ZSL Wild Science Podcast

Reptiles - lizards, snakes, turtles and crocodilians – make up almost one third of all land vertebrate species on Earth, and also occur in many marine and freshwater systems. Yet despite their amazing diversity, reptiles remain hugely underrepresented in conservation research and action, when compared to mammals, birds, and even amphibians. In this episode, our host Ellie Darbey finds out from four fantastic reptile experts how this is changing through increased global efforts to put reptiles on the conservation map. What key advances in species assessments have already made an impact for reptile conservation? How does ZSL's science and conservation work directly contribute to protecting reptiles in the wild? And wait…where is Monni?

Guests:

• Dr Monika Böhm, Freshwater Coordinator, Indianapolis Zoo Global Center for Species Survival.
• Dr Rikki Gumbs, EDGE Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Zoological Society of London.
• Emmanuel Amoah, Executive Director, Threatened Species Conservation Alliance (THRESCOAL).
• Benjamin Tapley, Head of the Reptile Team, Zoological Society of London.

Overview

01:38 – Ellie welcomes the first guest, Dr Monni Böhm, to discuss how assessments like the IUCN Sampled Red List Index and Global Assessment of Reptile Distributions are essential for advancing the agenda for reptilian conservation.

14:30 – Dr Rikki Gumbs joins the podcast to talk about the reptilian Tree of Life, and the purpose and impact of ZSL's EDGE of Existence programme.

24:08 – Emmanuel Amoah discusses the aims of Ghanaian NGO, THRESCOAL, set up following his EDGE Fellowship, and how community-led conservation can be used to help protect the West African slender-snouted crocodile.

33:32 – Ellie is joined by the final guest, Benjamin Tapley, who provides an overview of the contribution of zoos to conservation in the wild, using the example of the Big-Headed Turtle project in Vietnam.

46:25 – All four guests provide their recommendations for the next step in reptile conservation.

Resources

• The IUCN Sampled Red List Index: zsl.org/global-biodiversity-monitoring/indicators-and-assessments-unit/the-sampled-red-list-index
• Global Reptile Assessment: natureserve.org/conservation-tools/projects/global-reptile-assessment
• The Global Assessment of Reptile Distributions: gardinitiative.org/
• Indianapolis Zoo: indianapoliszoo.com/conservation/
• ZSL's EDGE of Existence Programme: edgeofexistence.org/
• Imperial College London's Grantham Institute: https://granthaminstitute.com/
• THRESCOAL: threscoal.org/
• Emmanuel's ZSL EDGE project page: edgeofexistence.org/fellow/emmanuel-amoah/
• ZSL London Zoo Reptile House: zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/exhibits/reptile-house
• ZSL online Science and Conservation Event: zsl.org/science/whats-on/putting-reptiles-on-the-map-zsl-science-for-reptilian-conservation
• Related ZSL Wild Science podcast episodes: zsl.org/zsl-wild-science-podcast
  • #007: Ten years on the EDGE of Existence
  • #010: Species in the red: behind the scenes of the IUCN Red List
  • #015: Biodiversity indicators: getting the measure of biodiversity and what it all means

Coral reefs are the most biodiverse marine ecosystems in the world, and more than 500 million people worldwide rely on coral reefs for their livelihoods, food security, and coastal protection. However, coral reefs are impacted by several threats, including rises in sea-surface temperature due to climate change. Join Monni as she navigates these unique underwater ecosystems with the help of five fantastic coral connoisseurs. How can new technologies be used to protect and preserve coral reefs for the future? Why is connectivity important? And which fascinating fact will make your brain (coral) explode?

Guests:

• Dr Catherine Head, Institute of Zoology, ZSL and University of Oxford
• Dr Jamie Craggs FLS, Horniman Museum & Gardens and Natural History Museum, London
• Dr James Guest, Newcastle University
• Dr Rosa van der Ven, Wageningen University
• Dr Chris Yesson, Institute of Zoology, ZSL

Overview

01:05 – Monni is joined by the co-host of this episode, Dr Catherine Head, an expert in applied ecology and evolution in marine ecosystems, particularly coral reefs, and how tools like population genetics can help conserve them.

05:29 – First up, Monni and Catherine welcome Dr Jamie Craggs, to discuss how captive breeding techniques in aquaria can be used for coral conservation.

14:40 – Dr James Guest joins the podcast to talk about his work with 'Coral Assist', a project which examines the feasibility of using "assisted gene flow" and selective breeding to assist corals in the face of climate change.

24:14 – Dr Rosa van der Ven discusses genetic connectivity of corals between reefs, and explains why connectivity is important for their conservation.

30:52 – Monni and Catherine are joined by their final guest, Dr Chris Yesson, cold water coral expert, to discuss how genetic techniques like coral barcoding are used to identify corals in aquaria, and how this can be useful coral conservation.

Resources

• Project Coral: https://www.horniman.ac.uk/project/project-coral/
• Coral Assist: https://www.coralassistlab.org/
• ZSL Wild Science Podcast #011 Can we still save coral reefs and what if we don't?: https://www.zsl.org/zsl-wild-science-podcast
• ZSL's work with coral reefs in the Chagos Archipelago: https://www.zsl.org/regions/uk-overseas-territories/chagos-archipelago
• Bertarelli Foundation: https://www.fondation-bertarelli.org/

Hosted and edited by Dr Monni Böhm, ZSL Research Fellow, and produced by Eleanor Darbey, ZSL Scientific Events Coordinator.

After more than a year of Covid-19 impacting global populations, health systems and economies, one of the major questions being asked was how did this start, and how can we prevent it from happening again? As we humans increasingly disturb our planet's natural habitats and convert them to agricultural and urban areas, the way we interact with wildlife around us also changes. In this episode, Monni turns to a team of experts in wildlife diseases, to discuss this link between ecosystem degradation and infectious disease outbreaks. What makes an animal a good host for carrying zoonotic diseases? Can we predict and prevent infectious disease outbreaks in the future? And exactly what does a job as 'human bait' entail?

Guests:

• Dr Rory Gibb, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• Dr Christina Faust, Pennsylvania State University
• Dr Kimberly Fornace, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Overview

01:40 Monni welcomes Dr Rory Gibb, to discuss zoonotic hosts and their response to land-use change, and how we should move forward to help human health in the future.

18:28 Dr Christina Faust joins Monni to explore disease transmission, explaining where transmission is more likely to happen in different types of landscapes, and how this could be tracked to avoid future outbreaks in humans.

28:43 Monni is joined by the final guest, Dr Kimberly Fornace, to discuss the Monkey Bar project, and how different technologies such as drones and radio collars were used to monitor monkey malaria.

Hosted by Dr Monni Böhm, ZSL Research Fellow and produced by Eleanor Darbey, ZSL Scientific Events Coordinator.

Law breaking, such as poaching or fishing inside marine reserves, is a great challenge to conservationists because research is often complicated by ethics and data privacy. However, important technological progress has been made in recent years, especially in the fields of surveillance and vessel tracking. Join Monni as she finds out from a panel of experts how machine learning and technology developments in drones, infrared imaging, global positioning systems and cameras can help tackle wildlife crime. How can social science help us understand the motivations behind rule-breaking? And what rule is Monni so afraid of admitting that she once broke?

Guests:

• Dr Tom B Letessier, Research Fellow at the Institute of Zoology, ZSL
• Dr Kristina Boerder, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Dalhousie University
• Professor Serge Wich, Liverpool John Moores University
• Dr Colin Beale, Reader at the University of York
• Dr Ana Nuno, NOVA University Lisbon and University of Exeter

Overview

00:53 - Monni is joined by the co-host of today's episode, Dr Tom B Letessier, an expert in the use of drones and other technologies for marine protected area (MPA) surveillance, fisheries enforcement and megafauna monitoring.

03:49 - Monni and Tom welcome Dr Kristina Boerder to discuss the use of automatic identification systems (AIS) to track illegal activity of fishing vessels in MPAs.

17:48 - Professor Serge Wich joins the hosts to take the surveillance discussion on land, using drones and infrared cameras in tropical terrestrial ecosystems.

24:35 - Dr Colin Beale discusses how to tackle wildlife crime in Africa using algorithms to analyse evidence of illegal activity in the bush and inform ranger-led patrols.

33:44 - Monni and Tom are joined by their final guest, Dr Ana Nuno, to find out how social science can address rule breaking in conservation.

Resources:

• Guardian article on the use of technology to stop illegal trade: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/08/wildlife-trafficking-science-technology-come-to-rescue-end-illegal-trade
• Guardian article on drones and big datat: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/feb/18/drones-and-big-data-the-next-frontier-in-the-fight-against-wildlife-extinction
• Global Fishing Watch: https://globalfishingwatch.org/
• Link to New York Times article on Palau vs the Poachers: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/21/magazine/palau-vs-the-poachers.html
• Review of the Outlaw Ocean book: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/oct/02/the-outlaw-ocean-by-ian-urbina-review

Conservationists are working hard to stem global biodiversity loss. Yet, just like biodiversity itself, the conservation movement is very diverse, with a variety of ideas shaping its framing, purpose and application. In this episode, Monni and co-hosts Yara Shennan-Farpón, Helen Muller and Thalassa McMurdo Hamilton, speak with Dr Chris Sandbrook, co-creator of the Future of Conservation Survey, about some of the lessons learned from analysing the perspectives of nearly 10,000 conservationists from around the world. What could the future of conservation look like? And what would need to happen for us to get there?

Take the survey to find out and reflect on where you think the future of conservation lies: https://www.futureconservation.org/

Rewilding has emerged as a captivating, but controversial, concept in conservation. Depending on how rewilding is defined, it aims to increase "wildness" of nature, regenerate ecosystem functioning, develop self-sustaining ecosystems, or a combination of these. Join Monni as she finds out from the experts how real "wildness" can be achieved, and why now is an important time for the UK to be thinking about rewilding. What is even possible in places like the UK where we have quite limited space? Should people be part of rewilding? And why can the Tamworth Pig be considered the hippopotamus of the UK?

Madagascar is famed for its incredible biodiversity and charismatic lemurs, but has also seen extensive loss of natural habitat. Monni finds out from a panel of Madagascar aficionados what the island has been like in the past and what the challenges are for its surviving wildlife. How big is an elephant bird and its poo? What can old bones tell us? What are the ups and downs of conservation efforts on Madagascar? And why is the Madagascar pochard such a special bird?

This episode was recorded in November 2019

Small-scale fisheries (SSFs) provide around two-thirds of the world's catch intended for human consumption, and support 90% of employment in the fisheries sector, therefore should have a huge role to play in achieving some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite this, they are barely mentioned. Monni finds out from a panel of SSF a-fish-ionados why SSFs are being overlooked, what we can learn from them, and how we can better incorporate SSFs into policy, to meet human needs while safeguarding marine biodiversity. But where does gender come into this? And what is this creature that breeds like a plant but feeds like a carnivore?

For decades, conservationists, vets and farmers in the UK have been at loggerheads about the best way to manage bovine tuberculosis (bTB). This cattle disease is a huge burden on the farming industry and can pass between cattle and badgers, making it difficult to eradicate. In this episode, Monni teams up with bTB & badger specialists, to discuss badger vaccination as an alternative to culling operations - the current approach to controlling the disease in England. How do the two approaches compare in terms of effectiveness, practicality and cost? How can the disease be eradicated? And what on earth is a Goodger©?

Human-induced urbanisation, invasive species and land clearing are changing the environment at a far quicker pace than animals are able to evolve. Cognitive mechanisms can play a crucial role in determining how well animals adapt to this change. In this episode, Monni and a team of experts explore how integrating cognitive mechanisms into conservation strategies offers a new approach to enable animals to adapt and survive. How can cognition play a role in caring for our animals at ZSL London Zoo? Why do some baboons think they're being stalked? And will Monni ever learn?