Updates from the Field, and a Few Wild Blessings
TOLGA AKTAS | Biologist, Writer & Environmental Photojournalist
by Ways of the Natural World - By Tolga Aktas
10M ago
Well hello there to those that actively follow my journey in all shapes and forms. It has certainly been a while hasn’t it and I must admit it is good to be back momentarily. In honest truth, my life is hectic and on some days it is well structured and on others it is just a mess. It’s probably why I have taken so long to return back to this space that has provided me with so many opportunities and memories. I have missed writing and the sad thing is that I haven’t been too kind to myself when I have been too tired to do so. Life has gotten in the way and I have been working hard far away from ..read more
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Setbacks, Wild Tales & Motivation
TOLGA AKTAS | Biologist, Writer & Environmental Photojournalist
by Ways of the Natural World - By Tolga Aktas
1y ago
Gosh! It truly has been a little while since I have put my thoughts to the keyboard and updated this space that I call Ways of the Natural World. The truth is life has been extremely busy, chaotic, and I have been a little exhausted. Ever since I graduated from the University of Gloucestershire back in 2020, things have been a little nuts and life has kept me on my toes for sure. From carrying out my dissertation at the very beginning of the Coronavirus Pandemic, having to find a new job because of the pandemic and even luckily to acquire a new place to live. On top of that too my trusty and g ..read more
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Meet Tolga the Otter
TOLGA AKTAS | Biologist, Writer & Environmental Photojournalist
by Ways of the Natural World - By Tolga Aktas
2y ago
It is my pleasure to introduce you to Tolga the Otter. I am truly humbled that the UK Wild Otter Trust (UKWOT) named this little guy after me shortly after I visited the Trust back in January this year. According to the UKWOT, when Tolga was rescued, he had a wound from a possible otter attack and an ulcerated eye, which both cleared up while he was with South Essex Wildlife Hospital. He then moved to the Trust in December 2021. He is now a permanent resident at the Trust’s rehabilitation centre as he has imprinted on humans/became humanized due to the extent of his injuries which meant h ..read more
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War, Peace, and Notes from the Wilds
TOLGA AKTAS | Biologist, Writer & Environmental Photojournalist
by Ways of the Natural World - By Tolga Aktas
2y ago
It’s been a while since I’ve shared anything on here. Oh, how I have missed writing as I regularly do. As I write this today, I am sat in our cottage in the middle of The Cotswold’s all layered up and listening to the sounds of a chiffchaff and robin singing along in our garden, with the occasional greater spotted woodpecker pecking at a wooden electrical pole. It has been tough to keep my motivation up with part-time work taking me further and further away from the work I truly wish to do, and all the news outbreaks circulating our media about war disputes between Russia and Ukraine. Sometime ..read more
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What is rewilding and why is it important? – A personal experience
TOLGA AKTAS | Biologist, Writer & Environmental Photojournalist
by Ways of the Natural World - By Tolga Aktas
2y ago
Rewilding! It is a term that many of us have often heard over the past years, whilst it is also a term that many people from different walks of life have no clue about whatsoever. The truth is that there is a only a small minority of people that inhabit our living world that actually care deeply about the natural world, so it is highly likely that something like rewilding is just a word to many people. So let’s get to it then. What is rewilding and why is it important? The term rewilding was first coined and academically defined back in 1998 by American conservationist biologist Michael Soul ..read more
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Seeing the Unseen with Swarovski Optiks
TOLGA AKTAS | Biologist, Writer & Environmental Photojournalist
by Ways of the Natural World - By Tolga Aktas
3y ago
Most of the time as a student or a training professional, you often prioritise your time working on the theoretical stuff to the work you actually want to do in the field. Whether it is continuous modes of study, research and so on. Sometimes you can be so overwhelmed by how much behind-the-scenes work has to be done, that there is little to no room to actually do what you’re training for. This was pretty much the case for me throughout my time at university while studying for my bachelor’s, apart from the time where I was able to do my practical fieldwork and research overseas in South Africa ..read more
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Podcast Episode: Coffee with Conservationists
TOLGA AKTAS | Biologist, Writer & Environmental Photojournalist
by Ways of the Natural World - By Tolga Aktas
3y ago
After gaining such great feedback from my first ever featured podcast episode last year with The Outdoors Fix Podcast; I am delighted to share that I have been featured on another podcast. Join me on the final episode of Series 2 for the Coffee with Conservationists Podcast, where I talk about my past research with African wild dogs and Lions in South Africa, the importance of soil health, connecting kids with nature, and much more with podcast host George Steedman Jones. For a quick summary of this podcasts motive, Coffee with Conservationists focuses on telling the stories of the people ..read more
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Inspiring the Younger Generation
TOLGA AKTAS | Biologist, Writer & Environmental Photojournalist
by Ways of the Natural World - By Tolga Aktas
3y ago
‘I am passionate about nature. Do you have tips to be more knowledgeable about nature?’ ‘If you could go to a biodiversity hotspot – which one?’ ‘How can I volunteer/protest as a kid?’ ‘What is your advice to people who still don’t know what their passion is?’ ‘What does success mean to you?’ #WorldEarthDay was very special to me this year for many reasons. Firstly, by just seeing so much positive energy shared globally for our beautiful planet. Secondly, for finding out that I am somehow inspiring the younger generation across the globe to care about nature. I recently found out that a small ..read more
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Feeding A Growing Planet
TOLGA AKTAS | Biologist, Writer & Environmental Photojournalist
by Ways of the Natural World - By Tolga Aktas
3y ago
Most of you know that I focus on telling important conservation and environmental stories through Ways of the Natural World, and my other social media platforms. It is what I love doing most and it is what gets me out of bed in the morning – it’s what gives me my buzz, and it is where my passion lies the most. Recently though, and since I watched Cary Fowler’s TED Talk: One seed at a time, protecting the future of food, I’ve become increasingly intrigued by human overpopulation and its potential impacts on food security and agriculture. What is food security? There is enough food for everyone ..read more
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Help Protect the Vjosa Forever
TOLGA AKTAS | Biologist, Writer & Environmental Photojournalist
by Ways of the Natural World - By Tolga Aktas
3y ago
Not many people are aware of the river ecosystems that surround the Balkans in Europe, or countries such as Albania. I can personally admit that I too haven’t thought much about this area of the world in the past. However, at this moment in time many people will soon be made more aware of the Balkans and the unique rivers it contains. People from all across the world and (even more so in Albania) are rising up to protect Europe’s largest wild river called the Vjosa. This incredible waterway runs untamed from its source right up to the sea, combining diverse habitats and biodiversity that have ..read more
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