Future Ecologies: How We Can Actively Steward Our Environments

Future Ecologies is an independent, listener-supported podcast that explores the intricate relationships between people and the living world, emphasizing active stewardship over passive ecological collapse. It features immersive soundscapes, interviews, and narrative stories focusing on environmental science, indigenous knowledge, and cultural fire management.

The show explores "eco-social relationships," focusing on how humans can actively steward their environments rather than being passive victims of ecological decline. Episodes range from documentary-style storytelling to sound collages, often featuring on-the-ground reporting. Common topics include ecological management (especially fire), indigenous perspectives, restoration, and the "unexpected" places where nature thrives.

The show is hosted by Adam Higgins and Mendel Skulski, with contributions from various producers and sound designers. The podcast is independent, often associated with Vancouver, BC, and supported by a listener's Patreon.

Adam Huggins and Mendel Skulski are based in the Pacific Northwest where they explore the intersection of ecology, design, and human relationships with the living world, featuring in-depth interviews and sound-rich stories. Adam Huggins is a naturalist, musician, and nurseryman who focuses on ecological restoration.
Mendel Skulski is an amateur mushroom nerd, artist, and self-described "recovering industrial designer" with a knack for audio production.

The hosts clearly love this topic. After all, who is an amateur mushroom nerd without a love for nature? The chemistry between hosts is strong, and the episodes unfold with soft intro music and the hosts introducing the topic. Both hosts guide listeners into the topic and teach through example and observation, with minimal preachiness. 

 Several episodes cover the use of prescribed cultural fire to manage landscapes, including work with the Yurok Tribe. Episodes explore topics like sea gardening and the restoration of eelgrass in the Wadden Sea. The team covers stories of "wildness" within cities and the reclamation of polluted spaces.

 In an episode titled "For Peat's Sake," the hosts discuss bogs, which they claim "are our absolute favorite places to be." The hosts explain that bogs are not only tremendously important ecosystems, rich in exquisite biodiversity and massive stores of carbon, but they’re also uniquely beautiful. These serene, colorful spaces jumble land and water into something at once both alien and familiar. 

In this episode, the show explores the wonders and the mysteries of peatlands through the story of one very special (and threatened) bog just outside the city of Vancouver. The hosts meet the scientists who fought for its protection, and some of the folks who are still studying it and working to restore it. Plus, we answer a tricky question: should we still be extracting peat to help grow plants?

In June 2025, the show released a fascinating episode about afforestation. The hosts maintain that the Miyawaki Method of micro-forestry is a viral sensation: sprouting tiny, dense, native tree cover in neighborhoods all around the world. With the promise of afforestation at a revolutionary speed, this planting technique has become the darling of green-space enthusiasts, industry, and governments alike — yet few professional or academic ecologists have commented on its efficacy, or even seem to have heard of it! In this episode, they debate the legacy of Dr. Akira Miyawaki: the man, the myth, and the method.

 Future Ecologies is a must-listen for anyone concerned about our environment.  The show is designed for "audiophiles and nature lovers alike" and aims to challenge listeners' perceptions of the environment.