In this episode, Volker Hahn talks to Carlo Rondinini, Professor of Zoology at Sapienza University of Rome, about wolves, beavers, otters, hedgehogs, jackals, and the global fate of mammals. They explore why some species are making remarkable comebacks in Europe, while one quarter of mammals worldwide are at risk of extinction. And although the threats are complex — from habitat loss and overexploitation to climate change — Rondinini says one solution matters more than almost anything else.

Related links:

Carlo Rondinini at the Gobal Mammal Assessment: https://globalmammal.org/staff/carlo-rondinini-2/

Wild mammals are making a comeback in Europe thanks to conservation efforts: https://ourworldindata.org/europe-mammal-comeback

Almost all of the world’s mammal biomass is humans and livestock: https://ourworldindata.org/wild-mammals-birds-biomass

Global trends and scenarios for terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystem services from 1900 to 2050: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adn3441#tab-contributors

How many bird and mammal extinctions has recent conservation action prevented?: https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.12762

Global protected areas seem insufficient to safeguard half of the world's mammals from human-induced extinction: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2200118119