Niall McCann
on Borderless Adventure and Exploring
“There was really nothing else I was going to do with my life. My bigger picture was just to go to the jungle, I didn’t really know how I was going to make a career out of that. The career path for most people is more of a wiggle than a straight line when you look back at it.”
Niall McCann fell in love with adventure at a young age. The wiggle turned him into a National Geographic Explorer, conservationist and award-winning broadcaster. He is the Director of National Park Rescue, a direct-action conservation organisation protecting some of the most threatened national parks in Africa, and sits on the Expert Advisory Panel for The Earthshot Prize.
No wonder, as he has been exposed to the thrill of exploring with his father being head of seal research for the British Antarctic Survey, his mother a conservationist, and his grandfather winning the Founder's Medal from the Royal Geographical Society. He decided to stand on the shoulders of his family giants while creating his own footsteps.
Niall has spearheaded anti-poaching operations in some of the most dangerous countries on Earth and led biological research expeditions to un-surveyed parts of the planet. Long story short, two biking trips in the Himalayas, canoeing the Yukon River, big wall climbing in the USA and Europe, man-hauling across Greenland, rowing the Atlantic, ski-mountaineering, ice climbing or speed flying in the Caledonian Alps.
TV also came calling for his charisma. He had the chance to bring his passion to a wider audience as a presenter and narrator, as he appeared on the BBC, PBS, National Geographic, Animal Planet, and the Discovery Channel.
However, the biggest adventure happened seven years ago when Niall turned his life around and defied doctors’ expectations: “I hobbled up to the summit of Pen y Fan where I had nearly died. After crashing and breaking my back in five places, I was told I might never walk again and that I should forget about doing all the things I enjoyed doing. This was absolutely unacceptable. I decided that the first big walk I wanted to do was back up to the top of Pen y Fan.”
We don’t know how much strength we have in us, but imagination is borderless. And that’s what pulls us to the surface: “People with spinal cord injuries are used to being told what they can’t do, not what they can do. The Pen y Fan walk was slow and painful, but intensely rewarding. Accidents can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere.” Today, Niall even volunteers for the mountain rescue team who saved his life!
Life can surprise us in magical ways when we meet her halfway and we allow ourselves to become our own Inspirators.
Thank you, Niall, for being a Borderless Adventurer!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Dr. Niall McCann
Company / Institution: National Park Rescue
Title: Director
Website: www.niallmccann.com / www.nationalparkrescue.org
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niall-mccann-5805a4147
Country of origin: Canada
Country you currently live in: United Kingdom
Your personal definition of Regeneration: Regeneration means actually building back, leaving the world in a better state than you find it in. Sustainability isn’t enough, we must be regenerative in our actions.
Main business challenge you face: Fundraising for an environmental charity during a cost of living crisis.
Main driver that keeps you going: The determination to have a positive impact on the planet in as many ways as possible.
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: That I’m a good person!
The trait you most value in others: Positivity.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: I’m deeply passionate about nature and adventure, and love to combine these passions whenever possible.
The #inspirators who determined you to take the regenerative path:
Obvious inspirators include public figures such as David Attenborough and Yvon Chouinard, but like most people, it has been private figures: friends, relatives and colleagues, who have had the biggest impact on my life and helped me forge a regenerative path.
Particular thanks must be reserved to my PhD Viva Examiner, whose evisceration of my thesis convinced me that I was much better off leaving academia and becoming a frontline conservationist!
A hint or starting point for companies or professionals that are taking the first steps in the regeneration journey: Every step matters, and the second step is always easier than the first.
Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you: “Carbon offsets are the way to achieve Net Zero”. They absolutely are not, they are a tiny part of the solution.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope: There has never been a better time to be involved in environmental work: there are more jobs than ever, there is more understanding than ever, and there is more need than ever.
Books that had a great impact on you:
The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker.
This book demonstrates statistic after statistic, graph after graph, that the world is actually getting better in so many ways. The advances we have made in human health and other fields are astonishing, now we must turn our collective efforts into environmental health!
Must-reads for any regenerative professional:
Wilding by Isabella Tree.
Movies or Documentaries you would watch all over again: Virunga.
Blogs / Websites / Podcasts you visit frequently: The News Agents and The Rest is Politics.
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: Classic rock, baby!
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: Greenland and Guyana.
Global Regenerative Voices you recommend us to follow: Stop Ecocide International.
Trends in Regeneration we should keep an eye on: The use of the law to prosecute environmental crimes, particularly citizens suing their governments for failing to protect their futures through environmental legislation.
Best places for business networking (online or offline): LinkedIn, and any sustainability conference.
Associations, business clubs, tribes you belong to – and why: The Yes Tribe. It’s great to be surrounded by positive people.
Sustainable Development or Regeneration courses, trainings, or certifications that really teach us how to have an impact: B Corp and 1% for the Planet.
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: The rubicon has been crossed and the general direction of travel is in a sustainable direction, we just need to bring the dinosaurs along with us!
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: Regressive vested interests still have a grip over our politics.
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: Charisma, determination, empathy, positivity, pragmatism.
The #inspirator you are endorsing for a future edition of the newsletter is:
Vian Sharif
The quote that inspires you:
"There is no planet B!"
(Richard Branson)
Your own quote that will inspire us:
