The Heart Atlas

14/01/2026

This article sheds heartbreaking insight onto the housing crisis in Byron Bay. As a community, surely we can find do something for these two fellows who have now lost everything? Fletcher Street Cottage

A bridge used daily by thousands of drivers is shut in northern NSW, after a fire beneath it destroys the camps of two homeless men with "nowhere else to go".

27/11/2025

What's going on in the water in Byron Bay? These images of turtles emerging from our waters, filled with plastic, parasites and covered in barnacles and algae are nothing short of shocking. The amazing team at Australian Seabird and Turtle Rescue have been rescuing between 5-10 turtles a week for the last few months and each turtle requires intensive care and recovery. I will be digging into this issue to try and understand why our marine life is suffering like this. Turtles, along with our other marine life, are indicators of our river and ocean health -- and these images are telling us what we need to know -- our waterways are struggling. Stay tuned www.theheartatlas.com for an article.

15/06/2025

A Comeback Story with a Caveat: Australia’s Humpback Whales

Whale season is my favourite season of the year. These images were shot over the last 24 hour hours aboard the Wild Byron vessel. Time spent with the whales is unspeakably special and something I feel is an absolute honour and privilege. These incredible creatures have had a wild and remarkable trajectory through history. And the humpback whales are undeniably one of Australia’s most phenomenal conservation comeback stories. But it’s a comeback with a caveat.

Some may not know, but whaling or whale hunting used to be a booming industry in Australia.

Between 1950 and 1962 nearly 12,500 humpback whales were killed and processed at whaling stations along the east coast including Byron Bay. Additionally, between 1960 and 1961 illegal hunting by Russian whaling ships in waters south of Australia and New Zealand killed around 24,000 whales and wiped out this entire population.

Over exploitation meant that every year the whalers were able to hunt less and less whales until by the 1960’s there were almost no whales left 😖. The whales had been hunted to the near brink of extinction.

In 1963 a ban on hunting humpbacks was established and they were protected worldwide in 1965 after it was recognised that there had been a dramatic decline in numbers globally.

And now, in 2025, the east coast of Australia will bear witness to around 40,000 humpback whales migrating to warmer waters to give birth to their calves.

Watching these mystical friendly giants glide through the water and throw themselves in the air as if they didn’t weigh 30,000 kg is an otherworldly sight. Not to mention the 5,000 kilometer migration they embark on each year. Their continued presence in our waters is a testament to the many people who fought for their safety and evidence of how nature can bounce back when adequately protected.

But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that these beautiful creatures are still facing a myriad of threats. From ship strikes to entanglements and water pollution, as well rampant overfishing of their primarily food source, krill in Antarctica, the whales need our continued advocacy and support. As we speak, their main food source and the foundation of so much of our ocean life is being hoovered up by supertrawler ships in Antarctica. And it’s not just whales who depend on krill, it’s the seals, the penguins, the fish and so much more. Without krill, the entire Southern Ocean could collapse.

Right now our seas and all of its inhabitants really need our help. So if you love the whales, I am going to share soon a few ways you can get involved in the global movement to help protect more of our ocean and these absolutely magnificent creatures. - Olivia, of The Heart Atlas

ORRCA WWF-Australia Pacific Whale Foundation Bob Brown Foundation The Wilderness Society

01/05/2025

On being hopeful, “I have a love hate relationship with people. I think people are heartbreakingly both the problem and the solution. Staying hopeful that when you see somebody or many somebodies being the problem knowing that your community, everything you’re doing everything that the people around you are doing is also the solution, is one of the reframes that helps to keep me hopeful and keeps me going” - Dr Kita Ashman.

I caught up with Dr. Kita Ashman this week, a threatened species and climate adaptation ecologist at World Wildlife Fund to discuss Australia’s nature laws, the plight of our forests, the heartbreaking news emerging from the Budj Bim national park around their koalas as well as how to get informed for this weekend’s election. I have been following her work for years and am continually inspired by her insights, advocacy and courage in all that she does.A little bit of background on some of our conversation as well as some resources to further your own research:

As some of you may know, koalas are only considered endangered, and thus protected by law, in *some* of Australia’s states. In Victoria, unlike in NSW, koalas are not considered endangered, despite their overall dwindling numbers and significantly reduced native habitat. On March 10th a fire broke out at the Budj Bim National Park in Victoria following a lightning strike.Following an estimated 1/3rd of the 5,500 hectare park burning, the government has made the decision to aerially shoot impacted koalas due to their injuries or the lack of remaining food.

There has been a huge public outcry after the news was reported that a shocking 1,000 koalas had been shot from the air.As many have mentioned, this action sets a nasty precedent for animal welfare in Australia, especially given how beloved, iconic and threatened koalas already are. Kita has done tremendous research and writing in this field around managing plantations and habitat more intentionally: Look up Kita Ashman on Google Scholar for a comprehensive list of her works.

If you would like to sign a petition by the Humane World for Animals Australia to demand an Inquiry into the management of blue gum plantations and koalas: https://hsi.org.au/take-action-for-koalas-budj-bim-national-park/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKBPGJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFLRHEyR1VTbHZHTk8zUFZqAR70WnazRbNRjHEpUHNMVyLKujST6IwMDOTJKmGGVfGmbYBKJpEQG59Iqu8cAw_aem_XjZJBvz8aU0pk2PB_zAkCA

And if you’re voting this weekend here are three resources to help inform your vote:

1.) https://www.buildaballot.org.au/

2.) https://wwf.org.au/get-involved/choose-nature/nature-commitment-survey/

3.) https://www.tiktok.com//video/7488936053852638471 | x The Heart Atlas

10/04/2025

Hi all, it’s been a while since I provided an update on my documentary, Out of the Mud, and I wanted to pop on here to fill you all in on what’s been happening.

As some of you might know, I spent years working on completing a feature length documentary entitled Out of the Mud, centred on the Northern Rivers floods. It was a story that captured my heart as I interviewed residents from around the Northern Rivers in the wake of the 2022 floods, documenting their recovery as well of that of our broader communities and ecosystems. In addition, I volunteered, fundraised for survivors, delivered supplies and met with the government to advocate for those who had been impacted.

I worked tirelessly to get this project properly off the ground and funded. But the project proved extraordinarily difficult, ending up in competition for funding, with a number of other documentaries about the floods that emerged after this event. Additionally, finding myself continually immersed in a community collectively traumatized, took a huge toll on my health.

After much contemplation I realized that things were not moving in the right direction and I needed to pivot the project, significantly.

In the process of developing and researching for this film and through the 50+ interviews I undertook, I’d learned so much about the challenges we are facing, not just as a region but really as a species.

What crystallized for me was that we are profoundly out of touch with the rhythms and boundaries of the natural world. And the floods are but a symptom of our greater disconnect from nature, as are the fires, and the cyclones, the droughts, and even the pandemic.

After many discussions with various mentors and colleagues I decided to pivot my project into a six-part solutions focused docu-series. Episode 1 will be focused on the Adaptation of the Northern Rivers, the community I currently call home and care for deeply. Subsequent episodes will explore diverse stories of adaptation and regeneration across Australia, highlighting communities, innovators, and Indigenous leaders who are reshaping our relationship with the natural world.

The Rising Wild will uplift and showcase nature’s power and wisdom while weaving stories of solution makers across this beautiful continent.

I will be looping back around with everyone who has offered footage, been interviewed by me, and also donated, to gauge whether they are still interested in being involved in the new vision for this project.

I am so grateful for everyone who helped with Out of the Mud, those who shared their stories and those who volunteered their time and skills to help bring it to life. While this project is changing shape, the vision endures, to tell stories that shine a light on the very real risks we face as well as highlight the very real and tangible solutions we have to the challenges we face.

Stay tuned for more on The Rising Wild. Thanks for being on this journey with me. -Olivia

26/03/2025

I was honoured to spend the last 10 days documenting a critical mission with ifaw, Friends of the Koala Inc., and the Northern Rivers Wildlife Network, to help our furry friends after Cyclone Alfred. It was a really heartening experience getting to document from beginning to end, the successful search and rescue of some of these flood muddied koalas who will now be able to thrive in the wild again. Our creatures really need us and this group of epic humans is doing the work! Thanks for having me. - Olivia Katz, photographer, writer, founder of impact focused storytelling platform The Heart Atlas

06/03/2025

It’s Thursday March 6, 2025. On the eve of cyclone Alfred making landfall in SE QLD. Every few minutes I’m alerted to a new evacuation zone across the Northern Rivers. Last week, we commemorated the three year anniversary of the catastrophic Northern Rivers Floods. We are far more prepared than we were three years ago but the heartbreaking reality is that so many in this region remain displaced and in disrepair, three years later. Most have barely begun to recover from what happened in 2022 and now we are anticipating a storm system that is typically only seen farther north - a tropical cyclone. The satellite images of cyclone Alfred are terrifying.

While some purport that this storm is ‘unprecedented’, this is precisely what climate scientists have been predicting for years. More frequent, intense and erratic storms. My heart aches for everyone in the path of Alfred, our low lying communities... and all of our precious critters. I am thinking about the 50 some people I interviewed after the floods and wondering how each of them are faring tonight. It feels like we are in suspended animation, awaiting Alfred’s arrival, praying for the best, preparing for the worst.

This afternoon, I went to check on some of my favourite wild koalas. I found little buddy clinging to a tiny branch, drenched and looking exhausted. It hurt my heart. The storm hasn’t even made landfall yet.

I keep wondering, how bad does this have to get, for those in power to wake up to the reality of climate change? And realize that we are wholly dependent on the health of our planet — our one and only home. These images were shot over the last two days in Byron Bay. Standing near the ocean right now, her rage is palpable. And rightfully so.

21/02/2025

In October of 2024, I was invited to take part in an incredible citizen science initiative to survey the Great Barrier Reef. To say I was excited, is an understatement.

The Great Barrier Reef is arguably Australia’s most famous natural wonder. This Unesco World Heritage listed ecosystem spans 2,300 kilometers of the northeastern coast of Australia and is the largest coral reef system in the world!! Home to over 1,600 species of fish, 6 of the 7 species of marine turtles, 450 variety of hard corals, 1,000 species of soft corals, 30 species of whales and dolphins, a thriving population of dugongs, and 133 species of sharks and rays, it is one of the most biodiverse and complex ecosystems in the world.

Drawing approximately 2.9 million tourists every year this ecological jewel is also a significant source of income for Australia’s tourism industry.

I had briefly visited the Great Barrier Reef many years before but this was to be a full immersion in the life and landscape on the reef along with a crew of marine biologists and on a trip that aimed to help the reef, so I was truly thrilled.

The itinerary would take us to the most southern edges of the reef, The Capricorn Bunker Group, where we would survey North, East, South and West of as many reefs as possible, collecting reconnaissance images to then submit to a census survey where our images would be analysed for bleaching, cyclone impacts, and crown of thorn starfish.

We were the first crew to do a major survey of this portion of the reef since the last large bleaching event had been announced on the Great Barrier Reef in March of 2024, so none of us knew in what state we would find the reef. (continued in comments)

The waters were spectacular, the most vivid turquoise you can imagine. And we were visited by dolphins, manta rays, turtles, and even a few cheeky sharks.

However, life under the seas surface revealed a truth none of us could deny. Survey site after survey site revealed that the Capricorn Bunker Group had, on the whole, not been able to recover since the bleaching event. During our expedition we witnessed ongoing bleaching even though it was winter (when waters should have been much cooler) and a mass mortality of its coral reefs. The trip was a shocker and I spent more occasions than I can count, crying into my snorkel and mask.

This famous natural wonder. This UNESCO heritage area. This irreplaceable habitat for thousands of plants and animals. And this place that Australia advertises and markets to the rest of the world. How could it be? It was hard to make sense of.

It’s taken me months to get this video finished and it’s far from perfect but this story feels deeply important to me. Our most precious ecosystems are on the chopping blocks of climate change.

I spoke to a survey group who had surveyed reefs farther north in Queensland and was heartened to hear that they had documented a myriad of healthy and thriving reefs, including a number of mother reefs – which can help reseed other damaged reefs.

It’s possible that because these southern reefs that we visited were often sheltered from the impacts of bleaching, that they were less resilient in the face of this recent event, and as such, couldn’t survive.

It is possible that in time the Capricorn Bunker Group could recover but given the state we saw it in, it would take many, many years. And its recovery would depend on water temperatures stabilising.

During my research on the reef I learned that over 90% of the excess heat caused by climate change in Australia is absorbed by the ocean, with sea surface temperatures around the continent warming by approximately 1 degree Celsius since 1910. And the most significant warming occurring in recent decades. The science has shown us that this warming is directly linked to increased greenhouse gas emissions.
It’s so tricky sharing this kind of news because I know it is heartbreaking and as someone that personally struggles with eco-anxiety I know viscerally just how overwhelming and paralyzing this kind of news can be. But at the same, I do believe the truth can be a catalyst for action and restoration. And without truth we are really in trouble.

All is not lost for the reef but we MUST reduce our emissions and work towards limiting global heating events, as well as do absolutely everything we can to conserve and protect this ecosystem. As I mention in my video, there are numerous stellar organisations working to help our reefs and they can always use more volunteers, donations, and outspoken advocates for their work. Secondly, this federal election is going to be a big one in Australia and places like the Reef really hang in the balance. If you love the Great Barrier Reef, please remember this underwater world when you vote this year. Action truly is the best antidote to despair and I deeply believe that people power can change the planet. I’ll be publishing an article on this shortly on the Heart Atlas site but wanted to get this video up in the meantime. This is highly imperfect as I am currently teaching myself how to shoot video and edit but it's got heart and at the end of the day perhaps that's I think what matters most. Thanks for checking it out

In October of 2024, I was invited to take part in an incredible citizen science initiative to survey the Great Barrier Reef. To say I was excited, is an und...

10/07/2024

The Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital desperately needs our help to keep their doors open and continue treating our vulnerable native wildlife. This non-profit does invaluable work for our animals and treats thousands every year. Please consider sharing their Chuffed campaign.

Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital, the only all-species wildlife hospital in northern New South Wales, is facing a critical funding crisis and needs to raise funds urgently to continue providing its wildlife veterinary service. With a 70% increase in wildlife patients, the costs of veterinary care have sk...

13/02/2024

We must remember, we are tied to one another, inextricably linked, beyond borders drawn in the sand, religions, skin colours and languages. We breathe the same air, our feet touch the same ground, it is one bright sun that shines on all of us. Each life on earth is precious and deserving of protection, of kindness, of all that it requires to thrive. We are one humanity on this blue planet spinning in space. I am praying for peace with every cell in my body, as my heart shatters for the Middle East. We have so lost our way. This violence must end. We must remember, we are kin. 🕊️

26/10/2023

Let me tell you a few things about my favorite furry friends, the Australian koala. 🐨 People think they sleep all the time because they’re “high” but actually they eat large quantities of eucalyptus which have toxic compounds in them, making them sleepy. Some would say that koalas are really important fire mitigators because Australia’s eucalyptus trees carry heavy fuel loads and burn easily. Koalas often move slowly but if you watch them long enough they can also run incredibly fast! Their habitat has been horribly fragmented in Australia and they were recently upgraded from vulnerable to endangered 💔. I’ve always got my eyes to the sky when I’m taking walks because I’m very lucky to live in a region that still has koalas. Yesterday on my walk home in Bangalow I spotted a koala in a large eucalyptus, high, high up! He was wee and very fluffy. I worried about him because there are no other koala feed trees nearby and he will have to cross a variety of roads and run up a massive hill to get to more trees he can munch on. There are also heaps of dogs around and dog attacks are a serious issue for koalas here. Koalas really need a host of trees to be able to survive, as each tree’s leaves are slightly different in composition and rotating keeps their gut biome in order. I think that’s all true stuff. I really do love koalas and wish that we could do better protecting their critical habitats. ❤️🐨