation Biologist and Rolex Award Laureate.

Host: Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor, The Times

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deep in the Amazon, the mysterious pink river dolphins are under threat from pollution, mining, and habitat loss. Marine biologist Fernando Trujillo, known locally as Omacha, has dedicated more than 30 years to protecting them. From satellite-tagging dolphins to training fishermen and lobbying governments, he tells Adam Vaughan what it takes to safeguard one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative.

Guest: Fernando Trujillo, Founder of the Omacha Foundation and Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year 2024

Host: Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor, The Times

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From oil spills to climate change, penguins are on the frontline of environmental change. Pablo García Borboroglu has spent more than three decades rescuing colonies, moving shipping lanes, and protecting over 32 million acres of penguin habitat. He joins Adam Vaughan to share what it takes to keep these charismatic seabirds alive in a rapidly changing world.

Guest: Pablo García Borboroglu, Founder of the Global Penguin Society and Rolex Award Laureate

Host: Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor, The Times

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia 

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded. 

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Planet Hope returns for a third series – sharing stories of resilience, discovery and hope. Join Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor at The Times, as he meets extraordinary people from penguin guardians in Patagonia to pioneering neuroscientists helping people with paralysis to walk again. 

New episodes drop every Friday. 

Planet Hope is brought to by The Times in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Earth Day, discover the podcast about people protecting the planet and the hope that’s still possible. Planet Hope, in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative returns this September.

Catch up on previous episodes now and hear from leading voices like ocean explorer Sylvia Earle, conservationist Steve Boyes, photographer Paul Nicklen, social entrepreneur Beth Koigi, and many more who are shaping a more sustainable future.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode of Planet Hope we reflect on the insights shared in the series about the future of our planet from the individuals finding solutions to the challenges we face - the explorers, naturalists and conservationists who are ensuring a brighter future for Planet Earth.

This is Planet Hope, a podcast from The Times in partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a world undergoing a rapid transformation due to climate change, a big question remains- is it possible to undo the damage to our planet? Environment Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan is joined by National Geographic photographer and acclaimed conservationist Paul Nicklen to hear how he endeavours to safeguard our planet through photography. 

This is Planet Hope, a podcast from The Times in partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Series producer: Anya Pearce

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coral reefs are some of the most diverse and vibrant ecosystems on our planet. Occupying less than 0.1% of the ocean floor, coral reefs are home to a quarter of all marine life and play a crucial role in protecting coastlines. However, over the last three decades, the world has lost half of its reefs from a combination of climate change, ocean acidification, overfishing and pollution. Environment Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan is joined by marine environmentalist and entrepreneur, Titouan Bernicot to hear how he’s offering a life line to reefs through coral gardening. 

This is Planet Hope, a podcast from The Times in partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Series producer: Anya Pearce

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The ocean's twilight zone is one of the most important marine areas you’ve most likely never heard of. Home to marine life yet to be discovered and integral to carbon sequestration, it is vital that we protect this layer of ocean that spans across the Earth. Environment Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan is joined by ocean explorer, Luiz Rocha, to learn more about his pioneering diving expeditions in the depths of our oceans and how he is safeguarding this area for the future of our planet.

This is Planet Hope, a podcast from The Times in partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Series producer: Anya Pearce

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just as humans depend on sound for survival and expression, animals too rely on auditory cues to navigate their environments. However, nature is increasingly disrupted by human generated noise, from roaring engines to clanking machinery, disturbing the delicate balance of sound in the natural world. Environment Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan is joined by bioacoustics scientist and Rolex Awards for Enterprise Laureate Michel André as he strives to restore the balance of human-generated noise and wildlife survival.

This is Planet Hope, a podcast from The Times in partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Sound clips: Prof. Michel André, Director of Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics (LAB)

Series producer: Anya Pearce

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The acclaimed ocean explorer, scientist, conservationist and Rolex Testimonee, Sylvia Earle shares how her global network of ‘Hope Spots’ are transforming ocean conservation. Sylvia tells Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor of The Times, how our oceans span over 70% of the Earth’s surface, and serve as a crucial life source - providing oxygen, sustenance, and climate regulation - and yet escalating human activities now threaten this vital ecosystem. 

This is Planet Hope, a podcast from The Times in partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Series producer: Anya Pearce

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Southern Cone of South America is home to some of the most beautiful and diverse ecosystems in the world. However, decades of exploitation have taken their toll. Expansive lands left destroyed from ranching and species like the jaguar teetered on the brink of extinction. Environment Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan is joined by one of the most successful conservation philanthropists in history, Kris Tompkins, to hear how she’s committed her life to making this corner of the world wilder.

This is Planet Hope, a podcast from The Times in partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Series producer: Anya Pearce

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amidst a population of 8 billion, a staggering quarter silently live with hidden hunger every day. And with over a billion people living in Africa struggling to afford a healthy diet, a crucial question remains- how can hidden hunger be eliminated? Environment Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan is joined by social entrepreneur and Rolex Awards for Enterprise Laureate Felix Brooks Church to hear how his ingenious system is on track to eliminating hidden hunger.

This is Planet Hope, a podcast from The Times in partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Series producer: Anya Pearce

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Agumbe, known as one of the rainiest places in India and a sanctuary to King Cobras, holds one of the last surviving low-land rainforests. However, after years of logging and hunting native reptiles the rainforest, which plays a crucial role key to India’s rain patterns, is under threat. Environment Editor for The Times, Adam Vaughan is joined by one of India’s leading conservationists and renowned herpetologists, Romulus Whitaker, to learn more about the research centres that are bringing hope to the future of the Agumbe and beyond. 

This is Planet Hope, a podcast from The Times in partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Series producer: Anya Pearce

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.