[3] His father being an accountant for the company that distributed Tiger Balm,[4] he grew up in Malaysia in the 1970s, and then attended United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) in Singapore.

[9][10] In 1999 he undertook, with fellow Australian explorer Peter Treseder, the fastest unsupported journey to the Geographic South Pole, taking just 47 days.

[3] The construction of the replica James Caird ("an open boat not much bigger than a rowboat"[3]) was started in June 2008 and was finished in 2010, and was officially launched on 18 March 2012 in Dorset, England.

[citation needed] Members of the Shackleton's Epic crew were Nick Bubb, Barry "Baz" Gray, Paul Larson, Seb Coulthard, and Ed Wardle.

[15] Jarvis is also involved in various philanthropic ventures including as a former (until 2019) Board Member of Zoos SA (comprising Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Safari Park), fundraising work with Helping Rhinos (a UK charity aiming to save rhinoceros species from extinction[17]) as an Ambassador of the Australian Rhino Project, and his former role as councillor of the Australian Conservation Foundation.

The campaign was instrumental in helping secure the 475,000 km2 Macquarie Island Marine Sanctuary, declared by Australian Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek in 2023.

Jarvis says he is "committed to finding pragmatic solutions to global environmental sustainability issues", and as a public speaker he talks regularly about motivation, project management and change leadership to both individuals and organisations.

[28] Jarvis is the author of The Unforgiving Minute (2004), which recounts his expeditions to the North and South Poles as well as the crossing of several Australian deserts,[29] and Mawson – Life and Death in Antarctica, to accompany the 2008 DVD of the same name.

[30][31] His book Shackleton's Epic: Recreating the World's Greatest Journey of Survival, published by Harper Collins, was released in the UK and Australia in November 2013.

[38] The Forktree Project is a not-for-profit demonstration site of 133 acres (53 hectares) in South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula for large-scale rehabilitation and rewilding of agricultural land.

The project aims to be repeatable and scaleable and "show a way for private individuals to take direct action in contributing to a healthier planet by acting on climate change and improving biodiversity".

[39] It features a rare-seed orchard and nursery for growing rare native plants and trees for use at the Forktree site and other regeneration projects, and educates school groups via an in-house sustainability and wellbeing program.

[40] The program aims to "broaden and strengthen the leadership skills of emerging leaders from across the world as they work on progressing thinking on global issues and challenges".

[41] He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2010 for "service to conservation and the environment, particularly through advisory roles to developing countries regarding land sustainability and resource management, as an explorer, and to the community".

[47][6] In 2014 Jarvis was a patron of NaturePlaySA (South Australia), an organisation established to increase the time children spend in unstructured play outdoors and in nature to improve their fitness, problem solving ability, emotional resilience and mental wellbeing.

[54][6] Jarvis was made 2024 Australian of the Year for South Australia on 1 November 2023 in recognition of his environmental work, including leading the ForkTree Project in the state's Fleurieu Peninsula.