My life as an arbonaut, explorer of the treetops

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Dr. Meg Lowman was a born naturalist. As a child in upstate New York in the 1960s, she would collect wildflowers, leaves and birds’ eggs and meticulously store them under her bed, to the bemusement of her parents and schoolfriends. As an adult she went on to study trees, combatting sexism to become the first person to study the forest canopy while dangling in its branches using equipment she built herself. She calls herself an ‘arbonaut’ – an explorer of the world that thrives in the treetops – and her pioneering research in forest canopies all ove the world has led to some astonishing discoveries. In 2004, young biologist Diego Calderón was captured by Farc guerillas while on a field trip in the Colombian Andes. They kept him for three months, but Diego kept himself busy by studying the wildlife in the unique cloud forest habitat where he was held. Years later, after his release and a peace deal had been signed in Colombia, he came face to face with his captors once again, this time joining them as they led birdwatching tours in former guerilla territory. This interview was first broadcast in 2021. Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Zoe Gelber Get in touch: [email protected] or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707 (Photo: Meg Lowman on a treetop walkway. Credit: Meg Lowman)