When you visit the World Wildlife Fund's list of critically endangered species, the first animals named are large, beloved mammals like the African Forest Elephant and the Eastern Lowland Gorilla. While these majestic creatures tug at our heartstrings, there are also a lot of smaller, more unsung organisms that are in grave risk of extinction, like the lowly freshwater mussel. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak to environmental writer, John Platt, the editor of The Revelator to talk about some of the less glamorous animals that have recently been declared extinct or are on the brink of extinction. First, we take a deep dive into the plight of the ivory-billed woodpecker, a regal swamp-dwelling bird whose demise may or may not have been premature. Then we discuss why Hawaii is referred to by some naturalists as the extinction capital of the world, and look at the ethical quandaries presented by the emerging field of resurrection biology, also known as de-extinction.

00:02 Narrator - This is Sea Change Radio covering the shift to sustainability. I'm Alex Wise.

00:18 John Platt (JP) - The domino effect happens all the time throughout the ecosystem and that's why we're facing major declines right now because it's just a bit of attrition as one thing falls, another falls right behind it.

00:32 Narrator - When you visit the World Wildlife Fund's list of critically endangered species, the first animals named are large, beloved mammals like the African Forest Elephant and the Eastern Lowland Gorilla. While these majestic creatures tug at our heartstrings, there are also a lot of smaller, more unsung organisms that are in grave risk of extinction, like the lowly freshwater mussel. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak to environmental writer, John Platt, the editor of The Revelator to talk about some of the less glamorous animals that have recently been declared extinct or are on the brink of extinction. First, we take a deep dive into the plight of the ivory-billed woodpecker, a regal swamp-dwelling bird whose demise may or may not have been premature. Then we discuss why Hawaii is referred to by some naturalists as the extinction capital of the world, and look at the ethical quandaries presented by the emerging field of resurrection biology, also known as de-extinction.

01:50 Alex Wise (AW) - I'm joined now on Sea Change Radio by John Platt. John is the editor of the Revelator. John, welcome to Sea Change Radio.

01:57 John Platt (JP) - Glad to be here.

02:00 AW - So for folks who didn't hear our first interview on Sea Change Radio, why don't you explain the mission of your work at the Revelator, chronicling extinction events and wildlife in general?

02:14 John Platt (JP) - Sure, the Revelator is an independent, editorially independent news and commentary site. We're published by the Center for Biological Diversity, and we cover a lot of the things you'd expect from an environmental site, endangered species, climate change, environmental justice. We try to tell stories that aren't being told in other places and try to give bigger context and get a bigger picture story. Not a little news story about a study that's going to come and go in five seconds, but stuff that's going to have a long life and stuff that's going to influence people who are very educated and aware of environmental issues, who are very passionate about it and active in it, people who are activists, scientists, legislators, people who can use the information we publish to make a difference.

02:59 Alex Wise (AW) - And it's not as sexy as the people who cover a specific endangered species going off into the most remote parts of the world to do the real legwork into trying to track these animals. But I think equally important is the work that you do which is trying to be like a central database for all of these species that are on the brink of extinction or extinct, but also carving narratives and trying to tell a story about each indivi...