The Case for Conservation Podcast Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:59:00 +0900 http://www.case4conservation.com en-us © 2026 The Case for Conservation Podcast yes bf346a97-5e3a-5c31-8074-a56cf442a537 www.case4conservation.com episodic false The case for conserving nature and its biodiversity needs to be robust and credible. Sometimes that requires a willingness to re-examine conventional wisdom.

Monthly episodes of The Case for Conservation Podcast feature introspective conversations with fascinating experts - from ecologists to economists, young professionals to Nobel laureates,  journalists to media personalities.

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) biodiversity, nature, ecology www.case4conservation.com https://storage.buzzsprout.com/3tco8hffbf3lrsma9es2ttqlv3n7?.jpg The Case for Conservation Podcast http://www.case4conservation.com Andre 66. Do We Need to Collaborate Less? (Örjan Bodin) 66. Do We Need to Collaborate Less? (Örjan Bodin) Collaboration is one of the most widely accepted ideas in environmental governance. When faced with a complex problem, the instinct is almost always to bring stakeholders together and work toward a shared solution. When that process fails the response is often to “collaborate harder”. But what if that instinct is sometimes counterproductive? What if the sheer number of collaborative initiatives is stretching participants so thin that none of them achieve very much? And what if the conflicts that collaboration is supposed to resolve are actually being deepened by the process itself?

To explore these questions, I spoke with previous guest Örjan Bodin, Professor at the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University. Örjan's research examines how networks of actors collaborate — or fail to collaborate — around environmental problems, and what determines whether those efforts lead to meaningful outcomes. We discuss why collaboration is not always the best response to every problem, how conflict and cooperation coexist, the role of power imbalances in shaping outcomes, why trust takes far longer to build than most initiatives allow for, and whether the small, incremental wins that feel unsatisfying might actually be the best path to lasting progress.

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Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Collaboration is one of the most widely accepted ideas in environmental governance. When faced with a complex problem, the instinct is almost always to bring stakeholders together and work toward a shared solution. When that process fails the response is often to “collaborate harder”. But what if that instinct is sometimes counterproductive? What if the sheer number of collaborative initiatives is stretching participants so thin that none of them achieve very much? And what if the conflicts that collaboration is supposed to resolve are actually being deepened by the process itself?

To explore these questions, I spoke with previous guest Örjan Bodin, Professor at the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University. Örjan's research examines how networks of actors collaborate — or fail to collaborate — around environmental problems, and what determines whether those efforts lead to meaningful outcomes. We discuss why collaboration is not always the best response to every problem, how conflict and cooperation coexist, the role of power imbalances in shaping outcomes, why trust takes far longer to build than most initiatives allow for, and whether the small, incremental wins that feel unsatisfying might actually be the best path to lasting progress.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Buzzsprout-19100715 Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0900 3068 full false 65. Is knowledge enough for environmental governance? (Mark Neff) 65. Is knowledge enough for environmental governance? (Mark Neff) The relationship between science, policy, and society is often framed as a search for objective answers. In reality, it is shaped by partial perspectives and competing forms of knowledge. Why do certain perspectives dominate? Why is there such a persistent expectation that science can deliver answers to fundamentally political questions? And how do these dynamics affect trust in expertise?

To explore these questions, I spoke with Mark Neff, Professor at the College of the Environment at Western Washington University. Mark’s work sits at the intersection of environmental policy, science policy, and science and technology studies, focusing on how societies organize and use scientific knowledge in decision-making. We discuss the limits of scientific authority in a democracy, the tensions between different forms of knowledge, the risks of claiming certainty, and why acknowledging uncertainty may be essential to restore trust in science and policy.

Link to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> The relationship between science, policy, and society is often framed as a search for objective answers. In reality, it is shaped by partial perspectives and competing forms of knowledge. Why do certain perspectives dominate? Why is there such a persistent expectation that science can deliver answers to fundamentally political questions? And how do these dynamics affect trust in expertise?

To explore these questions, I spoke with Mark Neff, Professor at the College of the Environment at Western Washington University. Mark’s work sits at the intersection of environmental policy, science policy, and science and technology studies, focusing on how societies organize and use scientific knowledge in decision-making. We discuss the limits of scientific authority in a democracy, the tensions between different forms of knowledge, the risks of claiming certainty, and why acknowledging uncertainty may be essential to restore trust in science and policy.

Link to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-18928477 Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0900 3021 full false 64. Avoiding a sixth mass extinction is a weak case for conservation (John Wiens) 64. Avoiding a sixth mass extinction is a weak case for conservation (John Wiens) Biodiversity loss is an ongoing challenge, but some of the language we use to describe it may be on shakier ground than we realize. Are we really living through a “sixth mass extinction”? What does that phrase technically imply, and how well is it supported by the data? And what about climate change: how much species-level extinction can credibly be attributed to warming so far, and how do you attribute causes when multiple threats interact?

To explore these questions, I spoke with John Wiens, an ecologist at the University of Arizona whose work focuses on extinction rates and climate-driven range losses. We discuss what the evidence suggests about acceleration (or the lack thereof) in extinction in recent decades, why documented extinctions have been concentrated on islands and in freshwater systems, and how climate change is expected to reshape extinction risk through mechanisms like heat extremes, shifting range limits, and disease dynamics. The thread running through it all is credibility and ambition: how to communicate urgency without overclaiming, and why a stronger conservation goal is not “avoiding a mass extinction,” but preventing extinctions wherever we still can.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Biodiversity loss is an ongoing challenge, but some of the language we use to describe it may be on shakier ground than we realize. Are we really living through a “sixth mass extinction”? What does that phrase technically imply, and how well is it supported by the data? And what about climate change: how much species-level extinction can credibly be attributed to warming so far, and how do you attribute causes when multiple threats interact?

To explore these questions, I spoke with John Wiens, an ecologist at the University of Arizona whose work focuses on extinction rates and climate-driven range losses. We discuss what the evidence suggests about acceleration (or the lack thereof) in extinction in recent decades, why documented extinctions have been concentrated on islands and in freshwater systems, and how climate change is expected to reshape extinction risk through mechanisms like heat extremes, shifting range limits, and disease dynamics. The thread running through it all is credibility and ambition: how to communicate urgency without overclaiming, and why a stronger conservation goal is not “avoiding a mass extinction,” but preventing extinctions wherever we still can.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-18760032 Fri, 27 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +0900 2423 full false 63. What is the full cost of the energy transition? (Saleem Ali) 63. What is the full cost of the energy transition? (Saleem Ali) This episode does not argue against renewable energy—renewables are essential to decarbonization—but it does ask what the transition looks like when you account for materials, extraction, and infrastructure.

The clean energy transition is often framed as a straightforward swap: renewables replace fossil fuels, emissions fall, problem solved. But beneath that story sits a harder set of questions. How material-intensive is a renewables-led grid, really? What happens when you account for the steel, concrete, and critical minerals that make wind, solar, and battery storage possible? And if mining expands dramatically to enable decarbonization, what are the environmental and social trade-offs?

To explore these questions, I spoke with Saleem Ali, a systems scientist and industrial ecologist at the University of Delaware who studies the “materials–energy nexus”—the idea that energy systems are constrained not only by fuels and emissions, but by infrastructure, extraction, and supply chains. We talk about why wind and solar can be surprisingly material-heavy up front, how storage options like pumped hydro compare with large battery farms, why nuclear and biofuels remain part of the conversation, and what a more pragmatic approach looks like when every option carries trade-offs.

Links to Resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> This episode does not argue against renewable energy—renewables are essential to decarbonization—but it does ask what the transition looks like when you account for materials, extraction, and infrastructure.

The clean energy transition is often framed as a straightforward swap: renewables replace fossil fuels, emissions fall, problem solved. But beneath that story sits a harder set of questions. How material-intensive is a renewables-led grid, really? What happens when you account for the steel, concrete, and critical minerals that make wind, solar, and battery storage possible? And if mining expands dramatically to enable decarbonization, what are the environmental and social trade-offs?

To explore these questions, I spoke with Saleem Ali, a systems scientist and industrial ecologist at the University of Delaware who studies the “materials–energy nexus”—the idea that energy systems are constrained not only by fuels and emissions, but by infrastructure, extraction, and supply chains. We talk about why wind and solar can be surprisingly material-heavy up front, how storage options like pumped hydro compare with large battery farms, why nuclear and biofuels remain part of the conversation, and what a more pragmatic approach looks like when every option carries trade-offs.

Links to Resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Buzzsprout-18568676 Mon, 26 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0900 2518 full false 62. Why is nuance missing from environmental discourse? (Roger Pielke Jr.) 62. Why is nuance missing from environmental discourse? (Roger Pielke Jr.) The intersection of science, politics, and environmental discourse is full of puzzles: why has nuance gone missing from the conversation? Why are heterodox or balanced views often sidelined? And how do echo chambers, alarmist rhetoric, and the erosion of trust hinder lasting progress in conservation?

To explore these questions, I spoke with Roger Pielke Jr., a political scientist well-known for his work on contested science in contentious policy areas, from climate and extreme weather to COVID origins and sports governance.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> The intersection of science, politics, and environmental discourse is full of puzzles: why has nuance gone missing from the conversation? Why are heterodox or balanced views often sidelined? And how do echo chambers, alarmist rhetoric, and the erosion of trust hinder lasting progress in conservation?

To explore these questions, I spoke with Roger Pielke Jr., a political scientist well-known for his work on contested science in contentious policy areas, from climate and extreme weather to COVID origins and sports governance.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-18360600 Tue, 16 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0900 2731 full false 61. Rewilding: What? And why? (Marine Drouilly) 61. Rewilding: What? And why? (Marine Drouilly) The concept of rewilding has been applied in various ways, from the simple restoration of a single natural process like removing livestock to allow vegetation to recover, to ambitious proposals to reintroduce long-extinct megafauna. While some applications have obvious conservation benefits, rewilding also raises legitimate concerns, especially about how renewed interactions with reintroduced wildlife like large herbivores and carnivores, might affect human wellbeing, livelihoods, and land use. Rewilding has become a popular and sometimes controversial topic within conservation circles. It has also been gaining traction and growing public and governmental interest as societies search for more holistic approaches to restoring ecosystem processes and biodiversity.

Joining me to unpack what rewilding means, and to explore the potential conflicts and compromises that come with it, is Marine Drouilly. Marine is the Regional Coordinator for Wild Cat Surveys and Research in West and Central Africa with the NGO "Panthera".

Links to resources:

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> The concept of rewilding has been applied in various ways, from the simple restoration of a single natural process like removing livestock to allow vegetation to recover, to ambitious proposals to reintroduce long-extinct megafauna. While some applications have obvious conservation benefits, rewilding also raises legitimate concerns, especially about how renewed interactions with reintroduced wildlife like large herbivores and carnivores, might affect human wellbeing, livelihoods, and land use. Rewilding has become a popular and sometimes controversial topic within conservation circles. It has also been gaining traction and growing public and governmental interest as societies search for more holistic approaches to restoring ecosystem processes and biodiversity.

Joining me to unpack what rewilding means, and to explore the potential conflicts and compromises that come with it, is Marine Drouilly. Marine is the Regional Coordinator for Wild Cat Surveys and Research in West and Central Africa with the NGO "Panthera".

Links to resources:

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Buzzsprout-18019678 Thu, 16 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0900 2960 full false 60. What’s the role of youth in environmental decision-making? (Mika Tan) 60. What’s the role of youth in environmental decision-making? (Mika Tan) Multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) are negotiated by national governments, but they also include input from various societal groups. One of these groups is youth, and their role in negotiations has grown more visible and coordinated over time. But are these contributions helping to enrich discussions and inspire ambition, or simply adding another layer to already complex processes? And why have separate groups if governments are meant to represent all of their citizens? In this episode, we take a closer look at the place of youth in forums like these — and what constructive and meaningful participation looks like.

My guest is Mika Tan, advisor to the Southeast Asia chapter of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (among other roles) and a passionate advocate for youth voices in global decision-making.

Links to resources:

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) are negotiated by national governments, but they also include input from various societal groups. One of these groups is youth, and their role in negotiations has grown more visible and coordinated over time. But are these contributions helping to enrich discussions and inspire ambition, or simply adding another layer to already complex processes? And why have separate groups if governments are meant to represent all of their citizens? In this episode, we take a closer look at the place of youth in forums like these — and what constructive and meaningful participation looks like.

My guest is Mika Tan, advisor to the Southeast Asia chapter of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (among other roles) and a passionate advocate for youth voices in global decision-making.

Links to resources:

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-17837005 Mon, 15 Sep 2025 15:00:00 +0900 3189 full false 59. Nature-based Solutions - NbS (Joy Ommer) 59. Nature-based Solutions - NbS (Joy Ommer) One of the most popular terms in conservation these days is “nature-based solutions” (NbS). The concept is centered around the various ways in which conservation (including restoration and sustainable use) can benefit society, economy and environment. NbS are alternatives to engineered solutions to these problems, which benefit people as well as nature. Sounds straightforward, and the concept has been taken up in government policy and largely embraced by conservation science. And yet it has been somewhat divisive, for very different reasons.

Joy Ommer is scientific lead at KAJO, a Slovakia-based geoservices consultancy focused on disaster risk reduction and management. In a recent paper she and some project partners write about the importance of understanding the impacts of nature-based solutions before they are actually implemented. We discussed this and other issues around the NbS concept.

Links to Resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> One of the most popular terms in conservation these days is “nature-based solutions” (NbS). The concept is centered around the various ways in which conservation (including restoration and sustainable use) can benefit society, economy and environment. NbS are alternatives to engineered solutions to these problems, which benefit people as well as nature. Sounds straightforward, and the concept has been taken up in government policy and largely embraced by conservation science. And yet it has been somewhat divisive, for very different reasons.

Joy Ommer is scientific lead at KAJO, a Slovakia-based geoservices consultancy focused on disaster risk reduction and management. In a recent paper she and some project partners write about the importance of understanding the impacts of nature-based solutions before they are actually implemented. We discussed this and other issues around the NbS concept.

Links to Resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-17719765 Sun, 24 Aug 2025 09:00:00 +0900 2469 full false 58. Precision agriculture: farming on steroids, or boon to conservation? (Mark McConnell) 58. Precision agriculture: farming on steroids, or boon to conservation? (Mark McConnell) The term "precision agriculture" has high-tech and “big ag.” connotations, and is usually not associated with biodiversity. But there is a strong argument to be made that it is one of the best things that has happened to conservation in recent decades. Agriculture remains the biggest driver of biodiversity loss in most parts of the world, so anything that reduces its impact might be worth taking note of.

Mark McConnell, an assistant professor at Mississippi State University, joins us on this episode to explain why precision agriculture is a boon for conservation. We also talk about the accompanying concept of precision conservation, which he has been promoting, as well as the old “land sharing versus land sparing” debate. For listeners unfamiliar with that debate, check the podcast notes for a couple of key references, as well as some of Mark’s work.

Links to resources:

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> The term "precision agriculture" has high-tech and “big ag.” connotations, and is usually not associated with biodiversity. But there is a strong argument to be made that it is one of the best things that has happened to conservation in recent decades. Agriculture remains the biggest driver of biodiversity loss in most parts of the world, so anything that reduces its impact might be worth taking note of.

Mark McConnell, an assistant professor at Mississippi State University, joins us on this episode to explain why precision agriculture is a boon for conservation. We also talk about the accompanying concept of precision conservation, which he has been promoting, as well as the old “land sharing versus land sparing” debate. For listeners unfamiliar with that debate, check the podcast notes for a couple of key references, as well as some of Mark’s work.

Links to resources:

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-17500000 Mon, 14 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0900 3394 full false 57. What are we getting wrong about biodiversity loss? (Maria Dornelas) 57. What are we getting wrong about biodiversity loss? (Maria Dornelas) The concept of biodiversity loss is absolutely integral to conservation, and I have never met anyone who has seriously challenged the idea that too many species are going extinct, nor that their extinction is a result of human pressures. So, what do we make of multiple studies telling us that we shouldn’t be focusing so much on biodiversity loss? These studies say that, on average in samples across the world, roughly equal numbers of sites are increasing in species richness and decreasing.

Maria Dornelas is the ecologist, from the University of Lisbon and the University of St Andrews, at the centre of this research and she joins me to elaborate. It should be mentioned right at the start that Maria is not suggesting that biodiversity loss is not a problem, but she explains why she thinks we are doing conservation a disservice by focusing on it the way we do. Maria emphasized the importance of nuance in conversations about conservation, and this discussion is an illustration of the importance of avoiding too much generalization and simplification.

Links to resources:

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> The concept of biodiversity loss is absolutely integral to conservation, and I have never met anyone who has seriously challenged the idea that too many species are going extinct, nor that their extinction is a result of human pressures. So, what do we make of multiple studies telling us that we shouldn’t be focusing so much on biodiversity loss? These studies say that, on average in samples across the world, roughly equal numbers of sites are increasing in species richness and decreasing.

Maria Dornelas is the ecologist, from the University of Lisbon and the University of St Andrews, at the centre of this research and she joins me to elaborate. It should be mentioned right at the start that Maria is not suggesting that biodiversity loss is not a problem, but she explains why she thinks we are doing conservation a disservice by focusing on it the way we do. Maria emphasized the importance of nuance in conversations about conservation, and this discussion is an illustration of the importance of avoiding too much generalization and simplification.

Links to resources:

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-17278082 Wed, 04 Jun 2025 11:00:00 +0900 3242 full false 56. Conservation in Ukraine: How? And why? (Marine Elbakidze) 56. Conservation in Ukraine: How? And why? (Marine Elbakidze) Although we all have our problems, war is usually not among them. But if you do live in a war-torn country like Ukraine, war is everyones’s problem. And yet, in Ukraine at least, somehow life goes on including activities like conservation of the environment. The question is how, and why, given the many, more urgent, priorities.

Marine Elbakidze is an Associate Professor at Lviv University, who focuses on sustainable landscape management, forest governance, and the social-ecological systems approach to environmental conservation. A year and a half ago she left a comfortable job in Sweden to return to Ukraine and practice her profession in her home country despite its ongoing war.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Although we all have our problems, war is usually not among them. But if you do live in a war-torn country like Ukraine, war is everyones’s problem. And yet, in Ukraine at least, somehow life goes on including activities like conservation of the environment. The question is how, and why, given the many, more urgent, priorities.

Marine Elbakidze is an Associate Professor at Lviv University, who focuses on sustainable landscape management, forest governance, and the social-ecological systems approach to environmental conservation. A year and a half ago she left a comfortable job in Sweden to return to Ukraine and practice her profession in her home country despite its ongoing war.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Buzzsprout-17113525 Wed, 07 May 2025 11:00:00 +0900 2377 full false 55. What's the risk of fads in conservation? (Kent Redford) 55. What's the risk of fads in conservation? (Kent Redford) Conservation competes with a variety of other societal priorities and interests for funding and for attention. As a result, conservation projects, programmes and even broader concepts are frequently “packaged” in ways that prioritize grabbing attention. But promoting or marketing conservation initiatives in this way carries certain risks. Among them is the risk of being short-lived and without a real basis in the substance of the actual initiative – in other words a fad. Another is the risk of losing what has already been learned, when initiatives are “re-packaged” under a new buzzword.

Kent Redford is the principal at Archipelago Consulting, and previously Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society Institute in New York. In 2013 Kent published a paper in the journal, Conservation Biology to flag his concerns about conservation fads. I called him up to revisit this topic, because it relates quite closely to my increasing concern about conservation buzzwords.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Conservation competes with a variety of other societal priorities and interests for funding and for attention. As a result, conservation projects, programmes and even broader concepts are frequently “packaged” in ways that prioritize grabbing attention. But promoting or marketing conservation initiatives in this way carries certain risks. Among them is the risk of being short-lived and without a real basis in the substance of the actual initiative – in other words a fad. Another is the risk of losing what has already been learned, when initiatives are “re-packaged” under a new buzzword.

Kent Redford is the principal at Archipelago Consulting, and previously Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society Institute in New York. In 2013 Kent published a paper in the journal, Conservation Biology to flag his concerns about conservation fads. I called him up to revisit this topic, because it relates quite closely to my increasing concern about conservation buzzwords.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Buzzsprout-16956758 Fri, 11 Apr 2025 13:00:00 +0900 2156 full false 54. What does Trump 2.0 mean for the environment? (Quill Robinson) 54. What does Trump 2.0 mean for the environment? (Quill Robinson) America’s reelection of Donald Trump has brought about all manner of changes in US and global politics. Some have a direct effect on environmental issues while many more may be indirectly consequential. The media, it seems, has reacted mostly with horror and predictions of disaster, and there are probably any number of commentators willing to echo those sentiments on a podcast. It might be more interesting though, and perhaps more informative, to hear the voice of a less critical environmentalist.

Quill Robinson is an Associate Fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), a Washington DC-based think tank, and Assistant Director of the institute's Energy Security and Climate Change Program. He was a guest on the podcast three years back and was kind enough to accept another invitation, to weigh in on this topic. 

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> America’s reelection of Donald Trump has brought about all manner of changes in US and global politics. Some have a direct effect on environmental issues while many more may be indirectly consequential. The media, it seems, has reacted mostly with horror and predictions of disaster, and there are probably any number of commentators willing to echo those sentiments on a podcast. It might be more interesting though, and perhaps more informative, to hear the voice of a less critical environmentalist.

Quill Robinson is an Associate Fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), a Washington DC-based think tank, and Assistant Director of the institute's Energy Security and Climate Change Program. He was a guest on the podcast three years back and was kind enough to accept another invitation, to weigh in on this topic. 

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-16763208 Mon, 10 Mar 2025 18:00:00 +0900 2460 full false 53. Shouldn't we reframe environmental narratives? (Ragini Prasad) 53. Shouldn't we reframe environmental narratives? (Ragini Prasad) Among most legacy media outlets and on social media, narratives about environmental issues, as well as social issues, are noticeably more extreme than they used to be. From activists to academics and from organizations to corporations, it has become common to hear phrases like “shattering Earth's natural limits”, “ecological meltdown”, and “boiling oceans”. Much of this rhetoric comes from a place of genuine concern and it usually contains important elements of truth. But it’s also often emotive and inaccurate, and there is reason to believe that it could be causing more harm than good. 

Ragini Prasad, an environmental engineer turned coach for leaders and changemakers, has long challenged the apocalyptic narrative surrounding our environmental discourse. She wants to calm these conversations and empower individuals to rediscover their agency. In this episode, Ragini emphasizes the importance of openness to new perspectives and points out that every existential crisis presents an opportunity for individual and collective evolution. She advocates for organic change—change that naturally emerges when we align ourselves with principles of life, resilience, and hope.

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Among most legacy media outlets and on social media, narratives about environmental issues, as well as social issues, are noticeably more extreme than they used to be. From activists to academics and from organizations to corporations, it has become common to hear phrases like “shattering Earth's natural limits”, “ecological meltdown”, and “boiling oceans”. Much of this rhetoric comes from a place of genuine concern and it usually contains important elements of truth. But it’s also often emotive and inaccurate, and there is reason to believe that it could be causing more harm than good. 

Ragini Prasad, an environmental engineer turned coach for leaders and changemakers, has long challenged the apocalyptic narrative surrounding our environmental discourse. She wants to calm these conversations and empower individuals to rediscover their agency. In this episode, Ragini emphasizes the importance of openness to new perspectives and points out that every existential crisis presents an opportunity for individual and collective evolution. She advocates for organic change—change that naturally emerges when we align ourselves with principles of life, resilience, and hope.

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-16588022 Mon, 10 Feb 2025 14:00:00 +0900 2382 full false 52. What’s all the fuss about the EU Nature Restoration Law? (Brian MacSharry) 52. What’s all the fuss about the EU Nature Restoration Law? (Brian MacSharry) It’s not often that biodiversity legislation grabs international headlines, but thats what happened repeatedly in 2024 with the European Union’s new Nature Restoration Law. It happened first because of the ambitious nature of the law; and then because of the political tussle around its rejection and eventual approval. Along the way it gathered a trail of detractors and supporters, and has raised hopes as well as concerns, depending on who you speak to. The law’s overarching target is for Member States to put in place restoration measures in at least 20% of the EU's land areas and 20% of its sea areas by 2030.

Brian MacSharry, who was also my guest for episode 10 on protected areas, is Head of the Nature and Biodiversity Group at the European Environment Agency and he has had a birds-eye view of the development of the law. He kindly agreed to respond to some of the critiques of the law, but first he goes into some detail about its content and its journey through the political process.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> It’s not often that biodiversity legislation grabs international headlines, but thats what happened repeatedly in 2024 with the European Union’s new Nature Restoration Law. It happened first because of the ambitious nature of the law; and then because of the political tussle around its rejection and eventual approval. Along the way it gathered a trail of detractors and supporters, and has raised hopes as well as concerns, depending on who you speak to. The law’s overarching target is for Member States to put in place restoration measures in at least 20% of the EU's land areas and 20% of its sea areas by 2030.

Brian MacSharry, who was also my guest for episode 10 on protected areas, is Head of the Nature and Biodiversity Group at the European Environment Agency and he has had a birds-eye view of the development of the law. He kindly agreed to respond to some of the critiques of the law, but first he goes into some detail about its content and its journey through the political process.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Buzzsprout-16421644 Mon, 13 Jan 2025 18:00:00 +0900 2611 full false 51. What's all this talk about biodiversity credits? (Harrison Carter) 51. What's all this talk about biodiversity credits? (Harrison Carter) From time to time certain concepts rise to prominence in biodiversity conservation circles, and some of these follow in the footsteps of climate change analogs. One such concept is biodiversity credits. Biodiversity credits are a mechanism that allow for biodiversity conservation or restoration activities to derive a revenue stream through the production and sale of a quantifiable unit of improvement in biodiversity. Despite the technical and philosophical challenges involved in trading in biodiversity credits, or even defining a single unit, biodiversity credits are being used to offset damages to biodiversity. And given the explosion of private and public interest in biodiversity credits, they are worthy of further exploration. 

Helping us to explore them is Harrison Carter, an interdisciplinary conservation scientist at the University of Oxford’s Biology Department. Harrison has studied biodiversity credits in detail and shares his personal views on this complex topic. This is a fairly technical conversation, but non-conservationists should still find it interesting, and it gets easier as it goes along. We talk about the good and the bad around biodiversity credits, starting with a broad description of the concept. 


Links to resources:

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> From time to time certain concepts rise to prominence in biodiversity conservation circles, and some of these follow in the footsteps of climate change analogs. One such concept is biodiversity credits. Biodiversity credits are a mechanism that allow for biodiversity conservation or restoration activities to derive a revenue stream through the production and sale of a quantifiable unit of improvement in biodiversity. Despite the technical and philosophical challenges involved in trading in biodiversity credits, or even defining a single unit, biodiversity credits are being used to offset damages to biodiversity. And given the explosion of private and public interest in biodiversity credits, they are worthy of further exploration. 

Helping us to explore them is Harrison Carter, an interdisciplinary conservation scientist at the University of Oxford’s Biology Department. Harrison has studied biodiversity credits in detail and shares his personal views on this complex topic. This is a fairly technical conversation, but non-conservationists should still find it interesting, and it gets easier as it goes along. We talk about the good and the bad around biodiversity credits, starting with a broad description of the concept. 


Links to resources:

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-16276547 Sat, 14 Dec 2024 07:00:00 +0900 2758 full false 50. How do we get to a more sustainable society? (Sharachchandra Lele) 50. How do we get to a more sustainable society? (Sharachchandra Lele) Half a century ago a group of more than 2,000 scientists signed a warning of environmental crisis and nuclear war. Named after the French town where it was compiled, the “Menton Message” turned out to be somewhat hyperbolic in its environmental predictions, and did not account for some of humankind’s remarkable developmental progress over the following decades. However, some of its concerns certainly remain prescient today. And so another, smaller, group of scientists convened, on the 50-year anniversary of the Menton Message, to revisit and modernize some of its assertions. The resulting document is “A letter to fellow citizens of Earth”, which was also summarized in an article for the journal “Nature”. It makes three key points:

  • “individualistic, materialistic, exploitative short-term thinking has led us to lose sight of the public good”
  • “a focus on economic growth distracts from achieving well-being and happiness… and… destroys our shared resources”
  • “current economic, political and social institutions are failing us”

Although the new letter acknowledges some of the progress that we have made since the Menton Message, it emphasizes the threats and asserts the urgent need for change. 

Sharachchandra Lele is one of the two main authors of the 2022 letter, and the Nature article. I pushed him on the accuracy of some of the letter’s claims and assertions. The resulting conversation interrogates different aspects of the letter, and questions the idea that we are on completely the wrong track to make things right. Our conversation jumps around a bit and does not follow the sequence of the letter. But it’s about more than the letter. It’s about the notion that we need to drastically change the way we run the planet and how to affect those changes. This episode and episode 48 with Ron Bailey function as counter-points to each other, so they can be listened to as a set.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Half a century ago a group of more than 2,000 scientists signed a warning of environmental crisis and nuclear war. Named after the French town where it was compiled, the “Menton Message” turned out to be somewhat hyperbolic in its environmental predictions, and did not account for some of humankind’s remarkable developmental progress over the following decades. However, some of its concerns certainly remain prescient today. And so another, smaller, group of scientists convened, on the 50-year anniversary of the Menton Message, to revisit and modernize some of its assertions. The resulting document is “A letter to fellow citizens of Earth”, which was also summarized in an article for the journal “Nature”. It makes three key points:

  • “individualistic, materialistic, exploitative short-term thinking has led us to lose sight of the public good”
  • “a focus on economic growth distracts from achieving well-being and happiness… and… destroys our shared resources”
  • “current economic, political and social institutions are failing us”

Although the new letter acknowledges some of the progress that we have made since the Menton Message, it emphasizes the threats and asserts the urgent need for change. 

Sharachchandra Lele is one of the two main authors of the 2022 letter, and the Nature article. I pushed him on the accuracy of some of the letter’s claims and assertions. The resulting conversation interrogates different aspects of the letter, and questions the idea that we are on completely the wrong track to make things right. Our conversation jumps around a bit and does not follow the sequence of the letter. But it’s about more than the letter. It’s about the notion that we need to drastically change the way we run the planet and how to affect those changes. This episode and episode 48 with Ron Bailey function as counter-points to each other, so they can be listened to as a set.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-16090121 Tue, 12 Nov 2024 16:00:00 +0900 3490 full false 49. Should we worry about zombie organizations? (Julia Gray) 49. Should we worry about zombie organizations? (Julia Gray) International organizations, or “IOs” for short, are typically organizations to which multiple countries belong as members. They cover virtually every aspect of human endeavor and there are many that are related to environmental protection. International organizations may influence our lives quite profoundly and yet, outside our own field, we might struggle to name more than a few of them. Furthermore, it has been proposed that most of them are not functioning entities, but rather so-called“zombie organizations”.

That’s what Julia Gray has suggested. Julia is an associate professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, who has been researching zombie organizations for years. She joins me to explain how zombie organizations come about; why we don’t notice them; and what are their consequences.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> International organizations, or “IOs” for short, are typically organizations to which multiple countries belong as members. They cover virtually every aspect of human endeavor and there are many that are related to environmental protection. International organizations may influence our lives quite profoundly and yet, outside our own field, we might struggle to name more than a few of them. Furthermore, it has been proposed that most of them are not functioning entities, but rather so-called“zombie organizations”.

That’s what Julia Gray has suggested. Julia is an associate professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, who has been researching zombie organizations for years. She joins me to explain how zombie organizations come about; why we don’t notice them; and what are their consequences.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-15886897 Tue, 08 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0900 2547 full false 48. What about free market environmentalism? (Ronald Bailey) 48. What about free market environmentalism? (Ronald Bailey) Protection of the environment is strongly associated with regulation of the human activities that threaten it, and regulation is usually administered by government. Although almost everyone would probably agree that some regulation is necessary, regulation has a patchy record when it comes to environmental protection. And there is another approach to achieving environmental goals. Free market environmentalism, instead of protecting nature from market forces, harnesses those forces to protect nature. Or at least that's the idea.

Ronald Bailey is the longtime science writer for Reason Magazine, a renowned American libertarian news & opinion outlet that’s been around for more than 50 years. Ron joins me to flesh out the case for free market environmentalism.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Protection of the environment is strongly associated with regulation of the human activities that threaten it, and regulation is usually administered by government. Although almost everyone would probably agree that some regulation is necessary, regulation has a patchy record when it comes to environmental protection. And there is another approach to achieving environmental goals. Free market environmentalism, instead of protecting nature from market forces, harnesses those forces to protect nature. Or at least that's the idea.

Ronald Bailey is the longtime science writer for Reason Magazine, a renowned American libertarian news & opinion outlet that’s been around for more than 50 years. Ron joins me to flesh out the case for free market environmentalism.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-15681631 Mon, 02 Sep 2024 23:00:00 +0900 2731 full false 47. Why is whaling still... a thing? (Joji Morishita) 47. Why is whaling still... a thing? (Joji Morishita) There are few environmental issues more emotive than the hunting of whales. Although the focus of environmentalists has shifted to other topics in recent times, whaling remains contentious whenever it is brought up. This is understandable considering that, for the first half of the 20th century and into the 1970s, several whale species were hunted to near-extinction. But as crude oil took over from whale oil as the fuel of industry whale populations began making impressive recoveries. Nevertheless, a handful of countries and populations continue to hunt them, much to the chagrin of the rest of the world. Perhaps the most high profile whaling country is Japan. To add to the saga, in 2019 Japan ended about seven decades of membership of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) - the global body responsible for the “management of whaling and conservation of whales”.

There are countless sources providing the anti-whaling point of view, to some of which I will provide links in the podcast description. But comprehensive accounts of the other side of the story are less easy to find. Joji Morishita has been, among many other things, Japan’s Commissioner to the IWC (2013 - 2018) and IWC Chair (2016 - 2018) and I doubt there is any better person in the world to tell Japan’s side of the whaling story. In this fascinating discussion he explains why Japan withdrew from the IWC, and he takes on many of the core arguments against whaling. 

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> There are few environmental issues more emotive than the hunting of whales. Although the focus of environmentalists has shifted to other topics in recent times, whaling remains contentious whenever it is brought up. This is understandable considering that, for the first half of the 20th century and into the 1970s, several whale species were hunted to near-extinction. But as crude oil took over from whale oil as the fuel of industry whale populations began making impressive recoveries. Nevertheless, a handful of countries and populations continue to hunt them, much to the chagrin of the rest of the world. Perhaps the most high profile whaling country is Japan. To add to the saga, in 2019 Japan ended about seven decades of membership of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) - the global body responsible for the “management of whaling and conservation of whales”.

There are countless sources providing the anti-whaling point of view, to some of which I will provide links in the podcast description. But comprehensive accounts of the other side of the story are less easy to find. Joji Morishita has been, among many other things, Japan’s Commissioner to the IWC (2013 - 2018) and IWC Chair (2016 - 2018) and I doubt there is any better person in the world to tell Japan’s side of the whaling story. In this fascinating discussion he explains why Japan withdrew from the IWC, and he takes on many of the core arguments against whaling. 

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-15531219 Mon, 05 Aug 2024 17:00:00 +0900 3575 full false 46. Can agriculture become nature-friendly at scale? (Philippe Birker) 46. Can agriculture become nature-friendly at scale? (Philippe Birker) Agriculture has been by far the biggest driver of land change and land degradation worldwide. And yet, it is also fundamental to the very existence of humankind. This mismatch often comes up in public discourse. Over the past year or two, for example, several European countries have seen extensive farmer protests - against rising costs and restrictive environmental regulations, among other things. Environmental groups have responded to the farmers’ appeals mostly with indignation… and yet farmers and environmentalists have a lot in common - at east potentially.

Philippe Birker is co-founder of “Climate Farmers”, and his work is aimed mostly at promoting regenerative agriculture. He and I cover a range of topics in the discussion that follows, from the farmer protests to the relationship between agrochemical companies and government. Along the way, there were several “rabbit holes” that we could have gone down, and several points that I would have liked to challenge Philippe on in greater depth. But, with limited available time, I needed to bookmark most of these for another time and for future guests.

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Agriculture has been by far the biggest driver of land change and land degradation worldwide. And yet, it is also fundamental to the very existence of humankind. This mismatch often comes up in public discourse. Over the past year or two, for example, several European countries have seen extensive farmer protests - against rising costs and restrictive environmental regulations, among other things. Environmental groups have responded to the farmers’ appeals mostly with indignation… and yet farmers and environmentalists have a lot in common - at east potentially.

Philippe Birker is co-founder of “Climate Farmers”, and his work is aimed mostly at promoting regenerative agriculture. He and I cover a range of topics in the discussion that follows, from the farmer protests to the relationship between agrochemical companies and government. Along the way, there were several “rabbit holes” that we could have gone down, and several points that I would have liked to challenge Philippe on in greater depth. But, with limited available time, I needed to bookmark most of these for another time and for future guests.

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-15369000 Sat, 06 Jul 2024 16:00:00 +0900 2814 full false 45. Are we really facing “insectageddon”? (Jane Hill) 45. Are we really facing “insectageddon”? (Jane Hill) Insects are among the most abundant organisms on Earth. About 350,000 beetle species, alone, have been described by science and this is considered to be only a fraction of their total number. In a variety of ways, insects are a fundamental part of natural and human-adapted systems. While some cause disease or ruin crops, others play a key role in ecosystem service provision, for example by pollinating certain crops or as food for other beneficial animals and people. Overall, the loss of insect species is a major concern. Some of the more exuberant headlines broadcasting this message have gone so far as to declare an imminent “insectageddon”. However, although many insect species are declining or in danger of decline, there is reason to be wary of such excessive claims. Data need to be carefully considered, revealing the complex patterns of change. Unfortunately the media, in particular, is often incentivized to focus on the more extreme findings and neglect the nuances. 

Jane Hill (OBE) is president of the Royal Entomological Society and a professor at the University of York. She helps me to pick apart the "insectageddon" idea, including how valid it is and how it came about in the first place.

Links to Resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Insects are among the most abundant organisms on Earth. About 350,000 beetle species, alone, have been described by science and this is considered to be only a fraction of their total number. In a variety of ways, insects are a fundamental part of natural and human-adapted systems. While some cause disease or ruin crops, others play a key role in ecosystem service provision, for example by pollinating certain crops or as food for other beneficial animals and people. Overall, the loss of insect species is a major concern. Some of the more exuberant headlines broadcasting this message have gone so far as to declare an imminent “insectageddon”. However, although many insect species are declining or in danger of decline, there is reason to be wary of such excessive claims. Data need to be carefully considered, revealing the complex patterns of change. Unfortunately the media, in particular, is often incentivized to focus on the more extreme findings and neglect the nuances. 

Jane Hill (OBE) is president of the Royal Entomological Society and a professor at the University of York. She helps me to pick apart the "insectageddon" idea, including how valid it is and how it came about in the first place.

Links to Resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-15230946 Tue, 11 Jun 2024 22:00:00 +0900 2447 full false 44. What happened to the Anthropocene? (Erle Ellis) 44. What happened to the Anthropocene? (Erle Ellis) Humankind’s transformation of the Earth is embodied in the idea that we are living in the “Anthropocene”. Most people who have heard of this concept were probably unaware that it describes a specific unit of geological measurement - an epoch. A debate has been ongoing for more than a decade about whether to make that designation official - for the Anthropocene to take over from the Holocene epoch. This debate concluded just a few weeks ago with a definitive “no”.

In this episode of The Case for Conservation Podcast renowned Anthropocene expert Erle Ellis explains what happened to the Anthropocene… and why it doesn’t really matter that it was rejected as an epoch. Erle is an environmental scientist who divides his academic time between the university of Maryland in the US, and Oxford University in the UK. He is a prolific author and public commentator on this and related topics.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Humankind’s transformation of the Earth is embodied in the idea that we are living in the “Anthropocene”. Most people who have heard of this concept were probably unaware that it describes a specific unit of geological measurement - an epoch. A debate has been ongoing for more than a decade about whether to make that designation official - for the Anthropocene to take over from the Holocene epoch. This debate concluded just a few weeks ago with a definitive “no”.

In this episode of The Case for Conservation Podcast renowned Anthropocene expert Erle Ellis explains what happened to the Anthropocene… and why it doesn’t really matter that it was rejected as an epoch. Erle is an environmental scientist who divides his academic time between the university of Maryland in the US, and Oxford University in the UK. He is a prolific author and public commentator on this and related topics.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-14973228 Mon, 29 Apr 2024 16:00:00 +0900 2492 full false 43. What is stealth advocacy in conservation? (Françoise Cardou) 43. What is stealth advocacy in conservation? (Françoise Cardou) Conservation and sustainability scientists are often expected to advise policymakers and other decision-makers. But some of the issues that they are expected to advise on, have broader consensus than others. So, when is it appropriate to advise? When is it appropriate to advocate? When should they simply present all the options or interpretations, and leave it to the decision-makers?

Françoise Cardou is a plant and a community ecologist and postdoctoral fellow at Carlton University in Ottawa, interested in understanding how people and nature affect each other in socio-ecological systems. In a recent paper in Biological Conservation, she and her colleague Mark Vellend discuss how important it is for conservation scientists to know which role is appropriate, to avoid being so-called “stealth advocates”.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Conservation and sustainability scientists are often expected to advise policymakers and other decision-makers. But some of the issues that they are expected to advise on, have broader consensus than others. So, when is it appropriate to advise? When is it appropriate to advocate? When should they simply present all the options or interpretations, and leave it to the decision-makers?

Françoise Cardou is a plant and a community ecologist and postdoctoral fellow at Carlton University in Ottawa, interested in understanding how people and nature affect each other in socio-ecological systems. In a recent paper in Biological Conservation, she and her colleague Mark Vellend discuss how important it is for conservation scientists to know which role is appropriate, to avoid being so-called “stealth advocates”.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-14795737 Sat, 30 Mar 2024 17:00:00 +0900 2333 full false 42. Political polarization in sustainability science? (Örjan Bodin) 42. Political polarization in sustainability science? (Örjan Bodin) Sustainability science, which includes conservation biology and various other environmental studies, is not a “hard science” like physics or mathematics. Nevertheless, one might expect it to be reasonably independent of political affiliation. But is this the case? If not, what is the problem with leaning too far in one political direction, especially if that direction is left and generally considered to be “pro environment”? If it is a problem, what can we do about it?

Örjan Bodin is a sustainability scientist at the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University, who has thought a lot about this topic and published a recent paper on it. Örjan is quick to point out that he has not formally studied political polarization. However, with decades of research experience in sustainability science, he provides some compelling reasons why we should pay attention to this overlooked but potentially highly consequential issue.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Sustainability science, which includes conservation biology and various other environmental studies, is not a “hard science” like physics or mathematics. Nevertheless, one might expect it to be reasonably independent of political affiliation. But is this the case? If not, what is the problem with leaning too far in one political direction, especially if that direction is left and generally considered to be “pro environment”? If it is a problem, what can we do about it?

Örjan Bodin is a sustainability scientist at the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University, who has thought a lot about this topic and published a recent paper on it. Örjan is quick to point out that he has not formally studied political polarization. However, with decades of research experience in sustainability science, he provides some compelling reasons why we should pay attention to this overlooked but potentially highly consequential issue.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-14622523 Mon, 04 Mar 2024 17:00:00 +0900 2645 full false 41. Is capitalism bad for the environment? (Russell Galt) 41. Is capitalism bad for the environment? (Russell Galt) Capitalism gets a lot of negative press these days, and one of the main arguments against it is the environmental degradation with which it’s associated. But how much is capitalism itself responsible, and how much are people conflating it with associated phenomena? Are the realistic alternatives any better, or should our efforts be focused on reforming this system, which has already done so much for human flourishing?

Russell Galt has many thoughts about the problems with capitalism, but he is also wary of how we go about changing the system. Russell is Head of Policy and Science at Earthwatch Europe, a Partner at the sustainability consultancy, Value-based Work, and Chief Development Officer at Urban Biodiversity Hub. He’s also a friend, upon whom I know I can rely for an honest opinion, and he recently completed an MBA to add to his environmental qualifications. This discussion attempts to touch on various aspects of the arguments for and against capitalism in the context of the environment. The main point is to illustrate the complexities of the issue, rather than to arrive at definitive answers to my questions.


Links to resources


Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Capitalism gets a lot of negative press these days, and one of the main arguments against it is the environmental degradation with which it’s associated. But how much is capitalism itself responsible, and how much are people conflating it with associated phenomena? Are the realistic alternatives any better, or should our efforts be focused on reforming this system, which has already done so much for human flourishing?

Russell Galt has many thoughts about the problems with capitalism, but he is also wary of how we go about changing the system. Russell is Head of Policy and Science at Earthwatch Europe, a Partner at the sustainability consultancy, Value-based Work, and Chief Development Officer at Urban Biodiversity Hub. He’s also a friend, upon whom I know I can rely for an honest opinion, and he recently completed an MBA to add to his environmental qualifications. This discussion attempts to touch on various aspects of the arguments for and against capitalism in the context of the environment. The main point is to illustrate the complexities of the issue, rather than to arrive at definitive answers to my questions.


Links to resources


Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-14440181 Mon, 05 Feb 2024 14:00:00 +0900 3068 full false 40. Should we resurrect extinct species? (Virginia Matzek) 40. Should we resurrect extinct species? (Virginia Matzek) As a result of our success as a species, we have been ushering other species toward extinction for thousands of years. The pace of those extinctions increased markedly with the growth of the world’s population since the Industrial Revolution. But we are now within reach of the “Jurassic Park” -type fantasy of being able to reverse extinctions - to bring back species from the dead. On the other hand, assuming we get beyond the remaining technological obstacles, de-extinction is still a very complex topic with conservation and ecological considerations that are not necessarily being considered by those who are most likely to make it happen.

Virginia Matzek is a restoration ecologist and professor at Santa Clara University, who navigates us through this convoluted subject. The first part of the discussion is an explanation of how de-extinction “works”. After that, we get into the various arguments “for” and “against”. Virginia is remarkably even-handed in her treatment of both sides of the argument, and some of her reasons are not  what one might expect.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> As a result of our success as a species, we have been ushering other species toward extinction for thousands of years. The pace of those extinctions increased markedly with the growth of the world’s population since the Industrial Revolution. But we are now within reach of the “Jurassic Park” -type fantasy of being able to reverse extinctions - to bring back species from the dead. On the other hand, assuming we get beyond the remaining technological obstacles, de-extinction is still a very complex topic with conservation and ecological considerations that are not necessarily being considered by those who are most likely to make it happen.

Virginia Matzek is a restoration ecologist and professor at Santa Clara University, who navigates us through this convoluted subject. The first part of the discussion is an explanation of how de-extinction “works”. After that, we get into the various arguments “for” and “against”. Virginia is remarkably even-handed in her treatment of both sides of the argument, and some of her reasons are not  what one might expect.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-14296255 Fri, 12 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0900 3162 full false 39. The global biodiversity targets (Alice Hughes) 39. The global biodiversity targets (Alice Hughes) Many conservation managers and scientists may not be aware that there is a single, common set of global biodiversity targets that inform national conservation strategy in almost every country in the world. These 23 targets are the main part of the “Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework”, or GBF. The GBF was agreed on by Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in late 2022, and the targets are meant to be achieved by 2030. This is a monumental task, considering that the multi-year strategy that preceded the GBF, which concluded in 2020, unfortunately failed to fully achieve any of its targets. The GBF is also accompanied by a monitoring framework of indictors for countries to measure their success toward achieving the GBF’s targets. That monitoring framework is still being compiled, and an “ad hoc technical expert group” has been tasked to guide its development and completion by late 2024. The GBF and its monitoring framework might seem distant and disconnected from on-the-ground conservation but they can be hugely influential on prioritization of conservation worldwide. Conservationists of any kind would probably benefit from a better understanding of what’s behind them, and what’s inside them.

Alice Hughes is a conservation scientist, prolific author of peer-reviewed articles, and Associate Professor at the University of Hong Kong, who has published two recent peer-reviewed papers that analyze the GBF. She joins me to discuss the challenges behind the GBF and its monitoring framework, and she is open about her concerns over the setting and measuring of the GBF targets. We also explore how the GBF and its monitoring framework might be improved, or might have been improved.

Links to resources:

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Many conservation managers and scientists may not be aware that there is a single, common set of global biodiversity targets that inform national conservation strategy in almost every country in the world. These 23 targets are the main part of the “Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework”, or GBF. The GBF was agreed on by Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in late 2022, and the targets are meant to be achieved by 2030. This is a monumental task, considering that the multi-year strategy that preceded the GBF, which concluded in 2020, unfortunately failed to fully achieve any of its targets. The GBF is also accompanied by a monitoring framework of indictors for countries to measure their success toward achieving the GBF’s targets. That monitoring framework is still being compiled, and an “ad hoc technical expert group” has been tasked to guide its development and completion by late 2024. The GBF and its monitoring framework might seem distant and disconnected from on-the-ground conservation but they can be hugely influential on prioritization of conservation worldwide. Conservationists of any kind would probably benefit from a better understanding of what’s behind them, and what’s inside them.

Alice Hughes is a conservation scientist, prolific author of peer-reviewed articles, and Associate Professor at the University of Hong Kong, who has published two recent peer-reviewed papers that analyze the GBF. She joins me to discuss the challenges behind the GBF and its monitoring framework, and she is open about her concerns over the setting and measuring of the GBF targets. We also explore how the GBF and its monitoring framework might be improved, or might have been improved.

Links to resources:

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-14139687 Wed, 13 Dec 2023 17:00:00 +0900 2896 full false 38. Should science and activism be kept separate? (Andrea Bandelli) 38. Should science and activism be kept separate? (Andrea Bandelli) This month’s episode is about activism and science communication, and whether or not they should be combined. There are obvious tensions here because science is meant to be as objective as possible, while activism is characteristically impulsive and political. And, of course, there can be activists on both sides of a debate. There can also be incomplete or poorly reported science, upon which that activism is based. On the other hand, could there be a role for scientists to guide activism, making it more rooted in fact, more strategic, and more appealing in its approach?

Andrea Bandelli is a science communicator, and former Head of International Relations at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, in The Netherlands. He helps to unravel this topic, pointing out that activism need not be “brutal”, and arguing for more overlap between science communicators and activists.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> This month’s episode is about activism and science communication, and whether or not they should be combined. There are obvious tensions here because science is meant to be as objective as possible, while activism is characteristically impulsive and political. And, of course, there can be activists on both sides of a debate. There can also be incomplete or poorly reported science, upon which that activism is based. On the other hand, could there be a role for scientists to guide activism, making it more rooted in fact, more strategic, and more appealing in its approach?

Andrea Bandelli is a science communicator, and former Head of International Relations at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, in The Netherlands. He helps to unravel this topic, pointing out that activism need not be “brutal”, and arguing for more overlap between science communicators and activists.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-13931815 Wed, 08 Nov 2023 14:00:00 +0900 2504 full false 37. What is climate change doing to biodiversity? (Adam Welz) 37. What is climate change doing to biodiversity? (Adam Welz) Climate change gets a lot more attention and funding than biodiversity. But, as conservation organizations are keen to point out, climate and biodiversity are intimately linked and there is, therefore, a good argument for addressing them side by side. Part of that argument is that conserving biodiversity is good for the climate. But an even more obvious link is that climate affects biodiversity. Human beings can adapt rapidly to change through innovation. But nature adapts over evolutionary time, much slower than the predicted changes in climate. And yet the countless books that continue be produced about climate change, are almost exclusively focused on its effects on humankind.  

Adam Welz, however, has just released a highly acclaimed book to fill this gap, “The End of Eden”.  Adam is a writer, photographer, filmmaker and self-proclaimed conservation theorist with a long-standing interest in the effects of climate change on biodiversity. We interrogate this big subject, and Adam’s book in particular, in his second appearance on the podcast. In case you missed it, the last time was episode 11, in June 2021, when we discussed the problems with “performative conservation”.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Climate change gets a lot more attention and funding than biodiversity. But, as conservation organizations are keen to point out, climate and biodiversity are intimately linked and there is, therefore, a good argument for addressing them side by side. Part of that argument is that conserving biodiversity is good for the climate. But an even more obvious link is that climate affects biodiversity. Human beings can adapt rapidly to change through innovation. But nature adapts over evolutionary time, much slower than the predicted changes in climate. And yet the countless books that continue be produced about climate change, are almost exclusively focused on its effects on humankind.  

Adam Welz, however, has just released a highly acclaimed book to fill this gap, “The End of Eden”.  Adam is a writer, photographer, filmmaker and self-proclaimed conservation theorist with a long-standing interest in the effects of climate change on biodiversity. We interrogate this big subject, and Adam’s book in particular, in his second appearance on the podcast. In case you missed it, the last time was episode 11, in June 2021, when we discussed the problems with “performative conservation”.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-13698038 Mon, 02 Oct 2023 17:00:00 +0900 3511 full false 36. Biodiversity & agriculture: appreciating the trade-offs (Prabhu Pingali) 36. Biodiversity & agriculture: appreciating the trade-offs (Prabhu Pingali) In decades past, conservation was notorious for ignoring other development goals. These days, its focus has expanded to consider those other goals, including the prevention of poverty and hunger. In fact, there seems to be a tendency to assume that conservation is always compatible with them, and necessary to achieve them. There is certainly truth in that, but are we talking enough about the inevitable trade-offs? And if everyone agrees that we should minimize trade-offs, why is the Green Revolution - one of the greatest “trade-off minimizers” in history often vilified by environmentalists? 

In this episode of The Case for Conservation Podcast, Prabhu Pingali shares his thoughts on the green revolution, and more generally on trade-offs between development goals. Prabhu is Professor of Applied Economics at Cornell University and has worked in senior positions at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, FAO, the CGIAR, and other key development institutions.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> In decades past, conservation was notorious for ignoring other development goals. These days, its focus has expanded to consider those other goals, including the prevention of poverty and hunger. In fact, there seems to be a tendency to assume that conservation is always compatible with them, and necessary to achieve them. There is certainly truth in that, but are we talking enough about the inevitable trade-offs? And if everyone agrees that we should minimize trade-offs, why is the Green Revolution - one of the greatest “trade-off minimizers” in history often vilified by environmentalists? 

In this episode of The Case for Conservation Podcast, Prabhu Pingali shares his thoughts on the green revolution, and more generally on trade-offs between development goals. Prabhu is Professor of Applied Economics at Cornell University and has worked in senior positions at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, FAO, the CGIAR, and other key development institutions.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-13525602 Mon, 04 Sep 2023 23:00:00 +0900 2504 full false 35. Are we obsessed with species? (Frank Zachos) 35. Are we obsessed with species? (Frank Zachos) Species. We take them for granted as the main currency of biodiversity. But how many of us really know what species are? And do we attach too much importance to them, especially in the context of conservation?

Over centuries, taxonomists have categorized and re-categorized life forms and graphically presented their relatedness in the form of a so-called ”tree of life”. The trunk of the tree is common to all life on Earth. It branches into major “taxa” like the “kingdoms” of plants, animals and fungi, and then continues branching into increasingly more specific taxa (phylum, class, order, family, genus, etc.) until, near the branch tips, are species and subspecies. The more specific the classification, the less obvious it is where to draw the line between one taxon and another, or between different levels of taxa. Taxonomy, it turns out, is as much an art as it is a science.

In this episode Frank Zachos does an excellent job at explaining taxonomy, and the ways in which it is misunderstood, and he embellishes his explanations with a wealth of fascinating examples. Frank is head of the mammal collection at the Natural History Museum in Vienna, Austria, and affiliated professor at the Department of Genetics at UFS, Bloemfontein, South Africa. He has written well over 100 articles and other publications on taxonomy and related topics.


Timestamps
02:15   What are species and what’s involved in classifying them?
07:30   Ring species
09:35   Species concepts
14:12   The spectrum of species classification tendencies, from “lumping” to “splitting”
17:45   How important is it to determine the best species concept?
23:38   Are conservationists misusing species as a tool?
25:28   What is a subspecies?
26:54   How many species are there really?
32:52   How can we conserve without using species as a unit of coservation?
35:48   Do we need more taxonomists?
39:01   Classifying the Loch Ness Monster
40:27   A real-world example of how species status can be worth billions of dollars
42:52   How have recent technological advances helped, or not helped, taxonomy?

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Species. We take them for granted as the main currency of biodiversity. But how many of us really know what species are? And do we attach too much importance to them, especially in the context of conservation?

Over centuries, taxonomists have categorized and re-categorized life forms and graphically presented their relatedness in the form of a so-called ”tree of life”. The trunk of the tree is common to all life on Earth. It branches into major “taxa” like the “kingdoms” of plants, animals and fungi, and then continues branching into increasingly more specific taxa (phylum, class, order, family, genus, etc.) until, near the branch tips, are species and subspecies. The more specific the classification, the less obvious it is where to draw the line between one taxon and another, or between different levels of taxa. Taxonomy, it turns out, is as much an art as it is a science.

In this episode Frank Zachos does an excellent job at explaining taxonomy, and the ways in which it is misunderstood, and he embellishes his explanations with a wealth of fascinating examples. Frank is head of the mammal collection at the Natural History Museum in Vienna, Austria, and affiliated professor at the Department of Genetics at UFS, Bloemfontein, South Africa. He has written well over 100 articles and other publications on taxonomy and related topics.


Timestamps
02:15   What are species and what’s involved in classifying them?
07:30   Ring species
09:35   Species concepts
14:12   The spectrum of species classification tendencies, from “lumping” to “splitting”
17:45   How important is it to determine the best species concept?
23:38   Are conservationists misusing species as a tool?
25:28   What is a subspecies?
26:54   How many species are there really?
32:52   How can we conserve without using species as a unit of coservation?
35:48   Do we need more taxonomists?
39:01   Classifying the Loch Ness Monster
40:27   A real-world example of how species status can be worth billions of dollars
42:52   How have recent technological advances helped, or not helped, taxonomy?

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-13360993 Mon, 07 Aug 2023 16:00:00 +0900 3309 full false 34. Is there still hope for the world’s corals? (Mike Emslie) 34. Is there still hope for the world’s corals? (Mike Emslie) Historically, the oceans have received too little attention in discussions about the environment and biodiversity. On the topic of biodiversity loss in particular, however, one marine system has attracted almost as much attention as the rainforests: coral reefs. Coral reefs have even been described as the rainforests of the sea, thanks to their remarkably high levels of biodiversity. Recently, United Nations agencies have been voicing the alarming prediction that the world could lose as much as 99% of its corals within decades, if there is a 2 degree centigrade increase in average global temperature. Meanwhile, however, on the world’s largest reef system, the Great Barrier Reef, a 2021 survey had more positive news. It found that hard coral cover, which is used as a proxy for the health of coral reefs, is at its highest levels since the 1980s. That’s despite global temperatures already having risen by one degree over the past century. So, is the public being misled by messages of doom and gloom? Or are these seemingly contradictory messages somehow reconcilable? 

With me to answer this central question about corals is Mike Emslie. Mike is head of the Great Barrier Reef Monitoring Programme and senior researcher at the Australian Institute for Marine Science (AIMS).

Timestamps

02:29  What are corals, where are they found, and why are they important?
11:28   What's special about the Great Barrier Reef and the "coral triangle"?
18:00   Why are coral reefs particularly important, among marine ecosystems?
23:19   How can we be losing corals if they are recovering on the biggest reef system in the world?
39:19   Are coral bleaching events a new thing?
41:09   Are we focusing enough on helping reefs to adapt to climate change, versus mitigating climate change?
44:20   Reasons to avoid doom & gloom messaging 

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Historically, the oceans have received too little attention in discussions about the environment and biodiversity. On the topic of biodiversity loss in particular, however, one marine system has attracted almost as much attention as the rainforests: coral reefs. Coral reefs have even been described as the rainforests of the sea, thanks to their remarkably high levels of biodiversity. Recently, United Nations agencies have been voicing the alarming prediction that the world could lose as much as 99% of its corals within decades, if there is a 2 degree centigrade increase in average global temperature. Meanwhile, however, on the world’s largest reef system, the Great Barrier Reef, a 2021 survey had more positive news. It found that hard coral cover, which is used as a proxy for the health of coral reefs, is at its highest levels since the 1980s. That’s despite global temperatures already having risen by one degree over the past century. So, is the public being misled by messages of doom and gloom? Or are these seemingly contradictory messages somehow reconcilable? 

With me to answer this central question about corals is Mike Emslie. Mike is head of the Great Barrier Reef Monitoring Programme and senior researcher at the Australian Institute for Marine Science (AIMS).

Timestamps

02:29  What are corals, where are they found, and why are they important?
11:28   What's special about the Great Barrier Reef and the "coral triangle"?
18:00   Why are coral reefs particularly important, among marine ecosystems?
23:19   How can we be losing corals if they are recovering on the biggest reef system in the world?
39:19   Are coral bleaching events a new thing?
41:09   Are we focusing enough on helping reefs to adapt to climate change, versus mitigating climate change?
44:20   Reasons to avoid doom & gloom messaging 

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-13122064 Mon, 03 Jul 2023 06:00:00 +0900 2823 full false 33. Is ESG investing good for biodiversity? (Ken Pucker) 33. Is ESG investing good for biodiversity? (Ken Pucker) ESG is the latest buzzword in business & biodiversity circles, but it’s not actually new - only newly popular. And it’s one among many terms and acronyms in this field, which may be familiar but are often poorly understood - ESG stands for “environmental, social and governance” investing criteria. Understanding concepts like ESG is consequential because their success relies largely on convincing the general public of their value and their virtue. As we discuss in this episode, however, they are not necessarily all that they’re made out to be. 

To elucidate this topic with me is Ken Pucker. Ken is a professor at the Fletcher School at Tufts University and Advisory Director at the Boston-based Financial Services firm, Berkshire Partners. He was previously Chief Operating Officer of the outdoor footwear and apparel company, Timberland, one of the first companies to take an interest in sustainable production. He has written extensively on ESG and related issues in Harvard Business Review among other publications.


Timestamps

01:47  A brief history of CSR, ESG, and sustainability reporting
09:41  ESG is not about the impact of companies on the environment
13:53  Other concerns about ESG
19:46  Impact investing
22:39  ESG makes policymakers complacent
26:36  Are CSR and ESG in need of reform or are they fundamentally flawed?
29:11  Investors care about impact, but not about how much
31:17  Shopping around effect
38:27  Transparency is not the main thing
41:35  Has TCFD had any effect, and will TNFD have any effect?
43:43  Should corporations serve shareholders or stakeholders?


Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> ESG is the latest buzzword in business & biodiversity circles, but it’s not actually new - only newly popular. And it’s one among many terms and acronyms in this field, which may be familiar but are often poorly understood - ESG stands for “environmental, social and governance” investing criteria. Understanding concepts like ESG is consequential because their success relies largely on convincing the general public of their value and their virtue. As we discuss in this episode, however, they are not necessarily all that they’re made out to be. 

To elucidate this topic with me is Ken Pucker. Ken is a professor at the Fletcher School at Tufts University and Advisory Director at the Boston-based Financial Services firm, Berkshire Partners. He was previously Chief Operating Officer of the outdoor footwear and apparel company, Timberland, one of the first companies to take an interest in sustainable production. He has written extensively on ESG and related issues in Harvard Business Review among other publications.


Timestamps

01:47  A brief history of CSR, ESG, and sustainability reporting
09:41  ESG is not about the impact of companies on the environment
13:53  Other concerns about ESG
19:46  Impact investing
22:39  ESG makes policymakers complacent
26:36  Are CSR and ESG in need of reform or are they fundamentally flawed?
29:11  Investors care about impact, but not about how much
31:17  Shopping around effect
38:27  Transparency is not the main thing
41:35  Has TCFD had any effect, and will TNFD have any effect?
43:43  Should corporations serve shareholders or stakeholders?


Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-12973726 Mon, 05 Jun 2023 23:00:00 +0900 2768 full false 32. When should we question environmental orthodoxy? (Russell Galt) 32. When should we question environmental orthodoxy? (Russell Galt) There is a tendency in societies to adhere to conventional wisdom. We resist challenges to consensus views, and may even dismiss those who do challenge them as conspiracy theorists... which they sometimes are. But perhaps we take that idea too far sometimes. Perhaps we underestimate the importance of having the freedom to challenge orthodoxy. We live in an age in which more people than ever before are lucky enough to inhabit free societies, but recently it has become “conventional” to take issue with some of these hard-earned freedoms - albeit often with good intentions. Even people who don’t follow the news cycle must be familiar with the concepts of cancel culture and de-platforming. In this episode we discuss the notion of questioning orthodoxy, with a focus on the environment and especially conservation.

My guest is Russell Galt, Head of Policy and Science at Earthwatch Europe, and previously Senior Programme Coordinator of IUCN’s work on urban conservation and Young Champions of the Earth Coordinator with the United Nations Environment Programme. Russell recently complete a Master of Business Administration at the University of Edinburgh, to complement his earlier studies in ecology.

Timestamps 
02:39 Historical examples of heterodox thinkers
06:10 False consensus in the scientific literature
09:42 Well-intentioned exaggeration in conservation
12:28 Thought experiment on fighting lies with lies
15:18 The robustness of truth
16:23 Harnessing behavioral science
17:26 Attention-grabbing figures as a means of promoting conservation
24:54 Less well considered threats to life on Earth; looking at the bigger picture
27:08 Nature-based solutions
31:07 Romantic notions of indigenous knowledge
37:30 Important of a culture of debate

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> There is a tendency in societies to adhere to conventional wisdom. We resist challenges to consensus views, and may even dismiss those who do challenge them as conspiracy theorists... which they sometimes are. But perhaps we take that idea too far sometimes. Perhaps we underestimate the importance of having the freedom to challenge orthodoxy. We live in an age in which more people than ever before are lucky enough to inhabit free societies, but recently it has become “conventional” to take issue with some of these hard-earned freedoms - albeit often with good intentions. Even people who don’t follow the news cycle must be familiar with the concepts of cancel culture and de-platforming. In this episode we discuss the notion of questioning orthodoxy, with a focus on the environment and especially conservation.

My guest is Russell Galt, Head of Policy and Science at Earthwatch Europe, and previously Senior Programme Coordinator of IUCN’s work on urban conservation and Young Champions of the Earth Coordinator with the United Nations Environment Programme. Russell recently complete a Master of Business Administration at the University of Edinburgh, to complement his earlier studies in ecology.

Timestamps 
02:39 Historical examples of heterodox thinkers
06:10 False consensus in the scientific literature
09:42 Well-intentioned exaggeration in conservation
12:28 Thought experiment on fighting lies with lies
15:18 The robustness of truth
16:23 Harnessing behavioral science
17:26 Attention-grabbing figures as a means of promoting conservation
24:54 Less well considered threats to life on Earth; looking at the bigger picture
27:08 Nature-based solutions
31:07 Romantic notions of indigenous knowledge
37:30 Important of a culture of debate

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-12783810 Thu, 04 May 2023 23:00:00 +0900 2574 full false 31. Biodiversity risk and the law (Zaneta Sedilekova) 31. Biodiversity risk and the law (Zaneta Sedilekova) You may have heard of the concept of “biodiversity risk”, especially in the context of business. It has become increasingly widely used in recent years and the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) is a recent development that has done a lot to popularize the concept. But what exactly is biodiversity risk and, for that matter, what is TNFD? Why has this topic been gathering so much steam lately, and what are some of the possible drawbacks of its progress?

With us to demystify these and related questions is Zaneta Sedilekova. Zaneta is a lawyer specializing in climate and biodiversity risk, based in the UK. She is director of the climate and biodiversity risk consultancy firm, Climate Law Lab and Biodiversity Risk Advisor at the Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> You may have heard of the concept of “biodiversity risk”, especially in the context of business. It has become increasingly widely used in recent years and the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) is a recent development that has done a lot to popularize the concept. But what exactly is biodiversity risk and, for that matter, what is TNFD? Why has this topic been gathering so much steam lately, and what are some of the possible drawbacks of its progress?

With us to demystify these and related questions is Zaneta Sedilekova. Zaneta is a lawyer specializing in climate and biodiversity risk, based in the UK. She is director of the climate and biodiversity risk consultancy firm, Climate Law Lab and Biodiversity Risk Advisor at the Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-12576089 Mon, 03 Apr 2023 17:00:00 +0900 2600 full false 30. Multilateral environmental agreements - MEAs (Peter Bridgewater) 30. Multilateral environmental agreements - MEAs (Peter Bridgewater) Wherever conservation takes place, at whatever scale, and in whatever form, there’s a good chance that it is somehow affected by the decisions taken under multilateral environmental agreements, or “MEAs”. These agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, are made between multiple countries - sometimes including almost all of the world's nations - with the aim of addressing one or another environmental challenge. There are now hundreds of MEAs, set up to guide national and subnational actions toward a more sustainable future. They are supported by secretariats that coordinate their work and convene large international meetings between the countries that have signed up to them. And yet, most conservationists are unaware of how these high-level agreements work, or how well they work.

Peter Bridgewater is a veteran of various MEA negotiations, and has published extensively about biodiversity MEAs in particular. Among various professorships and other positions, he was the Secretary General of the oldest biodiversity MEA, the Ramsar Convention, between 2003 and 2007. In our discussion Peter explains what MEAs are, and he speaks frankly about their importance, their potential, and their shortcomings.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Wherever conservation takes place, at whatever scale, and in whatever form, there’s a good chance that it is somehow affected by the decisions taken under multilateral environmental agreements, or “MEAs”. These agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, are made between multiple countries - sometimes including almost all of the world's nations - with the aim of addressing one or another environmental challenge. There are now hundreds of MEAs, set up to guide national and subnational actions toward a more sustainable future. They are supported by secretariats that coordinate their work and convene large international meetings between the countries that have signed up to them. And yet, most conservationists are unaware of how these high-level agreements work, or how well they work.

Peter Bridgewater is a veteran of various MEA negotiations, and has published extensively about biodiversity MEAs in particular. Among various professorships and other positions, he was the Secretary General of the oldest biodiversity MEA, the Ramsar Convention, between 2003 and 2007. In our discussion Peter explains what MEAs are, and he speaks frankly about their importance, their potential, and their shortcomings.

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-12382358 Mon, 06 Mar 2023 18:00:00 +0900 3452 full false 29. Biodiversity offsets: A necessary evil? (Martine Maron) 29. Biodiversity offsets: A necessary evil? (Martine Maron) In days gone by development (of cities, infrastructure, agriculture, etc.) happened without regard for the environment. And it was really the devastating effects of unimpeded development that led to the establishment and early growth of the environmental movement, broadly speaking. We have become much more efficient at using land and other resources, but development remains inevitable. In theory, biodiversity offsets cancel out the effect of development by conserving biodiversity "elsewhere". But that’s just theory. Biodiversity offsets are controversial for a number of reasons. It is, however, likely that we are stuck with them as a tool to mitigate biodiversity loss.

Joining me on episode 29 of The Case for Conservation Podcast is ecologist at the University if Queensland, Martine Maron. For much of her career Martine has been researching offsets, and doing her best to make sure they are properly implemented. In our discussion she explains what they are, why we’re stuck with them, and how to make the most of them.  

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> In days gone by development (of cities, infrastructure, agriculture, etc.) happened without regard for the environment. And it was really the devastating effects of unimpeded development that led to the establishment and early growth of the environmental movement, broadly speaking. We have become much more efficient at using land and other resources, but development remains inevitable. In theory, biodiversity offsets cancel out the effect of development by conserving biodiversity "elsewhere". But that’s just theory. Biodiversity offsets are controversial for a number of reasons. It is, however, likely that we are stuck with them as a tool to mitigate biodiversity loss.

Joining me on episode 29 of The Case for Conservation Podcast is ecologist at the University if Queensland, Martine Maron. For much of her career Martine has been researching offsets, and doing her best to make sure they are properly implemented. In our discussion she explains what they are, why we’re stuck with them, and how to make the most of them.  

Links to resources

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-12168618 Mon, 06 Feb 2023 06:00:00 +0900 2469 full false 28b. Politics, the media, and the environment (Omnia El Omrani) 28b. Politics, the media, and the environment (Omnia El Omrani) After decades of struggling for recognition, environmental issues, including biodiversity conservation, have exploded onto the global scene in recent years. This is incredibly encouraging and gratifying, but are we sufficiently aware of the risks that come with such vastly increased public support? How much is politics influencing the public discourse on the environment? Are we paying enough attention to other, interrelated, societal goals and the trade-offs between them?

In the last episode Esther Krakue provided a fairly critical view of environmental activism with a focus mostly on climate change. With that in mind, I am joined this time by Omnia El Omrani, a young Egyptian medical doctor and self-described climate activist. Omnia has worked with organizations like the WHO, the UN climate convention, and the Global Climate and Health Alliance, and she was the youth envoy to the President of COP27 - the big UN climate conference hosted by Egypt in late 2022. Omnia comes from a different perspective to Esther, and I think that this provides an interesting contrast - I suggest you listen to these two discussions as a set, but not in any particular order.


Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> After decades of struggling for recognition, environmental issues, including biodiversity conservation, have exploded onto the global scene in recent years. This is incredibly encouraging and gratifying, but are we sufficiently aware of the risks that come with such vastly increased public support? How much is politics influencing the public discourse on the environment? Are we paying enough attention to other, interrelated, societal goals and the trade-offs between them?

In the last episode Esther Krakue provided a fairly critical view of environmental activism with a focus mostly on climate change. With that in mind, I am joined this time by Omnia El Omrani, a young Egyptian medical doctor and self-described climate activist. Omnia has worked with organizations like the WHO, the UN climate convention, and the Global Climate and Health Alliance, and she was the youth envoy to the President of COP27 - the big UN climate conference hosted by Egypt in late 2022. Omnia comes from a different perspective to Esther, and I think that this provides an interesting contrast - I suggest you listen to these two discussions as a set, but not in any particular order.


Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-12043408 Sun, 15 Jan 2023 07:00:00 +0900 2642 full false 28a. Politics, the media, and the environment (Esther Krakue) 28a. Politics, the media, and the environment (Esther Krakue) After decades of struggling for recognition, environmental issues, including biodiversity conservation, have exploded onto the global scene in recent years. This is incredibly encouraging and gratifying, but are we sufficiently aware of the risks that come with such vastly increased public support? How much is politics influencing the public discourse on the environment? Are we paying enough attention to other, interrelated, societal goals and the trade-offs between them?

Esther Krakue is a young broadcaster, writer, and talk TV contributor. She’s been on the media scene for only a few years, but she features on various well-known TV channels, podcasts and other forums. She has some strong opinions on how environmentalism, especially environmental activism, may be heading in the wrong direction, and could even threaten the movement itself.

Links to resources referred to in the episode

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> After decades of struggling for recognition, environmental issues, including biodiversity conservation, have exploded onto the global scene in recent years. This is incredibly encouraging and gratifying, but are we sufficiently aware of the risks that come with such vastly increased public support? How much is politics influencing the public discourse on the environment? Are we paying enough attention to other, interrelated, societal goals and the trade-offs between them?

Esther Krakue is a young broadcaster, writer, and talk TV contributor. She’s been on the media scene for only a few years, but she features on various well-known TV channels, podcasts and other forums. She has some strong opinions on how environmentalism, especially environmental activism, may be heading in the wrong direction, and could even threaten the movement itself.

Links to resources referred to in the episode

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-11894389 Mon, 19 Dec 2022 09:00:00 +0900 2636 full false 27. Deforestation and zoonotic disease spillover - a complex relationship (Andre Mader) 27. Deforestation and zoonotic disease spillover - a complex relationship (Andre Mader) This month, for the first time, I am the interviewee rather than the interviewer. This episode was recorded for BioScience Talks, the podcast of the journal BioScience, which recently published an article that I co-authored. The article is about science and media communication around Covid-19 and, in particular, the way that some of the scientific literature, and much of the media, have portrayed the relationship between land change and disease spillover risk. To be clear, my co-authors and I are not suggesting that the destruction of nature is not a key driver of spillover. There is plenty of evidence that it is. We are pointing out why this is not always the case, and why it’s risky to imply that it is.

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> This month, for the first time, I am the interviewee rather than the interviewer. This episode was recorded for BioScience Talks, the podcast of the journal BioScience, which recently published an article that I co-authored. The article is about science and media communication around Covid-19 and, in particular, the way that some of the scientific literature, and much of the media, have portrayed the relationship between land change and disease spillover risk. To be clear, my co-authors and I are not suggesting that the destruction of nature is not a key driver of spillover. There is plenty of evidence that it is. We are pointing out why this is not always the case, and why it’s risky to imply that it is.

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Buzzsprout-11646070 Mon, 07 Nov 2022 23:00:00 +0900 1686 full false 26. Perceptions of science communication (Neil Waters & Erin Kawazu) 26. Perceptions of science communication (Neil Waters & Erin Kawazu) Covid-19 has, probably more than anything, ever, made science communication a matter of public interest. A couple of weeks before recording this episode, the journal BioScience published an article that I co-authored, which takes a critical look at one aspect of science messaging - the way it has portrayed the relationship between land change and  infectious disease risk. That paper will actually be the focus of next month's episode of the podcast, but this month I am joined by two of my young co-authors on that paper to discuss science communication more generally. All three of us are science communicators in some sense, but we're novices in this field. So this is not an authoritative overview but rather a discussion of perceptions based on what we have observed, especially over the past couple of years.

Neil Waters is a Canadian ecologist who has been studying and working in Tokyo, where he currently teaches science writing. Erin Kawazu is part of the communications team at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) in Hayama, not far from Tokyo, where I also work. She has a background in health and the environment. 

Links to resources:


Time stamps:

coming soon

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Covid-19 has, probably more than anything, ever, made science communication a matter of public interest. A couple of weeks before recording this episode, the journal BioScience published an article that I co-authored, which takes a critical look at one aspect of science messaging - the way it has portrayed the relationship between land change and  infectious disease risk. That paper will actually be the focus of next month's episode of the podcast, but this month I am joined by two of my young co-authors on that paper to discuss science communication more generally. All three of us are science communicators in some sense, but we're novices in this field. So this is not an authoritative overview but rather a discussion of perceptions based on what we have observed, especially over the past couple of years.

Neil Waters is a Canadian ecologist who has been studying and working in Tokyo, where he currently teaches science writing. Erin Kawazu is part of the communications team at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) in Hayama, not far from Tokyo, where I also work. She has a background in health and the environment. 

Links to resources:


Time stamps:

coming soon

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-11429191 Tue, 04 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0900 2382 full false 25. Why could urbanization save biodiversity? (Eric Sanderson) 25. Why could urbanization save biodiversity? (Eric Sanderson) Cities - even the greenest of them - replace nature with glass, concrete and asphalt. And their footprint extends far beyond their boundaries to provide for the needs of the thousands, millions, or ten of millions of people concentrated within them. They are home to most of the people on Earth and are the sources of most pollution. But it seems cities are also an inevitable result of the development of civilization. They are growing in size and number, especially in some of the most biodiverse and least spoiled part of the planet. So, does that mean they are a fundamental obstacle to conservation? Should conservationists be trying to de-urbanize? My guest for this episode of The Case for Conservation Podcast answers those questions with an emphatic "no".

Eric Sanderson is a landscape ecologist and Senior Conservation Ecologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society, based at the Bronx Zoo in New York. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and other publications on a wide range of conservation topics. These include two books, one of which, Manahatta: A Natural History of New York City, was a New York Times bestseller when it was published in 2009. See episode 6 with Debra Roberts for another look at cities and conservation, from a different angle

Links to resources:

Time stamps:
...coming soon

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Cities - even the greenest of them - replace nature with glass, concrete and asphalt. And their footprint extends far beyond their boundaries to provide for the needs of the thousands, millions, or ten of millions of people concentrated within them. They are home to most of the people on Earth and are the sources of most pollution. But it seems cities are also an inevitable result of the development of civilization. They are growing in size and number, especially in some of the most biodiverse and least spoiled part of the planet. So, does that mean they are a fundamental obstacle to conservation? Should conservationists be trying to de-urbanize? My guest for this episode of The Case for Conservation Podcast answers those questions with an emphatic "no".

Eric Sanderson is a landscape ecologist and Senior Conservation Ecologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society, based at the Bronx Zoo in New York. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and other publications on a wide range of conservation topics. These include two books, one of which, Manahatta: A Natural History of New York City, was a New York Times bestseller when it was published in 2009. See episode 6 with Debra Roberts for another look at cities and conservation, from a different angle

Links to resources:

Time stamps:
...coming soon

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-11061716 Tue, 02 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0900 3458 full false 24. Can GMOs benefit biodiversity? (Joseph Opoku Gakpo) 24. Can GMOs benefit biodiversity? (Joseph Opoku Gakpo) Few technologies are viewed with as much suspicion as genetic modification. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are banned in several parts of the world; an entire protocol under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is dedicated to controlling their effects on biodiversity; and national and international agreements and regulations tightly legislate their use across a broad range of applications. Why, then, do GMOs continue to grow in popularity? Why do farmers in the developing world consider them game-changing tools to deal with the demands of making a living, or even a livelihood, from agriculture? And what's all this subversive business about GMOs being good for biodiversity? 

Joseph Opoku Gakpo is an environmental journalist who writes about GMOs and other aspects of agriculture, the environment, and rural development. He is Ghana correspondent for "Alliance for Science", and was awarded the Ghana Journalists Association prize for Best Journalist in Poverty Alleviation Reporting in 2015. Joseph has a passion for sharing the struggle of farmers and other rural people, which is reflected in his refreshingly clear and level-headed style of reporting. In this illuminating discussion we talk about how GMOs got such a bad name; whether any of the allegations against them are reasonable; what they mean for poor people around the world; and what is the nature of their relationship with biodiversity.

Links to resources:

Time stamps:
02:09: What are GMOs?
04:17: Why GMOs are so controversial 
08:20: The geographical chronology of GMO introduction
09:27: Why GMOs shouldn’t be shunned
11:41: What about impacts on health; terminator genes; and contamination of other organisms?
17:56: How GMOs can help biodiversity
20:00: Savings to farmers
25:00: The slow uptake of GMOs in some parts of the world and the targeted traits of GMOs
30:53: Changing perspectives on GMOs, and local champions of GMOs
40:25: Changing attitudes in Europe?
43:08: Does political polarization play a role?
45:57: The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Few technologies are viewed with as much suspicion as genetic modification. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are banned in several parts of the world; an entire protocol under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is dedicated to controlling their effects on biodiversity; and national and international agreements and regulations tightly legislate their use across a broad range of applications. Why, then, do GMOs continue to grow in popularity? Why do farmers in the developing world consider them game-changing tools to deal with the demands of making a living, or even a livelihood, from agriculture? And what's all this subversive business about GMOs being good for biodiversity? 

Joseph Opoku Gakpo is an environmental journalist who writes about GMOs and other aspects of agriculture, the environment, and rural development. He is Ghana correspondent for "Alliance for Science", and was awarded the Ghana Journalists Association prize for Best Journalist in Poverty Alleviation Reporting in 2015. Joseph has a passion for sharing the struggle of farmers and other rural people, which is reflected in his refreshingly clear and level-headed style of reporting. In this illuminating discussion we talk about how GMOs got such a bad name; whether any of the allegations against them are reasonable; what they mean for poor people around the world; and what is the nature of their relationship with biodiversity.

Links to resources:

Time stamps:
02:09: What are GMOs?
04:17: Why GMOs are so controversial 
08:20: The geographical chronology of GMO introduction
09:27: Why GMOs shouldn’t be shunned
11:41: What about impacts on health; terminator genes; and contamination of other organisms?
17:56: How GMOs can help biodiversity
20:00: Savings to farmers
25:00: The slow uptake of GMOs in some parts of the world and the targeted traits of GMOs
30:53: Changing perspectives on GMOs, and local champions of GMOs
40:25: Changing attitudes in Europe?
43:08: Does political polarization play a role?
45:57: The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Buzzsprout-10900492 Mon, 04 Jul 2022 18:00:00 +0900 3068 full false 23. How alarmed should we be about the environment? (Matt Ridley) 23. How alarmed should we be about the environment? (Matt Ridley) This episode is about environmental alarmism. Alarmism means exaggerating danger and thereby causing needless worry or panic. These days the media is flooded with proclamations and predictions of ecological catastrophe. There is no doubt that our environmental challenges are many, and huge, and they certainly do present dangers. But are they being seen in the context of broader developmental challenges and associated trade-offs? Or in the context of humankind's past achievements, and our ability to adapt? And is alarmist rhetoric the best way to motivate action to deal with them? Among the people offering answers to questions like these, is this month’s guest on The Case for Conservation Podcast, Matt Ridley.

Matt was, until he retired last year, an elected member of the UK Parliament’s House of Lords. He’s been been writer and/or editor for The Economist and The Wall Street Journal, among other publications, and his non-fiction books have sold more than a million copies. They include "The Rational Optimist", "The Evolution of Everything", "How Innovation Works" and, most recently, "Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19". His 2010 TED talk, "When Ideas Have Sex", has been viewed more than 2 and a half million times, and he’s spoken on various other popular forums including, quite recently, the Jordan Peterson Podcast.

Links to resources:


Time stamps:
02:50: Matt's response to a Guardian article about climate change terminology
06:59: Species conservation and reports of species loss due to to climate change
13:35: A counsel of despair
15:32: The possible influence of funding in environmental rhetoric
17:40: How innovation helps conservation
24:40: How ecological footprint calculations may be misleading; finite resources
34:23: The Jevons paradox
35:42: The evolution of lightbulb technology; prehistoric technology without innovation
38:12: Which environmental issues are being neglected?
42:14: Invasive species as a driver of biodiversity loss
45:32: Is deforestation the cause of the Covid-19 pandemic?
48:27: Is there a link between environmental alarmism and theories of Covid-19 origins?

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> This episode is about environmental alarmism. Alarmism means exaggerating danger and thereby causing needless worry or panic. These days the media is flooded with proclamations and predictions of ecological catastrophe. There is no doubt that our environmental challenges are many, and huge, and they certainly do present dangers. But are they being seen in the context of broader developmental challenges and associated trade-offs? Or in the context of humankind's past achievements, and our ability to adapt? And is alarmist rhetoric the best way to motivate action to deal with them? Among the people offering answers to questions like these, is this month’s guest on The Case for Conservation Podcast, Matt Ridley.

Matt was, until he retired last year, an elected member of the UK Parliament’s House of Lords. He’s been been writer and/or editor for The Economist and The Wall Street Journal, among other publications, and his non-fiction books have sold more than a million copies. They include "The Rational Optimist", "The Evolution of Everything", "How Innovation Works" and, most recently, "Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19". His 2010 TED talk, "When Ideas Have Sex", has been viewed more than 2 and a half million times, and he’s spoken on various other popular forums including, quite recently, the Jordan Peterson Podcast.

Links to resources:


Time stamps:
02:50: Matt's response to a Guardian article about climate change terminology
06:59: Species conservation and reports of species loss due to to climate change
13:35: A counsel of despair
15:32: The possible influence of funding in environmental rhetoric
17:40: How innovation helps conservation
24:40: How ecological footprint calculations may be misleading; finite resources
34:23: The Jevons paradox
35:42: The evolution of lightbulb technology; prehistoric technology without innovation
38:12: Which environmental issues are being neglected?
42:14: Invasive species as a driver of biodiversity loss
45:32: Is deforestation the cause of the Covid-19 pandemic?
48:27: Is there a link between environmental alarmism and theories of Covid-19 origins?

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-10737910 Sun, 05 Jun 2022 13:00:00 +0900 3065 biodiversity, conservation, environmental alarmism, matt ridley full false 22. Trophy hunting: Who's to judge? (Lochran Traill) 22. Trophy hunting: Who's to judge? (Lochran Traill) Most people outside Africa probably don’t associate trophy hunting with conservation. In fact, certain publicized incidents of trophy hunting have caused something of a global moral panic. The same often goes for the culling of animal populations to manage their numbers and the trade in ivory, even ivory harvested from elephants that die naturally. In today’s discussion we get into these perceptions, and my guest explains why they may be misguided. 

Lochran Traill is a lecturer at the University of Leeds. He is a conservation biologist and, having grown up in Zimbabwe, specializes in African ecology and conservation. Among the many topics he has researched and published on in top journals, is the afore-mentioned trophy hunting. Our discussion focuses on, but is not limited to, his most recent paper, on divergent views on trophy hunting in Africa, especially between people in Africa, and people outside the continent.

Links to resources:


Time stamps:

... coming soon

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Most people outside Africa probably don’t associate trophy hunting with conservation. In fact, certain publicized incidents of trophy hunting have caused something of a global moral panic. The same often goes for the culling of animal populations to manage their numbers and the trade in ivory, even ivory harvested from elephants that die naturally. In today’s discussion we get into these perceptions, and my guest explains why they may be misguided. 

Lochran Traill is a lecturer at the University of Leeds. He is a conservation biologist and, having grown up in Zimbabwe, specializes in African ecology and conservation. Among the many topics he has researched and published on in top journals, is the afore-mentioned trophy hunting. Our discussion focuses on, but is not limited to, his most recent paper, on divergent views on trophy hunting in Africa, especially between people in Africa, and people outside the continent.

Links to resources:


Time stamps:

... coming soon

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-10539041 Mon, 02 May 2022 09:00:00 +0900 2660 full false 21. How can we better understand environmental change? (Timm Hoffman) 21. How can we better understand environmental change? (Timm Hoffman) In 1975, biologist Paul Ehrlich said that 90% of tropical rainforests would be lost by about 2005. Although their loss has continued at a steady rate, by 2019 the figure was more like 32%. Also in the 1970s, ecologist Kenneth Watt forecast a world 11 degrees colder in the year 2000. Of course, it’s been well publicized that the trend is in the opposite direction, and at a less severe pace. At a more modest scale, botanist John Acocks predicted in the 1950s that South Africa's Karoo (a desert-like area the size of present-day Germany) would expand into neighboring ecosystems, amounting to the desertification of millions of hectares of the country. As you’ll hear in today’s discussion, the Karoo in fact appears to have decreased in size. There are plenty of other examples of predictions of environmental change proving to be completely wrong. Perhaps those making the predictions didn't spend enough time looking into the past in order to forecast the future; and perhaps they didn't consult a diverse enough pool of expertise to inform their predictions.

Timm Hoffman is a professor of plant conservation at the University of Cape Town (UCT) who, for decades, has used a variety of techniques to understand changes in biodiversity and landscapes. I have long admired Timm for the humility with which he approaches this subject. We talk about the methods he uses, especially repeat photography, and about the role of community engagement. And Timm argues that an interdisciplinary approach to ecology and conservation is likely to give us the best idea of what is going on. This episode is focused on southern Africa, but I’m sure you’ll find the lessons universally applicable.

Links to resources:


Time stamps:

02:35: Are conservationists too confident in their assumptions about environmental change?
04:40: Timm's experiences that have informed his points of view including the influence of disciplines and people outside of conservation
19:04: How do communities feel about researchers?
24:10: Community photo project
25:38: What is repeat photography?
32:20: How to define degradation or improvement in the landscape
43:41: How communities help to fill knowledge gaps
45:47: Loss of traditional knowledge

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> In 1975, biologist Paul Ehrlich said that 90% of tropical rainforests would be lost by about 2005. Although their loss has continued at a steady rate, by 2019 the figure was more like 32%. Also in the 1970s, ecologist Kenneth Watt forecast a world 11 degrees colder in the year 2000. Of course, it’s been well publicized that the trend is in the opposite direction, and at a less severe pace. At a more modest scale, botanist John Acocks predicted in the 1950s that South Africa's Karoo (a desert-like area the size of present-day Germany) would expand into neighboring ecosystems, amounting to the desertification of millions of hectares of the country. As you’ll hear in today’s discussion, the Karoo in fact appears to have decreased in size. There are plenty of other examples of predictions of environmental change proving to be completely wrong. Perhaps those making the predictions didn't spend enough time looking into the past in order to forecast the future; and perhaps they didn't consult a diverse enough pool of expertise to inform their predictions.

Timm Hoffman is a professor of plant conservation at the University of Cape Town (UCT) who, for decades, has used a variety of techniques to understand changes in biodiversity and landscapes. I have long admired Timm for the humility with which he approaches this subject. We talk about the methods he uses, especially repeat photography, and about the role of community engagement. And Timm argues that an interdisciplinary approach to ecology and conservation is likely to give us the best idea of what is going on. This episode is focused on southern Africa, but I’m sure you’ll find the lessons universally applicable.

Links to resources:


Time stamps:

02:35: Are conservationists too confident in their assumptions about environmental change?
04:40: Timm's experiences that have informed his points of view including the influence of disciplines and people outside of conservation
19:04: How do communities feel about researchers?
24:10: Community photo project
25:38: What is repeat photography?
32:20: How to define degradation or improvement in the landscape
43:41: How communities help to fill knowledge gaps
45:47: Loss of traditional knowledge

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Buzzsprout-10373677 Mon, 04 Apr 2022 17:00:00 +0900 3059 full false 20. Is renewable energy better for biodiversity? (Alexandros Gasparatos) 20. Is renewable energy better for biodiversity? (Alexandros Gasparatos) Renewable energy is one of the great hopes of humankind when it comes to addressing the threat of climate change and some forms of pollution. Thanks to technological advances it’s now become cost-effective enough to compete with non-renewable energy sources. As renewable energy technologies and efficiency continue improving, and new innovations emerge, it’s hoped that we can make clean energy ubiquitous. But, as Thomas Sowell said, "there are no solutions - only trade-offs". The harm done by energy generation is not just about the gasses emitted during the generation process. It’s also about where renewable energy infrastructure is located; the materials that are mined and transported to build energy infrastructure; the batteries to store energy from non-baseload sources; the waste produced when energy infrastructure needs to be renewed; and, of most relevance to today’s discussion, the relative impacts of different forms of energy production on biodiversity.

Alexandros Gasparatos is Associate Professor of Sustainability Science at the Institute for Future Initiatives at the University of Tokyo; and Adjunct Associate Professor at the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, also in Tokyo. He is an ecological economist interested in, among many other things, renewable energy and energy policy. In my conversation with him he makes clear above all, I think, that the relationship between energy production (from both renewable and non-renewable sources) and biodiversity is highly complex and what constitutes best solutions can be context-dependent.

Time stamps:
2:13   Different energy production "pathways" 
3:50   What is bioenergy?
6:39   How gaps in the literature inspired Alexandros to explore this area of conservation
13:48   How different forms of energy production differ in terms of their impact on nature
20:15   The difficulty in comparing different forms of energy production
25:02   Scale mismatches, and local versus global impacts
30:45   Other factors to consider, like energy security
32:44   Configuration choice and other ways of reducing impact
38:00   Trade-offs and context
42:18   Working with stakeholders

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Renewable energy is one of the great hopes of humankind when it comes to addressing the threat of climate change and some forms of pollution. Thanks to technological advances it’s now become cost-effective enough to compete with non-renewable energy sources. As renewable energy technologies and efficiency continue improving, and new innovations emerge, it’s hoped that we can make clean energy ubiquitous. But, as Thomas Sowell said, "there are no solutions - only trade-offs". The harm done by energy generation is not just about the gasses emitted during the generation process. It’s also about where renewable energy infrastructure is located; the materials that are mined and transported to build energy infrastructure; the batteries to store energy from non-baseload sources; the waste produced when energy infrastructure needs to be renewed; and, of most relevance to today’s discussion, the relative impacts of different forms of energy production on biodiversity.

Alexandros Gasparatos is Associate Professor of Sustainability Science at the Institute for Future Initiatives at the University of Tokyo; and Adjunct Associate Professor at the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, also in Tokyo. He is an ecological economist interested in, among many other things, renewable energy and energy policy. In my conversation with him he makes clear above all, I think, that the relationship between energy production (from both renewable and non-renewable sources) and biodiversity is highly complex and what constitutes best solutions can be context-dependent.

Time stamps:
2:13   Different energy production "pathways" 
3:50   What is bioenergy?
6:39   How gaps in the literature inspired Alexandros to explore this area of conservation
13:48   How different forms of energy production differ in terms of their impact on nature
20:15   The difficulty in comparing different forms of energy production
25:02   Scale mismatches, and local versus global impacts
30:45   Other factors to consider, like energy security
32:44   Configuration choice and other ways of reducing impact
38:00   Trade-offs and context
42:18   Working with stakeholders

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Buzzsprout-10191813 Mon, 07 Mar 2022 22:00:00 +0900 2850 full false 19. Is aquaculture good or bad for the environment? (Roz Naylor) 19. Is aquaculture good or bad for the environment? (Roz Naylor) It’s widely agreed that one of our greatest global environmental challenges is the impact of fisheries on the oceans. Aquaculture, practiced at a small scale around the world and especially in Asia for centuries, emerged decades ago as a potential solution. But it soon became clear that aquaculture was using more wild-caught fish as feed (as an input), than it was generating as product. In other words, it was making the situation even worse. However, things have changed in the way that we manage this final frontier of agricultural intensification. And this story is not all about the ocean. Mariculture - marine aquaculture - supplies more than 50% of the world’s seafood, but the freshwater aquaculture is even larger than the mariculture industry. Aquaculture is a big deal.

I spoke about this subject with economist Roz Naylor, a professor of earth system science at Stanford University's Center for Food Security and the Environment. She led a seminal review to examine the "Effect of aquaculture on world fish supplies", which was published in the journal, Nature, in 2000. Twenty years later she led the publication of "A 20-year retrospective review of global aquaculture", again in Nature. Both papers took an exhaustive look at all the literature available at the time, to piece together comprehensive narratives that outlined the pros and cons; the advances and obstacles of one of humankind's most important and promising food systems, and its impact on the environment.

Time stamps:
2:10   What is aquaculture - what does it include?
2:57   Where is most aquaculture happening?
5:30   The many species used in aquaculture and how they are used.
10:16  Roz’s interest in aquaculture, as an economist.
12:25  How aquaculture became more sustainable, and related trade-offs
20:58   Technology that has improved aquacultural production and sustainability
27:53   Aquaculture species’ energy conversion efficiency
29:33   The potential and limitations of "extractive species"
34:57   Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture
37:32   Future promise of aquaculture

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> It’s widely agreed that one of our greatest global environmental challenges is the impact of fisheries on the oceans. Aquaculture, practiced at a small scale around the world and especially in Asia for centuries, emerged decades ago as a potential solution. But it soon became clear that aquaculture was using more wild-caught fish as feed (as an input), than it was generating as product. In other words, it was making the situation even worse. However, things have changed in the way that we manage this final frontier of agricultural intensification. And this story is not all about the ocean. Mariculture - marine aquaculture - supplies more than 50% of the world’s seafood, but the freshwater aquaculture is even larger than the mariculture industry. Aquaculture is a big deal.

I spoke about this subject with economist Roz Naylor, a professor of earth system science at Stanford University's Center for Food Security and the Environment. She led a seminal review to examine the "Effect of aquaculture on world fish supplies", which was published in the journal, Nature, in 2000. Twenty years later she led the publication of "A 20-year retrospective review of global aquaculture", again in Nature. Both papers took an exhaustive look at all the literature available at the time, to piece together comprehensive narratives that outlined the pros and cons; the advances and obstacles of one of humankind's most important and promising food systems, and its impact on the environment.

Time stamps:
2:10   What is aquaculture - what does it include?
2:57   Where is most aquaculture happening?
5:30   The many species used in aquaculture and how they are used.
10:16  Roz’s interest in aquaculture, as an economist.
12:25  How aquaculture became more sustainable, and related trade-offs
20:58   Technology that has improved aquacultural production and sustainability
27:53   Aquaculture species’ energy conversion efficiency
29:33   The potential and limitations of "extractive species"
34:57   Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture
37:32   Future promise of aquaculture

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-10019772 Sun, 06 Feb 2022 19:00:00 +0900 2660 full false 18. Can we balance people's and nature's water needs? (Jenny Day) 18. Can we balance people's and nature's water needs? (Jenny Day) Freshwater biodiversity tends to be the most threatened of all types of biodiversity. In this episode I speak with Jenny Day about the state of freshwater biodiversity in South Africa's drought-prone Southwestern Cape, and elsewhere in the world. We get into how it coexists with humankind’s need for water.

Jenny is emeritus professor of freshwater ecology at the University of Cape Town, where she was also Director of the Freshwater Research Unit for many years. She has co-authored the book Vanishing Waters and, more recently, Freshwater Life: A field guide to the plants and animals of southern Africa, as well as numerous papers and research reports on various aspects of river and wetland ecology.

Time stamps:
01:30: Why Jenny decided on career in freshwater ecology
04:40: Why freshwater ecologists end up being involved in management and policy
11:20: The state of freshwater biodiversity
15:36: Threats to freshwater biodiversity
18:15: Water needs of communities, and dealing with Cape Town's two-year drought
28:00: Invasive trees
31:20: Virtual water
35:05: Adapting agriculture to be water-smart

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Freshwater biodiversity tends to be the most threatened of all types of biodiversity. In this episode I speak with Jenny Day about the state of freshwater biodiversity in South Africa's drought-prone Southwestern Cape, and elsewhere in the world. We get into how it coexists with humankind’s need for water.

Jenny is emeritus professor of freshwater ecology at the University of Cape Town, where she was also Director of the Freshwater Research Unit for many years. She has co-authored the book Vanishing Waters and, more recently, Freshwater Life: A field guide to the plants and animals of southern Africa, as well as numerous papers and research reports on various aspects of river and wetland ecology.

Time stamps:
01:30: Why Jenny decided on career in freshwater ecology
04:40: Why freshwater ecologists end up being involved in management and policy
11:20: The state of freshwater biodiversity
15:36: Threats to freshwater biodiversity
18:15: Water needs of communities, and dealing with Cape Town's two-year drought
28:00: Invasive trees
31:20: Virtual water
35:05: Adapting agriculture to be water-smart

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-9823708 Tue, 04 Jan 2022 01:00:00 +0900 2303 full false 17. Are we conserving for the right reasons? (Sharachchandra Lele) 17. Are we conserving for the right reasons? (Sharachchandra Lele) Much has been written about why we wish to protect nature. The initial motivation for conservation was ostensibly for nature's own sake. Around the 1980s, the concept of ecosystem services began to highlight  ways in which we depend on nature, as a motivation for conservation. Ecosystem services and similar concepts now dominate the discourse. But do they adequately describe our relationship with nature?

Sharachchandra Lele (or Sharad, for short) is Distinguished Fellow in Environmental Policy & Governance at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology & the Environment (ATREE) in Bangalore. After starting his career as an engineer, he went on to earn a PhD in Energy & Resources at UC Berkeley. Since then he has held positions as Senior Research Associate at the Pacific Institute, and fellowships or visiting fellowships at Harvard, Stanford and Cambridge Universities.

Resources (linked):


Time stamps

02:46: Sharad's career change, from engineering to conservation and related topics 
07:37: The nuanced and complex history of ecosystem services concepts
16:26: Trade-offs between ecosystem services; ecosystem disservices
23:21: How does biodiversity fit into a framework for viewing our relationship with nature?
30:15: Why are human development indicators improving while environmental indicators worsen?
37:40: What should be our motivation for conserving nature?
48:02: Are generic frameworks really useful to describe our relationship with nature? 

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Much has been written about why we wish to protect nature. The initial motivation for conservation was ostensibly for nature's own sake. Around the 1980s, the concept of ecosystem services began to highlight  ways in which we depend on nature, as a motivation for conservation. Ecosystem services and similar concepts now dominate the discourse. But do they adequately describe our relationship with nature?

Sharachchandra Lele (or Sharad, for short) is Distinguished Fellow in Environmental Policy & Governance at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology & the Environment (ATREE) in Bangalore. After starting his career as an engineer, he went on to earn a PhD in Energy & Resources at UC Berkeley. Since then he has held positions as Senior Research Associate at the Pacific Institute, and fellowships or visiting fellowships at Harvard, Stanford and Cambridge Universities.

Resources (linked):


Time stamps

02:46: Sharad's career change, from engineering to conservation and related topics 
07:37: The nuanced and complex history of ecosystem services concepts
16:26: Trade-offs between ecosystem services; ecosystem disservices
23:21: How does biodiversity fit into a framework for viewing our relationship with nature?
30:15: Why are human development indicators improving while environmental indicators worsen?
37:40: What should be our motivation for conserving nature?
48:02: Are generic frameworks really useful to describe our relationship with nature? 

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-9664045 Sun, 05 Dec 2021 13:00:00 +0900 3223 full false 16. How do we cultivate enthusiasm for nature? (Steven Lowe) 16. How do we cultivate enthusiasm for nature? (Steven Lowe) People from various walks of life have an affinity to nature. Why is that, and why is nature important to us? This episode is less of an inquiry and more of a ramble through this topic, with one of the most nature-loving, inspiring and interesting people I know. 

Steven Lowe is is a high school science teacher in the UK. But he started as a cardiovascular cell biology researcher, after earning his PhD in that subject. In between those two sub-careers he spent more than 10 years studying and working in conservation biology - mostly in South Africa - where we met doing our Masters degrees in that subject.

02:12: How Steve chose a successful career in cardiovascular cell biology, and left it for conservation
11:11: The importance of biodiversity conservation relative to climate change action
16:08: Moral and practical arguments for conservation
18:03: Trade-offs, consequences and opportunities
25:46: Political conviction about improving conservation
28:39: Why are YouTube "freak animal clips" so popular?
31:48: Young people’s interest in nature
35:23: The influence of inspiring individuals
40:36: The influence of spending time in nature

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> People from various walks of life have an affinity to nature. Why is that, and why is nature important to us? This episode is less of an inquiry and more of a ramble through this topic, with one of the most nature-loving, inspiring and interesting people I know. 

Steven Lowe is is a high school science teacher in the UK. But he started as a cardiovascular cell biology researcher, after earning his PhD in that subject. In between those two sub-careers he spent more than 10 years studying and working in conservation biology - mostly in South Africa - where we met doing our Masters degrees in that subject.

02:12: How Steve chose a successful career in cardiovascular cell biology, and left it for conservation
11:11: The importance of biodiversity conservation relative to climate change action
16:08: Moral and practical arguments for conservation
18:03: Trade-offs, consequences and opportunities
25:46: Political conviction about improving conservation
28:39: Why are YouTube "freak animal clips" so popular?
31:48: Young people’s interest in nature
35:23: The influence of inspiring individuals
40:36: The influence of spending time in nature

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-9468436 Tue, 02 Nov 2021 07:00:00 +0900 2744 full false 15. Is conservatism better for conservation? (Quill Robinson) 15. Is conservatism better for conservation? (Quill Robinson) Why has environmentalism  come to be considered a left-wing  agenda, even though much of its history has conservative roots? And what does it even mean to be conservative when it comes to conservation and environmental issues?

Quill Robinson has some ideas about this. He is Vice President of Government Affairs for the American Conservation Coalition, and spends much of his time in Congress advocating for what he considers pragmatic, bipartisan policy solutions to environmental challenges. He turned conservative after witnessing the defeat of one such policy solution by progressive organizations early in his career.

02:18: How Quill changed political perspectives early in his career
09:04: What it means to be a conservative in the environmental sphere
12:15: Why is environmentalism thought of as a leftist agenda?
16:06: Why market-based approaches?
21:23: Incremental change versus transformative change
26:50: Unleashing innovation
32:27: The importance of local solutions and feeling like we can make a difference
35:33: The argument against environmental catastrophism
38:20: A culture shift towards steadfastness against adversity

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Why has environmentalism  come to be considered a left-wing  agenda, even though much of its history has conservative roots? And what does it even mean to be conservative when it comes to conservation and environmental issues?

Quill Robinson has some ideas about this. He is Vice President of Government Affairs for the American Conservation Coalition, and spends much of his time in Congress advocating for what he considers pragmatic, bipartisan policy solutions to environmental challenges. He turned conservative after witnessing the defeat of one such policy solution by progressive organizations early in his career.

02:18: How Quill changed political perspectives early in his career
09:04: What it means to be a conservative in the environmental sphere
12:15: Why is environmentalism thought of as a leftist agenda?
16:06: Why market-based approaches?
21:23: Incremental change versus transformative change
26:50: Unleashing innovation
32:27: The importance of local solutions and feeling like we can make a difference
35:33: The argument against environmental catastrophism
38:20: A culture shift towards steadfastness against adversity

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-9305562 Mon, 04 Oct 2021 16:00:00 +0900 2640 full false 14. How do conservationists keep going? (Widar Narvelo & Grant Pearsell) 14. How do conservationists keep going? (Widar Narvelo & Grant Pearsell) Most conservationists are motivated by the purpose of their work. But that work often involves a lot of struggle and it can be daunting, especially when one does not yet have the experience of hard-won success to draw inspiration from. So, how do we keep going when the odds seem stacked against us?

Grant Pearsell and Widar Narvelo both recently retired from decades-long, pioneering careers in urban conservation - Widar at the City of Helsingborg in Sweden and Grant at the City of Edmonton in Canada. In this discussion they share some of the wisdom and experience they have gathered over their lifelong work.

1:33: How Widar and Grant chose careers in conservation
6:15: Conservation goals compared with broader institutional goals
12:53: Most difficult career challenges
17:16: Ecosystem services as a tool, or not
19:04: Most rewarding career achievements
24:27: Changes in public and institutional attitude over time
26:11: Importance of integration into broader planning
28:04: Communicating conservation with non-conservation language
31:11: Advice to conservationists who feel they are struggling against the odds

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Most conservationists are motivated by the purpose of their work. But that work often involves a lot of struggle and it can be daunting, especially when one does not yet have the experience of hard-won success to draw inspiration from. So, how do we keep going when the odds seem stacked against us?

Grant Pearsell and Widar Narvelo both recently retired from decades-long, pioneering careers in urban conservation - Widar at the City of Helsingborg in Sweden and Grant at the City of Edmonton in Canada. In this discussion they share some of the wisdom and experience they have gathered over their lifelong work.

1:33: How Widar and Grant chose careers in conservation
6:15: Conservation goals compared with broader institutional goals
12:53: Most difficult career challenges
17:16: Ecosystem services as a tool, or not
19:04: Most rewarding career achievements
24:27: Changes in public and institutional attitude over time
26:11: Importance of integration into broader planning
28:04: Communicating conservation with non-conservation language
31:11: Advice to conservationists who feel they are struggling against the odds

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-9144664 Mon, 06 Sep 2021 09:00:00 +0900 2814 full false 13. Does biodiversity prevent pandemics? (Dan Salkeld) 13. Does biodiversity prevent pandemics? (Dan Salkeld) There is a lot in the media these days about how protecting biodiversity reduces the risk of zoonotic disease spillover, and hence the risk of epidemics and pandemics. There seems to be  a lot of good evidence for this in published studies on the topic, but how universal is such a conclusion? What is the science behind it? What about context? Are there exceptions to the rule? 

Dan Salkeld is a disease ecologist, and professor at Colorado State University. He has been addressing this topic in the literature for years, and shares some of his conclusions with us. We also talk a little more broadly about the trend, in the literature, towards making generic causal links, when the sum of the data show correlations of varying strength, and include exceptions.

03:10: Main factors likely to increase the risk of zoonotic disease spillover
05:08: Relationship between biodiversity and spillover risk; the dilution effect and amplification effect
12:32: The role of scale in spillover
13:55: The state of the debate regarding the links between biodiversity and spillover
18:18: Claims of causation and consensus
22:34: Results that don't get published
26:09: Communicating nuanced messages to the broader public

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> There is a lot in the media these days about how protecting biodiversity reduces the risk of zoonotic disease spillover, and hence the risk of epidemics and pandemics. There seems to be  a lot of good evidence for this in published studies on the topic, but how universal is such a conclusion? What is the science behind it? What about context? Are there exceptions to the rule? 

Dan Salkeld is a disease ecologist, and professor at Colorado State University. He has been addressing this topic in the literature for years, and shares some of his conclusions with us. We also talk a little more broadly about the trend, in the literature, towards making generic causal links, when the sum of the data show correlations of varying strength, and include exceptions.

03:10: Main factors likely to increase the risk of zoonotic disease spillover
05:08: Relationship between biodiversity and spillover risk; the dilution effect and amplification effect
12:32: The role of scale in spillover
13:55: The state of the debate regarding the links between biodiversity and spillover
18:18: Claims of causation and consensus
22:34: Results that don't get published
26:09: Communicating nuanced messages to the broader public

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-8908697 Mon, 02 Aug 2021 11:00:00 +0900 2413 full false 12. Is hype distorting science? (Randy Schekman) 12. Is hype distorting science? (Randy Schekman) The scientific method remains the best systematic approach we have been able to develop in our ongoing endeavor to advance human flourishing. But that does not mean it's perfect - indeed, it probably never will be. But what are the ways in which we can make science better? Perhaps some of the most fundamental ways lie in the process of publishing research findings. This applies to biodiversity science as much as it does to other scientific disciplines. 

Randy Schekman joins me to pick apart some of the well-known and less well-known critiques of the scientific publication process, including the role of hype. Randy is a cell biologist, Nobel Prize winner, and previous editor-in-chief of PNAS, Annual Review of Cell Developmental Biology, and eLife. He is based at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has spent almost his entire career.

01:57:  How biodiversity got Randy interested in science
07:37:  How and why we publish scientific research
11:50:  Domination by commercial journals
17:22:  The introduction of impact factor, and its flaws
21:12:  Professional editors and other problems with "luxury journals"
26:59:  The pressure to publish in big journals, and its societal implications
28:11:  The problem with not publishing negative results
34:41:  What's changed since Randy began his crusade in 2013?
38:03:  What can we do about it?
43:30:  What's the alternative to impact factor?

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> The scientific method remains the best systematic approach we have been able to develop in our ongoing endeavor to advance human flourishing. But that does not mean it's perfect - indeed, it probably never will be. But what are the ways in which we can make science better? Perhaps some of the most fundamental ways lie in the process of publishing research findings. This applies to biodiversity science as much as it does to other scientific disciplines. 

Randy Schekman joins me to pick apart some of the well-known and less well-known critiques of the scientific publication process, including the role of hype. Randy is a cell biologist, Nobel Prize winner, and previous editor-in-chief of PNAS, Annual Review of Cell Developmental Biology, and eLife. He is based at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has spent almost his entire career.

01:57:  How biodiversity got Randy interested in science
07:37:  How and why we publish scientific research
11:50:  Domination by commercial journals
17:22:  The introduction of impact factor, and its flaws
21:12:  Professional editors and other problems with "luxury journals"
26:59:  The pressure to publish in big journals, and its societal implications
28:11:  The problem with not publishing negative results
34:41:  What's changed since Randy began his crusade in 2013?
38:03:  What can we do about it?
43:30:  What's the alternative to impact factor?

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-8811271 Mon, 05 Jul 2021 18:00:00 +0900 2886 full false 11. Performative conservation: What's wrong with showing off? (Adam Welz) 11. Performative conservation: What's wrong with showing off? (Adam Welz) These days some very impressive-sounding conservation projects are catching the public eye, from massive tree-planting initiatives to high-profile urban greening. They capture the headlines and they capture the imagination. But do they deserve the level of attention and adulation that they receive? Or should we be a little more discerning as conservationists and the public, and pay a little more attention to the details?

Someone who has looked into these questions is Adam Welz. He is a writer, photographer, filmmaker and self-proclaimed conservation theorist with an uncompromising approach to conservation.

04:25: What does it mean to be a conservation theorist?
10:50: Overview of the concept of "huge tree planting projects".
21:30: What is performative conservation?
25:19: New York City High Line Park.
30:10: Is performative conservation sometimes done with good intentions?
35:10: Cheonggyecheon stream restoration project and Saemangeum wetlands.
38:55: Prioritizing resources for the most important conservation.
41:08: Ecological illiteracy prevents us from identifying mistakes in conservation.
46:27: The important, and lack, of nuance in understanding conservation problems.

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> These days some very impressive-sounding conservation projects are catching the public eye, from massive tree-planting initiatives to high-profile urban greening. They capture the headlines and they capture the imagination. But do they deserve the level of attention and adulation that they receive? Or should we be a little more discerning as conservationists and the public, and pay a little more attention to the details?

Someone who has looked into these questions is Adam Welz. He is a writer, photographer, filmmaker and self-proclaimed conservation theorist with an uncompromising approach to conservation.

04:25: What does it mean to be a conservation theorist?
10:50: Overview of the concept of "huge tree planting projects".
21:30: What is performative conservation?
25:19: New York City High Line Park.
30:10: Is performative conservation sometimes done with good intentions?
35:10: Cheonggyecheon stream restoration project and Saemangeum wetlands.
38:55: Prioritizing resources for the most important conservation.
41:08: Ecological illiteracy prevents us from identifying mistakes in conservation.
46:27: The important, and lack, of nuance in understanding conservation problems.

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-8604470 Mon, 07 Jun 2021 13:00:00 +0900 3101 full false 10. How's it going with protected areas? (Brian MacSharry) 10. How's it going with protected areas? (Brian MacSharry) Protected areas like nature reserves and national parks are about the most fundamental manifestation of nature conservation there is, and have existed in various forms for centuries. But are they achieving what they are meant to achieve? Does formal protection necessarily translate into biodiversity conserved?

Brian MacSharry is well placed to respond to these questions. He is Head of the Biodiversity and Nature Group at the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen, and former lead of the Protected Planet initiative.

We refer to the CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) several times. The CBD is the United Nations convention that sets much of the international biodiversity agenda. Parties (countries and the EU) to the CBD make key decisions at meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COPs) to the CBD. We refer to COP-10 in Nagoya (2010); COP 14 in Sharm El Sheikh (2018); and the upcoming COP 15 in Kunming. The Aichi Biodiversity Targets are a set of global targets that emerged from COP-10 as part of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, which will be superseded by the post-2020 global biodiversity framework at COP-15.

09:28: What constitutes a protected area?
15:52: How much of the planet is protected?
15:52: Usefulness of the protected areas concept without an international standard to guide it
26:12: Are protected areas protecting biodiversity where it most needs protecting?
36:07: Difference between protected areas and "other effective conservation measures" (OECMs)
43:28: Differences between terrestrial and marine protected areas
49:54: Impact of protected areas on communities

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Protected areas like nature reserves and national parks are about the most fundamental manifestation of nature conservation there is, and have existed in various forms for centuries. But are they achieving what they are meant to achieve? Does formal protection necessarily translate into biodiversity conserved?

Brian MacSharry is well placed to respond to these questions. He is Head of the Biodiversity and Nature Group at the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen, and former lead of the Protected Planet initiative.

We refer to the CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) several times. The CBD is the United Nations convention that sets much of the international biodiversity agenda. Parties (countries and the EU) to the CBD make key decisions at meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COPs) to the CBD. We refer to COP-10 in Nagoya (2010); COP 14 in Sharm El Sheikh (2018); and the upcoming COP 15 in Kunming. The Aichi Biodiversity Targets are a set of global targets that emerged from COP-10 as part of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, which will be superseded by the post-2020 global biodiversity framework at COP-15.

09:28: What constitutes a protected area?
15:52: How much of the planet is protected?
15:52: Usefulness of the protected areas concept without an international standard to guide it
26:12: Are protected areas protecting biodiversity where it most needs protecting?
36:07: Difference between protected areas and "other effective conservation measures" (OECMs)
43:28: Differences between terrestrial and marine protected areas
49:54: Impact of protected areas on communities

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-8441574 Sun, 02 May 2021 10:00:00 +0900 3257 full false 9. Is there still racial discrimination in conservation? (Gillian Burke) 9. Is there still racial discrimination in conservation? (Gillian Burke) Many Western nations have been undergoing a period of intense reflection on issues of discrimination. Recent incidents have re-ignited social movements like Black Lives Matter. Public intellectuals are addressing the topic with a variety of opinions - often confined to their own echo chambers. Are all concerns about discrimination justified? Are people too easily assuming that discrimination is the reason for injustice? And... what on Earth does any of this have to do with conservation?

Gillian Burke tackles this topic with me. Gillian is a biologist by training, and her career has been mostly with the BBC Natural History Unit in a variety of roles including researcher, producer and director. Most recently, she made the transition to being a TV presenter, for popular British TV programs like "Springwatch".

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Many Western nations have been undergoing a period of intense reflection on issues of discrimination. Recent incidents have re-ignited social movements like Black Lives Matter. Public intellectuals are addressing the topic with a variety of opinions - often confined to their own echo chambers. Are all concerns about discrimination justified? Are people too easily assuming that discrimination is the reason for injustice? And... what on Earth does any of this have to do with conservation?

Gillian Burke tackles this topic with me. Gillian is a biologist by training, and her career has been mostly with the BBC Natural History Unit in a variety of roles including researcher, producer and director. Most recently, she made the transition to being a TV presenter, for popular British TV programs like "Springwatch".

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-8271313 Mon, 05 Apr 2021 10:00:00 +0900 3314 full false 8. How can indigenous & local knowledge complement biodiversity science? (Zsolt Molnár) 8. How can indigenous & local knowledge complement biodiversity science? (Zsolt Molnár) Indigenous peoples and local communities are increasingly recognized for the importance of their contribution to global biodiversity knowledge. But is indigenous & local knowledge (ILK) being vetted, in a parallel to peer review's vetting of scientific knowledge? And how does ILK add to global biodiversity knowledge, if it is typically very localized?

Zsolt Molnár helps me to explore these questions. Zsolt is a botanist and ethnoecologist at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and head of the research group on Traditional Ecological Knowledge at the Academy’s Centre For Ecological Research.

Links to resources can be found at www.case4conservation.com 

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Indigenous peoples and local communities are increasingly recognized for the importance of their contribution to global biodiversity knowledge. But is indigenous & local knowledge (ILK) being vetted, in a parallel to peer review's vetting of scientific knowledge? And how does ILK add to global biodiversity knowledge, if it is typically very localized?

Zsolt Molnár helps me to explore these questions. Zsolt is a botanist and ethnoecologist at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and head of the research group on Traditional Ecological Knowledge at the Academy’s Centre For Ecological Research.

Links to resources can be found at www.case4conservation.com 

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-8043641 Mon, 01 Mar 2021 15:00:00 +0900 2836 full false 7. Are alien species always a net negative? (Martin Schlaepfer) 7. Are alien species always a net negative? (Martin Schlaepfer) Invasive alien species are considered one of the five main direct drivers of biodiversity loss, worldwide, as well as causing untold damage to economic assets like agriculture. Is there ever anything to be said for accepting them into the landscapes or seascapes they've occupied? And what about non-invasive alien species, and invasive native species? 

Martin Schlaepfer is an ecologist and senior lecturer at the University of Geneva. He has diverse experience across the field of conservation biology in North America and Europe.

Links to resources can be found at www.case4conservation.com 

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Invasive alien species are considered one of the five main direct drivers of biodiversity loss, worldwide, as well as causing untold damage to economic assets like agriculture. Is there ever anything to be said for accepting them into the landscapes or seascapes they've occupied? And what about non-invasive alien species, and invasive native species? 

Martin Schlaepfer is an ecologist and senior lecturer at the University of Geneva. He has diverse experience across the field of conservation biology in North America and Europe.

Links to resources can be found at www.case4conservation.com 

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-7571188 Mon, 01 Feb 2021 06:00:00 +0900 3046 full false 6. Why should cities play a bigger role in conservation? (Debra Roberts) 6. Why should cities play a bigger role in conservation? (Debra Roberts) Since about 2007 most of the world's population has been living in cities and, if there's one thing we're learning about conservation, it's that people matter. But why do people in cities matter? Why do cities themselves matter? And why are cities not playing a more prominent role in conservation globally?  

I ask Debra Roberts, whose experience and skills range from academia to policy to implementation; across local, national and international levels; and in both biodiversity conservation and climate change action. Among many accolades, Debra was recently named one of Apolitico's 100 most influential people in climate policy, alongside the likes of Al Gore and David Attenborough. Despite a high profile at the international level, she continues a long career primarily dedicated to the sustainability of her home city, Durban (eThekwini) in South Africa.

Links to resources can be found at www.case4conservation.com 

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Since about 2007 most of the world's population has been living in cities and, if there's one thing we're learning about conservation, it's that people matter. But why do people in cities matter? Why do cities themselves matter? And why are cities not playing a more prominent role in conservation globally?  

I ask Debra Roberts, whose experience and skills range from academia to policy to implementation; across local, national and international levels; and in both biodiversity conservation and climate change action. Among many accolades, Debra was recently named one of Apolitico's 100 most influential people in climate policy, alongside the likes of Al Gore and David Attenborough. Despite a high profile at the international level, she continues a long career primarily dedicated to the sustainability of her home city, Durban (eThekwini) in South Africa.

Links to resources can be found at www.case4conservation.com 

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Buzzsprout-7087072 Fri, 01 Jan 2021 13:00:00 +0900 2897 full false 5. Is nature conservation being too conservative? (Michelle Marvier) 5. Is nature conservation being too conservative? (Michelle Marvier) Uncertainty of outcomes is a feature of conservation. That's perhaps why the "precautionary principle" is held so sacred in this field. But, considering the potential cost of inaction in a rapidly-changing world, are we being a bit too cautious? Michelle Marvier and Peter Kereiva recently tackled this topic, and Michelle discussed it with me on the podcast.

Michelle Marvier is a professor in the Department of Environmental Studies & Sciences at Santa Clara University. She has authored and co-authored a textbook in Conservation Science and more than 60 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, among them several that challenge some of the less well-supported orthodoxy in biodiversity conservation.

Links to resources can be found at www.case4conservation.com 

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Uncertainty of outcomes is a feature of conservation. That's perhaps why the "precautionary principle" is held so sacred in this field. But, considering the potential cost of inaction in a rapidly-changing world, are we being a bit too cautious? Michelle Marvier and Peter Kereiva recently tackled this topic, and Michelle discussed it with me on the podcast.

Michelle Marvier is a professor in the Department of Environmental Studies & Sciences at Santa Clara University. She has authored and co-authored a textbook in Conservation Science and more than 60 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, among them several that challenge some of the less well-supported orthodoxy in biodiversity conservation.

Links to resources can be found at www.case4conservation.com 

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-6626956 Tue, 01 Dec 2020 10:00:00 +0900 2455 full false 4. Who'd want to choose conservation as a career? (Nick Askew) 4. Who'd want to choose conservation as a career? (Nick Askew) The conservation of nature and biodiversity is often considered to be a labor of love. After all, why would anyone want to dedicate their career to such a daunting task, which is not known for its moneymaking potential? In the developing world especially, as explained by a previous guest, more lucrative jobs are pursued as a way out of poverty. And yet we need conservationists of all stripes to tackle the biodiversity crisis.

Nick Askew is director and founder of Conservation Careers - statistically-speaking the world’s leading advice centre on conservation as a career path. He identified the need for such a platform while working in other areas of conservation, and gradually built the enterprise into a full-time endeavor.

Links to resources can be found at www.case4conservation.com 

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> The conservation of nature and biodiversity is often considered to be a labor of love. After all, why would anyone want to dedicate their career to such a daunting task, which is not known for its moneymaking potential? In the developing world especially, as explained by a previous guest, more lucrative jobs are pursued as a way out of poverty. And yet we need conservationists of all stripes to tackle the biodiversity crisis.

Nick Askew is director and founder of Conservation Careers - statistically-speaking the world’s leading advice centre on conservation as a career path. He identified the need for such a platform while working in other areas of conservation, and gradually built the enterprise into a full-time endeavor.

Links to resources can be found at www.case4conservation.com 

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> www.case4conservation.com Buzzsprout-6305500 Tue, 10 Nov 2020 21:00:00 +0900 2997 full false 3. Are we getting conservation right in developing countries? (Mao Amis) 3. Are we getting conservation right in developing countries? (Mao Amis) Ongoing biodiversity loss is most severe in the developing world, but the funding for conservation comes mostly from the developed world. In the past, conservation notoriously ignored the needs of local people. Times have changed, but how well are conservation initiatives working for people and for nature in the developing world now?

Mao Amis is a Ugandan conservationist based in South Africa. His PhD is in natural resources management & planning, and his work has focused on various aspects of conservation in developing countries, including community aspects. Mao is founding director of the African Centre for a Green Economy, a capacity building organization supporting the transition to a green economy in east and southern Africa.

Links to resources can be found at www.case4conservation.com 

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> Ongoing biodiversity loss is most severe in the developing world, but the funding for conservation comes mostly from the developed world. In the past, conservation notoriously ignored the needs of local people. Times have changed, but how well are conservation initiatives working for people and for nature in the developing world now?

Mao Amis is a Ugandan conservationist based in South Africa. His PhD is in natural resources management & planning, and his work has focused on various aspects of conservation in developing countries, including community aspects. Mao is founding director of the African Centre for a Green Economy, a capacity building organization supporting the transition to a green economy in east and southern Africa.

Links to resources can be found at www.case4conservation.com 

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> http://www.case4conservation.com The case for conservation podcast Buzzsprout-5184439 Sun, 04 Oct 2020 19:00:00 +0900 2609 biodiversity, nature, conservation full false 2. What do we really know about the links between nature and COVID-19? (David Duthie) 2. What do we really know about the links between nature and COVID-19? (David Duthie) This episode explores the links between nature and COVID-19, and between nature and zoonotic disease in general. We examine the common assertion that the degradation or destruction of ecosystems is a cause of pandemics, and not just correlated with them. David helps to alleviate some (but perhaps not all) of my concerns about the accuracy of the literature on this subject.

David Duthie is a conservationist who worked on biodiversity for many years in the United Nations, in Nairobi, Geneva, and Montreal. Although he is now retired he remains involved in conservation at the local level, in Oxford, and he has built an electronic library of (at time of writing) almost 75,000 publications related to biodiversity.

Links to resources can be found at www.case4conservation.com.

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> This episode explores the links between nature and COVID-19, and between nature and zoonotic disease in general. We examine the common assertion that the degradation or destruction of ecosystems is a cause of pandemics, and not just correlated with them. David helps to alleviate some (but perhaps not all) of my concerns about the accuracy of the literature on this subject.

David Duthie is a conservationist who worked on biodiversity for many years in the United Nations, in Nairobi, Geneva, and Montreal. Although he is now retired he remains involved in conservation at the local level, in Oxford, and he has built an electronic library of (at time of writing) almost 75,000 publications related to biodiversity.

Links to resources can be found at www.case4conservation.com.

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> http://www.case4conservation.com The case for conservation podcast Buzzsprout-4907717 Tue, 15 Sep 2020 22:00:00 +0900 2940 biodiversity, nature, conservation full false 1. Is the conservation message getting through? (Tim Hirsch) 1. Is the conservation message getting through? (Tim Hirsch) This episode explores the question of whether the conservation message is "getting through" and, if not, why not? Communication of this message is necessary because governments, businesses, communities, organizations and individuals need to be aware, and inspired, in order to take action. My guest had some insightful, and surprisingly positive, perspectives on this issue.

Tim Hirsch studied history at Cambridge University before embarking on a diverse career, including as environmental correspondent for BBC TV. He is currently deputy director of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), which we discuss at some length during this episode. He has also been centrally responsible for the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO), the 5th edition of which is hot off the press at the time of posting this episode. The GBO is a periodic report that provides a  summary of the global status of biodiversity and an analysis of the  steps being taken to improve that status. 

Links to resources can be found at www.case4conservation.com.

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> This episode explores the question of whether the conservation message is "getting through" and, if not, why not? Communication of this message is necessary because governments, businesses, communities, organizations and individuals need to be aware, and inspired, in order to take action. My guest had some insightful, and surprisingly positive, perspectives on this issue.

Tim Hirsch studied history at Cambridge University before embarking on a diverse career, including as environmental correspondent for BBC TV. He is currently deputy director of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), which we discuss at some length during this episode. He has also been centrally responsible for the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO), the 5th edition of which is hot off the press at the time of posting this episode. The GBO is a periodic report that provides a  summary of the global status of biodiversity and an analysis of the  steps being taken to improve that status. 

Links to resources can be found at www.case4conservation.com.

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> http://www.case4conservation.com The case for conservation podcast Buzzsprout-4649864 Tue, 15 Sep 2020 22:00:00 +0900 3563 biodiversity, nature, conservation full false Introduction to the case for conservation podcast (André Mader) Introduction to the case for conservation podcast (André Mader) In this introduction I explain the purpose of the case for conservation podcast, and outline some basic concepts. I also describe the format that I will be using, and generally try to give the listener some idea of what to expect from subsequent episodes. In all of those subsequent episodes, I will be interviewing guests, and getting into specific topics.

My name is André Mader. I am a conservation biologist by training, with a focus mostly on biodiversity policy but an interest in a wide spectrum of topics within and outside conservation. I grew up in South Africa and, thanks to my career, I've been based in various parts of that beautiful country, as well as the Middle East, Canada, Switzerland, and now Japan.

ouRGxcIQWtRCS7VEFYJQ

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> In this introduction I explain the purpose of the case for conservation podcast, and outline some basic concepts. I also describe the format that I will be using, and generally try to give the listener some idea of what to expect from subsequent episodes. In all of those subsequent episodes, I will be interviewing guests, and getting into specific topics.

My name is André Mader. I am a conservation biologist by training, with a focus mostly on biodiversity policy but an interest in a wide spectrum of topics within and outside conservation. I grew up in South Africa and, thanks to my career, I've been based in various parts of that beautiful country, as well as the Middle East, Canada, Switzerland, and now Japan.

ouRGxcIQWtRCS7VEFYJQ

Visit www.case4conservation.com

]]> http://www.case4conservation.com The case for conservation podcast Buzzsprout-4649702 Tue, 15 Sep 2020 22:00:00 +0900 399 biodiversity, nature, conservation trailer false