Nature Reads: Wildlife, Wisdom, and Writing with John Payne

Nature Reads: Wildlife, Wisdom, and Writing with John Payne

From Earth Matters by BFM Media

April 27, 2026 · 45 min

About this episode

The episode features an interview with Datuk Dr John Payne discussing his work in wildlife conservation and his evolution as a writer.

For this month's episode of Nature Reads, we speak to Datuk Dr John Payne, the Chief Executive Officer of Bringing Back Our Rare Animals or BORA, who has spent decades working on wildlife conservation across Malaysia, particularly in Sabah. But beyond the field, he is also a prolific author, having written everything from wildlife guides and conservation manuals to deeply reflective works on species loss, restoration, and what we’ve learned along the way. Together with co-host Surin Suksuwan, the co-founder of Sunda Shelves , we explore the books that shaped John's early interest in nature, how his writing has evolved over the years, and what he hopes readers, especially those outside the conservation world, will take away from his work.  Nature Reads on Earth Matters is a monthly show where we explore the stories behind books that bring us closer to nature and the world around us, done in collaboration with Sunda Shelves, an independent bookstore with a passion for wild places and thoughtful reads. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Surin Suksuwan

Guest: Datuk Dr John Payne

Topics covered

  • wildlife conservation
  • nature writing
  • species loss
  • book recommendations
  • environmental awareness

Keywords

  • wildlife
  • conservation
  • books
  • nature
  • writing
  • species restoration
  • Malaysia

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bringing Back Our Rare Animals, Sunda Shelves

Places: Malaysia, Sabah

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