What is our human impact on the world and what do we leave behind for future, non-human, generations? By asking experts these questions, I discover they are not very easy and sometimes almost impossible questions to answer. In this mini podcast series I discover what problems we face today and what the impact of fire on our ecosystems is.

Why is biodiversity so important? How can we undermine climate skeptics? What do past human disturbances leave as legacy ? And how can we change our mindset towards caring more about plants ? Conservationists use the cutest species to change people's mindset. For plants this is so hard because nobody feels this attachment to a cute plant. I find plants cute. You probably find plants cute. But the majority of people don’t.

Crystal McMichael is an assistant professor at University of Amsterdam. But is originally from the United States. She did her PhD in Florida and post docs at the university of New Hampshire. But then she took a job here.

Science is always a back and forward. It is hypothesizing and testing and then you figure out ‘o maybe there is a better way to do it’ It is a progress and there is never a certain end point ‘of yes now we are finished and know everything.’ But to state scientists don’t know anything is absolutely insane.

We know humans now alter the intensity of fires. So climate change enhances the drought and the probability of fire expansion with the build up of plants that died from the drought itself. Even 2500 years ago you could say people left a legacy which is absolutely still there on the soil and has changed ecology in those regions in the long term for sure. Imaging what our legacy of today will be for the future.

The music is specially made by songwriter Anna Sylvia

Artwork/Concept: Nina van Tuikwerd