ADVENTURER and environmental scientist Tim Jarvis shared tales of his journeys to both Polar Regions and the threats they face from climate change at Perth Zoo last week.

The lecture and question time with high school students for the zoo’s Biology Day was one stop on Mr Jarvis’ tour of Australia as a guest speaker on National Science Week.

Tim Jarvis with students from Churchlands Senior High School.

Since 1997 Mr Jarvis, 44, has trekked through some of the world’s harshest terrain, giving him a unique understanding of the state of the environment and the limits of human endurance.

“I’m attracted to desolate places,” he said.

“It strips back the noise and gets to what you’re capable of doing..

“You can overstate the importance of communication. I enjoy having no help or support, it’s more challenging.

“I’ve always wanted to push my limits because most people live so far inside them. The best way to learn is to find out for yourself.”

Most of Mr Jarvis’ presentations covered his 2007 re-creation of Douglas Mawson’s 1912-13 Antarctic trek which cost the life of Mawson’s two colleagues and nearly Mawson himself.

In an attempt to make the expedition as close to Mawson’s as possible, Mr Jarvis pulled a sled of supplies for 500km over 93 days living off dehydrated food and kangaroo jerky with historical equipment including a reindeer skin sleeping bag.

“For 17 days I wrote in my diary that it was the hardest day of my life. I don’t know where I got the resolve to carry on from, I guess fear of not being able to continue,” he said.

Despite eating about 7200 calories a day, he lost 20kg. He said it takes a year to fully recover from each trip and 12-15 hours a week of training in the six months before to prepare.

Mr Jarvis’ next expedition will retrace the 1916 voyage of Ernest Shackleton from Elephant Island to South Georgia Island in a wooden rowboat.

Mr Jarvis also explained the effects of climate change on the places he visits, something he does when making speeches for businesses.

“It’s a good vehicle for the message. Corporations sadly don’t listen to qualifications but they do like to hear a bit of a boy’s own adventure, so you can get the message across by stealth.

 “It’s ironic that Shackleton was trying to save his men from the Antarctic and now we’re trying to save the Antarctic from man.”