Der Große Neustart

The age of watching is over. For more than 70 years, David Attenborough showed us the beauty of the natural world. But beauty doesn’t cut it anymore. Action does. Wildlife populations have declined by 73% in the past 50 years — and by 95% in Latin America. We are losing up to 150 species every day. There are more tigers in captivity than in the wild. Aldo Kane, former Royal Marine Sniper turned conservation filmmaker, ventures where few dare to follow in the new Apple TV+ documentary series The Wild Ones. Together with Declan Burley and Vianet Djenguet, he searches for the world’s most endangered species in remote jungles, scorching deserts, and high mountains — often in war zones and minefields. From tracking the rarest Gobi bear in Mongolia to capturing the elusive leopard in Armenia’s minefields, their work is not just about filming — it’s about changing the fate of species. The Wild Ones gather irrefutable evidence and deliver it directly to policymakers, the UN, conservation leaders, and governments who can create protected zones, deploy military patrols, and enforce anti-poaching laws. In this 60-minute conversation, Aldo shares how wildlife storytelling is evolving into direct conservation action — where everyone can make a difference — and why the future of our planet depends on it.

What happens when a city once defined by conflict becomes a global hub for responsible innovation? In this episode of Der Große Neustart speaks with Catalina Restrepo Carvajal, Executive Director of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) Medellín — the only C4IR in Latin America and part of a global network created in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. From AI education and digital health to ethical GovTech and climate-smart urban design, Catalina shares how Medellín is leading Latin America’s tech revolution — and what it means to build trust, inclusion, and public value through emerging technologies. A powerful conversation about dignity, systems change, and the future we choose to create.

This might be the moment you first hear about one of the most important — and least understood — places on Earth. Virunga National Park, nestled in the heart of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is Africa’s oldest national park and home to a third of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. It’s also a frontline of armed conflict, poverty, and ecological destruction — and yet, a bold transformation is underway. Emmanuel de Merode is building real-world systems change from the ground up, using hydroelectricity, microfinance, sustainable agriculture, and conservation to rebuild a war-torn economy. As Director of Virunga, he has spent 20 years turning a war zone into a blueprint for peace and prosperity through nature. In this episode, he speaks about: • Translating theory into electricity, jobs, cocoa, and peace • Why peace in eastern Congo requires economic dignity • How illegal charcoal and cocoa trades fund violence • Creating 21,000 green jobs and Congo’s first chocolate factory • Building the Kivu–Kinshasa Green Corridor — the world’s largest protected tropical forest reserve • How quiet, principled leadership can move mountains — literally “They weren’t killing the gorillas for the meat... They were killing them because the forest had become too valuable.” This is not just a story of conservation — it’s a masterclass in quiet leadership, moral clarity, and systemic change in one of the most fragile yet vital places on Earth.

In this moving and timely episode, Der Große Neustart welcomes Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR, the world’s largest agricultural research network—leading 9,000 scientists across 89 countries. CGIAR’s research powers 60% of the world’s wheat and 50% of its rice, and for over 50 years has shaped how the world grows food—securing food systems and lifting millions out of poverty. We speak with Dr. Elouafi about what it takes to feed 10 billion people in a world of climate shocks, shrinking biodiversity, and deep global inequality—and how science must be at the center of the solution. She reminds us: “Eight hundred million people go hungry today. With a 2-degree rise in temperature, that number could rise by 180 million. With a 4-degree rise? Two billion.” Topics we explore: - Why soil, science, and survival are inseparable - The launch of CGIAR’s new 2025–2030 global research portfolio - The promise of gene editing—and why it shows the need to democratize science - Why old models can’t guide our future in a time of irreversible biodiversity loss - The need for differentiated climate policy, with stark global disparities in consumption: Americans eat 128kg of meat/year Nigerians: 7kg, Indians: less than 1kg - Why we must diversify beyond a handful of crops: “There are 30,000 edible plants in the world. Why are we relying on just a few?” - How investing in women farmers unlocks food security and community transformation Recognized by The New York Times as one of 10 women redefining leadership, Dr. Elouafi offers not only scientific clarity, but a compelling call to action—grounded in public good, equity, and dignity. “We must design a system that benefits everyone—especially the most vulnerable.”