Researcher Loyiso Dunga aka the “Kelp Keeper” features prominently in the first episode of a six- part documentary, “Free Range Humans – Nature Is Calling”, which is produced by Corona Studios.
The YouTube series focuses on six individuals who are mobilised to find meaningful ways of giving back to nature and, in so doing, help save the planet, its diverse ecosystems and marine life.
In the first episode, “Kelp Keeper”, Dunga shares his over a decade-long experience in maintaining and preserving the underwater kelp forests.
“For millennia, these marine jungles have benefited humans as they produce more than half the oxygen in the atmosphere and help sustain us. Today, kelp forests of the world are facing degradation at a crucial time where our connection with mother nature has been largely severed.
“To turn this tide, we must remember who we are and in turn hold the line. I feel incredibly blessed knowing that I am doing something that fulfils my purpose and is doing good for the planet,” Dunga explains.
Shot in six countries, “Free Range Humans – Nature Is Calling” also features French Polynesian environmentalist Maoritai Tehito, who has dedicated his life to saving what remains of the world’s corals; Jessica Hutchinson, a Canadian working to restore Pacific salmon ecosystems which have been lost to habitat destruction and over-fishing; Santiago Figuero, a Chilean who works to save endangered desert cacti habitats.
Martina Alvarez, who is a Mexican/Argentinian mix, is a shark advocate who dives with the ocean’s most feared predator to bring awareness to their plight (over 100+M sharks are killed annually due to illegal fishing); and, last but not least, there is Zeniton “Tinho” Perreira, a Brazilian who has dedicated the last 18 years of his life to protecting turtles, one of the ocean’s most endangered species.
Melanie Nicholson, marketing manager at Corona said the series is an attempt to bring legitimacy to the call for protecting natural spaces – both urban and wild.
“Sometimes saving the environment seems overwhelming but we all can do something to protect the planet and ”Free Range Humans – Nature Is Calling“ is about six people who are doing just that by illustrating that being immersed in nature directly benefits our well-being, including happier and more creative lives,” said Nicholson.