Hazen Audel (Recap): Rewilding, Visit Ecuador & Safe Wildlife Corridors

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In this enlightening recap episode of The Adventure Diaries, Chris Watson sits revisits the Call to Adventure & Pay It Forward segments with Hazen Audel, the charismatic explorer and host of Primal Survivor. Hazen shares his passion for rewilding, the importance of ecotourism, and his experiences in some of the world's most unique natural environments. From his backyard to the vast landscapes of Ecuador and the Great Rift Valley, Hazen offers listeners a fresh perspective on how we can all contribute to conservation and reconnect with nature.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Rewilding: Hazen introduces the concept of rewilding, emphasizing the importance of restoring natural habitats even in our own backyards. He shares personal anecdotes about creating safe spaces for wildlife and how this practice has shaped his children's understanding of nature.
• Ecotourism: Hazen encourages travelers to explore beyond the popular destinations like Costa Rica, advocating for visits to lesser-known regions in South and Central America. He highlights the positive impact ecotourism can have on local communities and wildlife conservation.
• Safe Wildlife Corridors: Reflecting on his time in Africa, Hazen discusses the critical need for safe migration routes for animals, particularly elephants, and the efforts of organizations like Space for Giants to protect these corridors.
• Supporting Conservation: Hazen expresses his support for the Jane Goodall Foundation and other organizations focused on education and conservation, particularly in regions rich in biodiversity.

Memorable Quotes:

• "We have the same power to make the world better than how we found it... It’s about creating spaces where wildlife can thrive, even in our own backyards."
• "Go to Ecuador, go to these other places in South and Central America outside of Costa Rica... Show the local people that we care about their natural resources."
• "These animals don't have a place to migrate to because their places are being turned into highways and things like this."

Where to Find Hazen Audel:

• Instagram: @HazenAudel
• Website: HazenAudel.com
• Shows: Available on the Discovery Channel and Disney+ (Primal Survivor featured on National Geographic).

Call to Action:

Go listen to the FULL episode of The Adventure Diaries S2 Episode 14for an inspiring conversation with Hazen Audel. Learn how you can contribute to rewilding efforts, support ecotourism, and make a difference in the conservation of our planet’s wildlife. Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with fellow adventurers!

Transcript

 So two closing traditions, one of which the call to adventure and the other is the pay it forward suggestion. So as a call to adventure to listeners and viewers, Hazen, what would you say or recommend?  

A call to adventure. I don't think it's going to blow anybody's minds, but I'm really, I didn't even know that there was a word for it, but I think you guys have a word for it over there.

It's called rewilding.  


It's just making your environment, all of this environment that we have  changed because of human impact. We have the same power to make it better than how we found it. And non intentionally, I just do it because I love it. I want to put up birdhouses. I want to plant plants that are going to bring in the kind of bugs that I don't, yeah, bees are awesome, but I like bugs, like I like biodiversity because I know how important they are.

The birds come in the grasshoppers. I know that I want to have habitat. So  my kids can see little snakes going through the lawn and it's a safe place for them. And I just, now we live in a world where we have these reserves and everything's. Locked into a reserve rather than us just interacting with it and having patience with it and having it be kind of the magic of our lives, once  if we have kids that kind of know where the tree frog lives under the mailbox is just a little cool thing  and it changes their perspective, it lets them think about another creature beyond themselves and think about, wow, maybe I can make the place better.

There's still going to be frogs under my mailbox for my kids, and there's going to be more. So I think, and then once you find that you start to rewild and you start to invite more wildlife and wildflowers into your life, you learn and like I said, it's in our DNA to learn more and interact and be a part of nature.

So  you can get the, you can get the full on.  a high impact, high performance jungle experience, but get that, but also get the rewards of just your local wildlife. Yeah. So that's my adventure. Yeah. 

Excellent. Fantastic. And rewilding. Yes, as a thing, it's a fantastic suggestion. Excellent. 

Love it. And then finally a pay it forward suggestion. So any worthy causes, charities, organizations that may be important to you. What would you recommend as a P? 

I do want to say  ecotourism.  A lot of people might think that's like a bad word or something, but a lot of tourism dollars and our ability as. 

With our ability to travel the world. We're putting our dollars where they mean. So if you're going to do some eco excursions, I think the big hotspot is, you go to Costa Rica. Everybody goes to Costa Rica. I'm not endorsing Costa Rica, but because there's so much of a world attention on it, it's the only place in the world that's making more rainforest than cutting it down. 

It's because people are appreciating it. Now, what I want to say is. Have the same experience, have a more unique experience  and a more authentic experience. Go to Ecuador, go to these other places in South and Central America outside of Costa Rica. So you're not getting Kentucky fried chicken and McDonald's along with the jungle experience.

Go to travel all these places and show the local people that we care about their natural resources, and I think ecotourism is a huge deal. Yeah. There's a, I spent the last, my last series was traveling in the great rift valley. I think African extreme African safari, you can see that on primal survivor.

But so I spent three months in Africa and I was seeing the impacts of just so many people on the environment. Elephants don't have a place to go. I went there with the agenda of seeing the great migration. The, my, the great migration, these animals don't have a place to migrate to because  they're places that are being turned into. 

Surrounded by cyclone fences and electric fences and barbed wire for cows or highways and things like this, but there are organizations. There's there's 1 organization called space for giants. And it's a, it's an organization that's  trying to give a lot of education to the locals to be able to. 

So elephants can have a place that they can continue their migrations without being shot or beat to death by farmers and things like that. I think that's a really great one. And then, of course, some, but someone that's dear to my heart, and I know it's a household name, but the Jane Goodall Foundation is just because they're so set.

They're so organized. The funds go directly towards education, educating,  getting into the schools, getting these kids to acknowledge that where they live, if they live in Madagascar, that they have, they live with lemurs, they live with all this wildlife, and they can have an amazing life and protect the wildlife that they live with and have pride in that.

So that's a huge Any of those organizations that's really dedicated towards on the ground education, I'm totally for 

awesome. Fantastic. Excellent. That's been that's been wonderful.  What a conversation. I've thoroughly enjoyed this being yeah, having seen everything on TV and just how you started your story about your experience in Ecuador is wonderful.

Where can everyone go and get their fill of hazing? Where can we where can we go and find out more?  

I always appreciate, I try to share a lot of my life on Instagram. So it's just my name without any space, Hazen Adel. I've got a website, hazenaudel. com. But then you can see the shows on on discovery channel.

And then if you have Disney plus it's National Geographic's top show on Disney plus. So I'm very proud to say that. Yeah. Yeah. I'll be around. I might, who knows, we might be doing more shows about other things that I love. So we'll see. 

Oh, excellent. Excellent. Thank you. And we'll bring this to a close. 

Thank you. All right, Chris,  

and be well, 

everybody out there.