Sacha Dench has never had a greater sense of urgency to act on climate change than the day a huge fire front roared towards her family home in southern NSW.
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The conservationist, who grew up in Kiah south of Eden but moved to the United Kingdom more than a year ago, has been working to raise awareness of endangered species since 1997.
As a result of her conservation efforts, Ms Dench was appointed as an ambassador for the UN Convention on Migratory Species at a ceremony in India this week.
Weeks beforehand, she made the trip back to her family home to help pump thousands of litres of water into tanks as bushfires roared around them.
"There's nothing like standing in your wooden home in the Australian bush and looking at a 40-kilometre fire front to up the sense of urgency and to demonstrate how connected the biodiversity losses and our changing climate are," she told AAP.
The house, which was built by her mother and stepfather, was destroyed by the blaze in January.
Ms Dench says it's not the first time she's seen the impacts of climate change firsthand.
She is known as the "human swan" after her 7000km journey in a paramotor - also known as a powered paraglider - when she followed the Bewick's swan migration from Arctic Russia to the UK.
"I have seen firsthand the tragic decline of many migratory species - it is devastating to think this has largely happened in my lifetime," she said.
"Losing our home was devastating yet it's a drop in the ocean compared to the impacts of man-made climate change and habitat destruction on migratory wildlife across the planet as we decimate their global flyways and 'swimways'."
Ms Dench, who is also a co-founder of environmental group Conservation Without Borders, says the UN accolade was a "huge honour" and hopes it will give her greater opportunities to raise awareness of the issues facing migratory birds.
Her dream is to fly from Alaska to Russia, China and through Asia until she reaches home in Kiah.
"Flying in a paramotor is slow, but I can take off and land almost anywhere, and talk to people living around all the critical sites for birds," she said.
"That's where I can learn, share, and get inspired and see that people everywhere are generally good, and will help if you let them."
Australian Associated Press
