ZSL #050 Mapping Nature's Code

How does our DNA, the tiny building blocks that make every species, and every individual, totally distinct, impact our evolution? In this episode, we learn how we can visualise our DNA, or genome, to allow us to better organise the tree of life, and how learning more about this genetic make-up can provide insights into how a species survives in the face of a changing environment. We head to Cambridge, to ring native UK birds and collect samples of their DNA, and then to the Wellcome Sanger Institute, to see learn how those samples are processed and sequenced as part of a collaborative project aiming to sequence the genomes of all eukaryotes in Britain and Ireland; the Darwin Tree of Life project. Overview 00:11    Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction 01:26    Bird ringing in Cambridgeshire and Dr Ava Jenkins, Wildlife Veterinarian and Postdoctoral Research Associate, ZSL Institute of Zoology 03:13    Professor Mark Blaxter, Head of the Tree of Life Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute 06:18    Dr Tom Mathers, Senior Computer Biologist, Wellcome Sanger Institute 12:44    A word of thanks 18:44    A final thought from Mark Blaxter 22:57    Outro Hi-C contact map of the common crane (Grus grus) Hi-C contact map showing the common crane genome (https://wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/10-119/v1) after manual curation. Each block represents a chromosome in order of size from left to right and top to bottom, with dark red cluster in the bottom right hand corner showing unplaced repetitive content. Resources If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected] Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation Darwin Tree of Life project: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/darwin-tree-life-project Dr Ava Jenkins: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/dr-ava-jenkins BTO ringing scheme: https://www.bto.org/get-involved/volunteer/projects/bird-ringing-scheme Bortoluzzi, C., Wright, C.J., Lee, S., Cousins, T., Genez, T.A.L., Thybert, D., Martin, F.J., Haggerty, L., The Darwin Tree of Life Project Consortium, Blaxter, M., Durbin, R. (2023) Lepidoptera genomics based on 88 chromosomal reference sequences informs population genetic parameters for conservation. Pre-print: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.04.14.536868v1.full.pdf  Get in touch  Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes! Find us @ZSLScience on X or @zslofficial.bsky.social on BlueSky and use the hashtag #ZSLWildScience Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation

Do you know where the wood in your floorboards comes from? Or your desk, or dining chairs? In this episode, we dig deep into the grain of a global issue that is often hidden in plain sight in our offices, our houses and our cities – tracing timber back to its source. Harriet talks to Annabelle Dodson, ZSL's Sustainable Business Project Manager, and Victor Deklerck, Director of Science at World Forest ID, about how scientists use isotopes to pinpoint where the trees behind our wood products were grown, the role of digital tracking systems in supply chains, and real-world cases where traceability has driven more responsible sourcing and enforcement. This project is funded by Fondation Lombard Odier and the EU through the ECO-SOLVE project. This episode is part of a series showcasing ZSL's Sustainable Business and Finance work. Please note that this podcast was recorded before the European Commission confirmed changes to the implementation timeline of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Compliance requirements for micro and small enterprises have been delayed to 30 December 2026 (previously June 2026), while medium and large enterprises must still comply by 30 December 2025. Overview 00:14    Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction 02:10    Annabelle Dodson, Sustainable Business Project Manager, ZSL 03:19    How does illegal timber enter supply chains, and how does traceability help? 05:17    ZSL Cameroon and World Forest ID 07:50    Victor Deklerck, Director of Science, World Forest ID 09:06    From chemical fingerprints to final verification  12:36    Implications for industry 17:05    The future of supply chain transparency 19:21    What can consumers and companies do to support traceability? 20:40    Harriet McAra, summary and outro   Resources If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected] Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation Read more about the project: www.zsl.org/news-and-events/feature/responsible-sourcing-africa  World Forest ID: https://worldforestid.org/  The Alliance for Wood ID Testing: https://worldforestid.org/insights/partnership-with-wwf  ZSL SPOTT'S ESG policy transparency assessments of timber and pulp companies: https://www.spott.org/timber-pulp/  Free training materials on forest-driven commodities: https://www.spott.org/training-hub/   Help keep SPOTT going. Without continued funding, these assessments can't continue. Donate today at https://donate.zsl.org/spott/ or email [email protected]  Find out more about ZSL's Sustainable Business and Finance team: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/working-with-business  Get in touch  Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes! Find us @ZSLScience on X or @zslofficial.bsky.social on BlueSky and use the hashtag #ZSLWildScience Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation Email [email protected] for questions about SPOTT assessments, methodology, or partnership. Follow SPOTT on LinkedIn @ZSL SPOTT, X @zslspott or BlueSky ‪@zslspott.bsky.social‬ ‬‬‬‬‬ ZSL's Sustainable Business and Finance team offers advisory services to help companies and investors take practical, science-based action for nature. Get in touch: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/working-with-business/advisory-services

What do car tyres, yoga mats and trainers have in common? They all contain natural rubber, tapped from trees by millions of small farmers, mostly in Asia. While natural rubber production is renewable, its impact on the environment through deforestation, habitat loss and soil degradation, can be great when not managed sustainably. In this episode, we hear from a Thai rubber farmer, about the challenges faced on the ground, as well as one of the world's biggest tyre makers, Michelin, about rubber's colonial history, its tangled supply chains, and how they're working with farmers on sustainability. Finally, we explore how investors can use their influence to demand better practices and drive industry-wide change that benefits both people and nature. This episode is part of a series showcasing ZSL's Sustainable Business and Finance work. Overview 00:15    Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, and Rachel Poluan, ZSL SPOTT Team: Episode introduction 02:58    Introduction to the natural rubber sector and how rubber is produced 07:30    Edouard De Rostolan, Michelin: The historical legacy of rubber production and supply chains 12:54    Exploring ESG risks and opportunities 23:52    Khun Soontorn, a rubber smallholder in Thailand: A smallholder perspective 32:04    Agroforestry and the environmental aspects of rubber farms 41:38    Joe Horrocks Taylor, Columbia Threadneedle: How can investors and buyers affect change? 1:02:15    Rachel Poluan, summary and outro Resources If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected] Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation SPOTT: https://www.spott.org/ Natural rubber: SPOTT'S ESG policy transparency assessments: https://www.spott.org/natural-rubber/ SPOTT training hub: https://www.spott.org/training-hub/ Help keep SPOTT going. Without continued funding, these assessments can't continue. Donate today at https://donate.zsl.org/spott/ or email [email protected] Find out more about ZSL's Sustainable Business and Finance team: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/working-with-business  Get in touch  Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes! Find us @ZSLScience on X or @zslofficial.bsky.social on BlueSky and use the hashtag #ZSLWildScience Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation Email [email protected] for questions about SPOTT assessments, methodology, or partnership. Follow SPOTT on LinkedIn @ZSL SPOTT, X @zslspott or BlueSky ‪@zslspott.bsky.social‬ ‬‬‬‬‬ ZSL's Sustainable Business and Finance team offers advisory services to help companies and investors take practical, science-based action for nature. Get in touch: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/working-with-business/advisory-services  

The coastal waters of Wales are home to a whopping 27 species of sharks, skates and rays, known collectively as elasmobranchs, and they are a fundamental part of Wales' natural heritage. But even so, research on their biology and conservation status is lacking. In this episode, Wild Science hits the road to join scientists from Project SIARC and the Ocean Predator Lab in North Wales as they work with local fishing communities to monitor tope sharks, and contribute to better understanding and conservation of shark species in the region. Overview 00:11    Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction 01:26    Welcome to Pwllheli 03:13    Interview with David Curnick, Research Fellow, Institute of Zoology, ZSL and Head of the Ocean Predator Lab 06:18    How to tag a tope shark 12:44    Interview with Daniel Montgomery, Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Institute of Zoology, ZSL 18:44    Interview with Jake Davies, Project SIARC Technical Specialist, ZSL and Natural Resources Wales 22:57    Outro and final reflections Resources If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected] Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation Project SIARC: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/project-siarc Ocean Predator Lab: https://www.oceanpredatorlab.com/ David Curnick: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/david-curnick A fisher's perspective: Using half a century of local fisher knowledge to identify socio-economic, ecological and legislative trends influencing angelshark (Squatina squatina) records in Wales: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.70044  Get in touch  Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes! Find us @ZSLScience on X or @zslofficial.bsky.social on BlueSky and use the hashtag #ZSLWildScience Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation  

Making sure that the animals held in ZSL's two conservation zoos, London and Whipsnade, are fed a diet that can help them thrive is crucial, both for keeping them healthy under managed care, and ensuring they are in the best possible shape for a return to the wild. Amanda Ferguson is ZSL's Diet Management Officer and is responsible for creating tailored diets for all the animals across both ZSL Zoos, from snails to elephants! We learn how to feed an animal for which there are no guidelines, why enriched feeding methods are so important, and why you'll rarely see a monkey at London Zoo with a banana. Overview 00:11     Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction 01:10     Interview with Amanda Ferguson 25:16     How does nutrition help us recover wild populations? 33:04     Outro and final reflections   Resources If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected] Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation The Evolution of Enrichment, a public event held at ZSL featuring a talk from Amanda Ferguson on how diet presentation can meet the behavioural needs of animals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hqrweox2UA Amanda Ferguson: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Amanda-Ferguson-9 Corncrake conservation: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/conserving-native-birds Mountain chicken frog conservation: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/mountain-chicken-frog-conservation Comparison of the nutritional content of the captive and wild diets of the critically endangered mountain chicken frog (Leptodactylus fallax) to improve its captive husbandry https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30221785/ Get in touch  Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes! Find us @ZSLScience on X or @zslofficial.bsky.social on BlueSky and use the hashtag #ZSLWildScience Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation

After our Nature's Negotiators miniseries, where we learned all about the complexities, challenges and importance of United Nations climate and biodiversity meetings, we wanted to give the gift of a bonus episode to round things off! We catch up with Bethan to hear how things went after she attended COP29, United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Azerbaijan. Overview 00:11     Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction  00:54     Bethan Laughlin, ZSL's Senior Policy Specialist, on how the finance negotiations at COP29 played out 06:37     Bethan on the strength of language used in texts agreed at COP29, and how that came to be 10:38      Bethan on the accuracy of the portrayal of COP29 in the media 12:38     The other themes discussed at COP29 14:04     What can be expected at the next climate COP in Belem, Brazil 16:17     Outro Resources If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected] Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation Bethan Laughlin: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/bethan-laughlin ZSL's United Nations and Intergovernmental Policy Engagement: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/conservation/creating-change/informing-policy/united-nations-and-intergovernmental-engagement ZSL's COP16 position statement: https://cms.zsl.org/sites/default/files/2024-10/CBD%20COP16%20Key%20Asks%20-%20October%202024.pdf "Negotiations ran out of time, but action on biodiversity loss cannot be postponed…" Blog written by Georgina Chandler:  https://www.zsl.org/news-and-events/feature/cbd-cop16-negotiations-ran-out-time-action-biodiversity-loss-cannot-be   Get in touch Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes! Tweet us @ZSLScience with the hashtag #ZSLWildScience Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation

2024 has been a big year for international climate policy, with two UN Conference of Parties, or COPs, taking place in quick succession; COP16 in Colombia followed just a few weeks later by COP29 in Azerbaijan. In this episode of Wild Science, we follow on from part one of our Nature's Negotiators miniseries, and are once again joined by Bethan Laughlin, ZSL Senior Policy Specialist. We discuss the challenges and successes of the two biodiversity and climate COPs, tackle some new UN lingo, and hear about key hopes for the future of climate policy. Overview 00:12     Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction  01:12     Bethan Laughlin, ZSL's Senior Policy Specialist, speaking from COP16 in Cali, Colombia 02:13     Interview with Bethan Laughlin on the successes of COP16 04:05      Insights on the ground at COP16: Davi Teles, Mónica Franco Gutiérrez & Liliana Patricia Saboyá Acosta 07:47     Georgina Chandler, ZSL's Head of Policy and Campaigns, on digital sequence information 10:34     Continued: Interview with Bethan on the challenges of COP16 and opportunities for the future 17:56     Carly Siege, Manager for International Policy Conservation International 19:30     Thomas Pickford, UK Partnerships and Policy Lead, The Nature Conservancy 30:45     Final reflections, an update from Bethan, and outro Resources If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected] Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation Bethan Laughlin: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/bethan-laughlin Georgina Chandler: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/georgina-chandler Read more about our EDGE Fellows: https://www.edgeofexistence.org/edge-fellows/ ZSL's COP16 position statement: https://cms.zsl.org/sites/default/files/2024-10/CBD%20COP16%20Key%20Asks%20-%20October%202024.pdf "Negotiations ran out of time, but action on biodiversity loss cannot be postponed…" Blog written by Georgina Chandler: https://www.zsl.org/news-and-events/feature/cbd-cop16-negotiations-ran-out-time-action-biodiversity-loss-cannot-be   Get in touch Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes! Tweet us @ZSLScience with the hashtag #ZSLWildScience Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation

What does it take to reintroduce an animal to the wild safely? How do we make sure that disease risk to existing populations, and to the animals being reintroduced, is mitigated? Hear from the Disease Risk Analysis and Health Surveillance Team (DRAHS) at ZSL who are working to give animals the best start possible as they return to the wild, and whose work has contributed to the recovery of over 30 species across the world. Overview 00:11    Harriet McAra, Introduction to episode 01:01    Dr Tony Sainsbury, DRAHS lead, ZSL 05:44    Clare McNamee, Wildlife Veterinarian and Research Associate, ZSL 10:40    Dr Sophie Common, Wildlife Veterinarian and Research Associate, ZSL 17:27    Georgie Gerrard, DRAHS Project Manager, ZSL 20:32    Becky Foskett, Pathology and Field Technician, ZSL 27:45    Dr Claudia Carraro, Wildlife Veterinarian and Research Associate, ZSL 32:31    Outro and further information Resources and references If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected] Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/Conservation Wildlife Disease Risk Analysis and Health Surveillance: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/wildlife-disease-risk-analysis-and-health-surveillance More about dormice health monitoring: Hazel dormice - People's Trust for Endangered Species (ptes.org) & National Dormouse Monitoring Programme (NDMP) (ptes.org) More about our Extinct in the Wild work: Extinct in the Wild | The Zoological Society of London (zsl.org) More about chequered skipper conservation: Chequered Skippers - Butterfly Conservation Vernet, M., Trask, A.E., Andrews, C.E. et al. Assessing invasion risks using EICAT-based expert elicitation: application to a conservation translocation. Biol Invasions 26, 2707–2721 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-024-03341-2 Gibson, L., Shadbolt, T., Paul, P. et al. Prevalence and Molecular Analysis of Encephalomyocarditis Virus-2 in the Hazel Dormouse. EcoHealth 21, 112–122 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-024-01680-z  Get in touch Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes! Tweet us @ZSLScience with the hashtag #ZSLWildScience Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation

You may have heard of a COP, and you've almost definitely heard of the United Nations (UN), but how much do you know about the negotiations that go into getting nature, climate and biodiversity embedded into international policy? Ahead of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP16) in Colombia this autumn, we're hearing from policy experts in this two-part miniseries on how we can save the planet one meeting at a time…or at least try to. Overview 00:11     Introduction to Nature's Negotiators mini-series 00:24     Bethan Laughlin, ZSL's Senior Policy Specialist, speaking from a CBD intercessional meeting in Nairobi 01:07     Introduction from Harriet McAra 2:09      Interview with Bethan Laughlin on the history of the CBD, UNFCCC and Global Biodiversity Framework 10:02     Nelly Musyoka, ZSL Kenya's Community Liaison Officer, on how the 23 CBD targets are applied to real world conservation 14:39     Bethan Laughlin on what ZSL's priorities are for COP16 in Colombia 23:39     Fiona Dobson, RSPB, on what RSPB's priorities are for COP16 in Colombia 33:18     Outro and further information Resources If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected] Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation Bethan Laughlin: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/bethan-laughlin Watch a recording of our Science and Conservation Event, Putting Nature at the Heart of Global Decision Making: https://www.zsl.org/news-and-events/events/putting-nature-heart-global-decision-making View the infographic depicting successes and failures following the Rio Earth Summit as described by Bethan in this episode: https://cms.zsl.org/sites/default/files/2024-08/CBD%20UNFCCC%20timeline.png Get in touch Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes! Tweet us @ZSLScience with the hashtag #ZSLWildScience Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation

Out of sight…but not out of mind? Coral reefs exist largely out of sight for the majority of the world's population, so the vast array of ecosystem services they provide for local communities are often forgotten, leading conservation efforts to feel like an uphill battle. In this episode, we talk to the people trying to tackle this problem; from using the sounds that healthy and degraded coral reefs make to monitor their restoration, to bringing people closer to coral reefs using virtual reality.   Overview 00:13    Introduction to the topic from Harriet McAra 01:26    Ben Williams, PhD student at the Institute of Zoology and UCL, on coral reefs' importance, coral soundscapes and the Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System 08:30    Introduction to the Datascape Realities Project 08:52    John Zhang and Lourenco Viveiros, co-founders of Datascape Realities, and Jason Lynch, UCL and Institute of Zoology 28:14    Outro and further information Resources If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected] Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation Ben Williams: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/ben-williams Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System: https://www.buildingcoral.com/ and https://www.buildingcoral.com/news/mars-data-scientists-turn-their-skills-to-coral-reef-restoration Datascape Realities: https://www.datascaperealities.com/ and @datascape_real   Get in touch  Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes! Tweet us @ZSLScience with the hashtag #ZSLWildScience Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation