Environment

Tim works across a wide range of disciplines in the environmental field, reflecting both his interest and the fact that overcoming challenges and realising opportunities requires a broad understanding of issues facing us.

Here’ s a small sample of the projects and initiatives Tim has worked on:

25zero

Tim Jarvis founded the 25zero Project to highlight the retreat of glaciers on the world’s 25 glaciated equatorial mountains. He assembled a team of mountaineers and film-makers to join him during COP21. to document the impact of climate change and to communicate how each of the 25 equatorial mountains will lose its glacier ‘within an average 25 years’. The first short-film was broadcast live at COP21 during a government-sponsored press conference and contributed to the groundswell of support that saw COP21 secure a milestone climate agreement.

The Forktree Project

The Forktree Project is a not-for-profit demonstration site of 133 acres (53 hectares) in South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula for large-scale rehabilitation and ‘rewilding’ of agricultural land. The project is a showcase project focused on repeatable and scalable techniques that show the way for schools, the public, landowners and corporate organisations to take direct action in acting on climate change and improving biodiversity”.

It features a rare seed orchard and nursery for growing rare native plants and trees for use at the Forktree site and other regeneration projects and educates multiple school groups via an in-house sustainability and wellbeing program.

Thin Ice

Thin Ice VR is a 23 minute VR film developed in 2022 together with animation studio Monkeystack. It follows Shackleton’s 1916 Antarctic survival journey and features powerful animations showing changes in the polar ice coverage between Shackleton’s original journey in 1916 and 2022 caused by climate change and follows Tim’s ethos of using storytelling as a means to get cut through and effect environmental change. The film was winner best VR film at Cannes and LA film festivals 2022) and featured the production of sustainability-based educational materials to inform the public and educate school children. www.thinicevr.com

Ambassador: Save Our Marine Life  

Save Our Marine Life is a collective of NGOs, businesses and citizens committed to protecting Australia’s territorial waters. Tim has been working with Save Our Marine Life (including Pew Research and the Australian Marine Conservation Society) for five years, campaigning for the creation of a one-million-square-kilometre East Antarctic Marine Park, adjacent to Australia’s land-based Antarctic territory. More recently, as SOML’s Ambassador, he was instrumental in helping to almost triple the size of Macquarie Island’s Marine Park – to 475,465 square kilometres – declared by Minister Plibersek in July 2023. He is currently working with the Australian Federal Government on establishing a marine sanctuary around Australia’s remaining Sub-Antarctic islands – Heard and MacDonald Islands – in 2024.

Frozen Planet coursebook

Tim was contributing author to the academic course book The Frozen Planet (Open University, UK) that accompanied the BBC TV series of the same name. He focused on the current and future management regimes of the Arctic and Antarctic regions and the challenges facing them as global commons. Challenges that are common to other global commons including the atmosphere and the world’s oceans.

Vice-President – Fauna & Flora

Flora & Fauna is the world’s oldest conservation charity and focused on protecting the planet’s threatened wildlife and habitats. Today, Flora & Fauna works in 50 countries in areas including preventing biodiversity loss, safeguarding ocean health, combatting climate change and improving corporate sustainability. Tim used his Shackleton Epic Expedition to raise funds and awareness for Flora & Fauna and is a Vice-President and member of the Conservation Circle, helping to support the goals of the charity including sustainably management of natural reserves and concessions in Africa and Australasia.

Biodiversity legislation Champion – Government of South Australia

Tim is working with the South Australian Government as a Champion, supporting the development of a Biodiversity Act for the State in 2024. This involves using his profile, environmental background and experience with working with teams to help ensure the Act is successfully legislated. This will boost biodiversity conservation in South Australia, while integrating the goals of the Native Vegetation Act 1991, the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 and the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. The Act will also incorporate the knowledge of Aboriginal South Australians in the management of land and respect for its ecosystems.

Global Ambassador WWF Australia

Tim provides advice in identifying suitable climate change projects for WWF support, acts as a spokesperson for WWF climate change initiative Earth Hour, and supports WWF climate change initiatives and projects in both a technical and fundraising capacity.

Environment Protection Authority (EPA) South Australia

Tim is working with the EPA to design and deliver a 12-month senior leadership and sustainability program  (2023-2024)  focused on developing agility and adaptability within the organisation to the challenges of the SA economy as it transitions to net zero.  Tim is proud to be guiding this important work.

Sustainability adviser to multilateral aid agencies

Roles include with AusAID, World Bank and Asian Development Bank in the capacity of environmental adviser to long term aid projects. This included multiple roles throughout the Asia-Pacific region, including with the Australian Natural Resource Management Program, AusAID, Sri Lanka supporting communities and capacity-building Sri Lankan government agencies to improve the management of forest resources and environment adviser to the Kalimantan Forest Climate Partnership Project (KFCP), AusAID/World Bank, Indonesia, the goal of which was to reinstate over 1 million hectares of degraded peat forest in southern Kalimantan using the sale of carbon credits to pay for the work and provide an income stream for local people.

Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife

FNPW is the Charity Partner of Australia’s national parks and wildlife. Tim is a Board Member of FNPW, a non-government organisation with a mission to safeguard Australian wilderness and wildlife for future generations. He specialises in contributing strategic thinking to the way in which landscapes are safeguarded and exploring the opportunities associated with carbon offset and biodiversity offset revenue to help restore meaningful habitats and landscapes at scale.

Shackleton: The Greatest Story of Survival

Shackleton: The Greatest Story of Survival reveals the true story of polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance, told by Tim as the leader of the only expedition team to have ever authentically repeated their incredible feat. The documentary uses Shackleton’s expedition narrative to talk to themes related to sustainability and how to apply outcome-focused, systems thinking tom managing complex issues related to the environment.

Corporate sustainability roles

Multiple roles including Marine Advisor to Patagonia Outdoor Co; Vitality Ambassador, AIA Health Insurance (Tim’s role is to show co-benefits of a healthy environment for individuals mental and physical wellbeing); and Environment Ambassador to BGIS global facility manager.