Sacha Dench is an Australian biologist, conservationist and adventurer.[1] In 2016, she set a Guinness World Record as the first woman to cross the English Channel by paramotor.[2] She is the recipient of the Britannia Trophy and winner of the Green Swan Award.[3]

Career

In 2016, Dench flew 7000 kilometres across 11 countries in a paramotor, for the purpose of tracking the migrating Bewick's swan from the Russian Arctic to the UK. During that time, she was working as a biologist for Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.[4]

She is the co-founder and CEO of Conservation Without Borders and, in 2020,[5] became a UN Ambassador for Migratory Species.[4][6]

In October 2018, she gave a TED talk entitled "The Human Swan" about finding your own passion.[7] In February 2020, she gave a similar talk to the Scientific Exploration Society.[8]

Her career as a biologist focused mainly on marine turtles, and she won the Australian free diving championship while diving for her work.[9]

In June 2021, it was announced that Dench would be making a 3,000-mile (4,800-kilometre), using a battery-powered adapted paramotor, to mark the COP26 UN climate conference.[10] The journey was to start in near Glasgow on 21 June and take approximately six weeks to complete.[11] July saw Dench flying above Cumbria before heading towards the coast of Wales, having received the support, amongst others, of actress Joanna Lumley.

On 20 September 2021, Dench was seriously injured in a crash in the Scottish Highlands, which was caused by two paramotors colliding. The pilot of the other aircraft, a cameraman, was killed.[12]

Following a long recovery period due to the extent of her injuries, in 2022 Dench began the Flight of Osprey Expedition.[citation needed]

Media

Dench's biology research and travel has been covered by the BBC, The Guardian and Radio 4.[13][14] Her work has also been covered by National Geographic.[15]

Awards

  • 2018 - Britannia Trophy for Flight of the Swans. Not received by a woman since 1967.[16]
  • 2001 - British National Depth record for freediving - World Freediving Championships.[17]
  • 2023 - judging panel for 2023 Shackleton medal.[18]

References

  1. ^ Odell, Michael. "Sacha Dench: the woman who flies with swans". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  2. ^ ""Human Swan" Sacha Dench sets record crossing the English Channel". Guinness World Records. 2020-10-10. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  3. ^ "Sacha Dench in Round Britain Guinness World Record Climate Challenge by electric paramotor". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 2020-12-02..
  4. ^ Turns, Anna (2020-07-03). "'Human swan' to take flight on new mission to follow migrating ospreys". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  5. ^ Nick (2020-02-24). "WEM19 Speaker Sacha Dench Appointed as UN Ambassador for Migratory Species". worldextrememedicine.com. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  6. ^ "Sacha Dench Appointed as CMS Ambassador at COP13 | Raptors". www.cms.int. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  7. ^ Dench, Sacha, "The human swan", retrieved 2020-12-02
  8. ^ "SES Explorer Talk: Sacha Dench - The Human Swan". Eventbrite. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  9. ^ "Flying with swans: Conservationist Sacha Dench" (in en-nz). RNZ. 2020-09-19. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  10. ^ "'Human swan' to make 3,000-mile UK flight to raise climate awareness". The Guardian. 2021-06-18. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  11. ^ Howie, Michael (2021-06-18). "'Human swan' set to fly around mainland Britain". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  12. ^ "Conservationist injured and cameraman killed in air crash". BBC News. 20 September 2021.
  13. ^ "SHACKLETON MEDAL // MEET SACHA DENCH". Shackleton. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  14. ^ "British film stars lead support for first ever lone female expedition to save Europe's smallest swans". Birding24/7. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  15. ^ @NatGeoUK (2022-08-23). "Meet the adventurer: ‘human swan’ Sacha Dench on tracing bird migration paths from Siberia to South Africa". National Geographic. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  16. ^ "WWT's Sacha Dench receives Britannia Trophy for Flight of the Swans". WWT. 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  17. ^ Sparreboom, Vincent (2015-12-22). "Champion Freediver and Conservationst Sacha Dench is going on a 7,242km Journey.". Freedive Academy Panglao. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  18. ^ "Shackleton Medal 2023 | For the Protection of the Polar Regions". Shackleton. Retrieved 2023-10-07.