S7 E10: AI — Fake Nature, Real Consequences

Governments from around the world are meeting in Yerevan, Armenia this month to confront a difficult question. They’ve made major promises to protect nature. Are they delivering? Wild Audio speaks with WCS Vice President for International Policy Dr. Susan Lieberman about the biodiversity summit, what WCS hopes to achieve, and why international meetings this year on grasslands, biodiversity, and climate are so closely connected. Reporting: Nat Moss Guest: Dr. Susan Lieberman

The Arctic Ocean is getting noisier. As warming temperatures reduce summer sea ice, ship traffic is increasing—and with it, underwater noise that can affect whales, seals, and other marine life.   WCS Canada has been listening to those changes for years. Now, the team is turning to AI to help make sense of their massive, growing archive of Arctic sound. Reporting: Dan Rosen Guest: William Halliday

This month, governments from around the world are gathering in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for the 17th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD CoP17). While the meeting focuses on the growing threats of drought and land degradation, it's also an opportunity to draw attention to one of the planet's most important—and often overlooked—ecosystems. Reporting; Nat Moss Guests: Susan Lieberman, Justine Shanti Alexander

The Tropical Andes represents one of the world's most important ecosystems, spanning seven South American countries over 4,500 kilometers. They shelter extraordinary wildlife, provide water for millions, and help regulate the global climate. But they're under increasing threat. Wild Audio's Hannah Kaplan speaks to WCS Colombia's Science and Conservation Director Dr. Germán Forero-Medina and Dr. Mariana Montoya, Country Director for WCS Peru, about why protecting this remarkable region matters for us all. Reporting: Hannah Kaplan Guests: Dr Mariana Montoya, Dr. Germán Forero-Medina

For World Oceans Month, we turn to coastal Patagonia on the Southern Cone of South America. This biodiverse seascape is home to some of the continent's most productive marine ecosystems. But climate change is beginning to reshape this remarkable region in ways scientists are only starting to understand. In this week’s episode, we look at an ambitious effort to help Patagonia adapt to an uncertain future. Reporting: Nat Moss Guests: Valeria Falabella, Montserrat Rodriguez

As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms media, journalists and conservationists are confronting a new and unsettling reality: What happens when we can no longer trust what we see in nature documentaries and wildlife photography?  This week WCS speaks with Rhett Butler, Founder and CEO of Mongabay, about how AI-generated wildlife imagery is beginning to reshape conservation journalism, and why the stakes may be much higher than they first appear.  Reporting: Hannah Kaplan Guest: Rhett Butler

This week on WCS Wild Audio, we’re taking a short break from our usual programming to share an episode from another show we absolutely love. It comes to us from our friends at Terrestrials — the wildly inventive family science podcast from Radiolab and WNYC. Terrestrials explores some of the strangest and most fascinating creatures on Earth. And in today’s episode, host Lulu Miller and producers Ana Gonzalez and SongBud Alan Goffinski set out on a mission to discover everything about big cats.  Along the way, they visit the Bronx Zoo with WCS’s own Luke Hunter to meet endangered tigers and lions, compare the roars of the world’s most iconic felines, and discover that even the fiercest predators on Earth can cough up furballs, play with their siblings, and care deeply for their families. It’s funny, smart, weird, and full of wonder—and if you enjoy what you hear, be sure to check out more episodes of Terrestrials wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll be back next week with a new episode of WCS Wild Audio.  * * * Terrestrials was created by Lulu Miller with WNYC studios. This episode was produced by Alan Goffinski and Ana González, with sound design by Mira Burt-Wintonick. Sarah Sandbach is the Executive Producer. The team also includes Tanya Chawla, Natalia Ramirez, and Joe Plourde. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. https://link.podtrac.com/TerrFeed

This week, as we mark the 10th anniversary of the National Bison Legacy Act, WCS Wild Audio revisits its report on how extraordinary partnerships across geography, culture, and politics helped make the American bison our national mammal. Looking ahead to the 250th anniversary of American independence this July, there can be no better time to reflect on the bison as both a symbol of our shared past and a reminder of our responsibility to protect the wildlife, landscapes, and cultural legacies that define us.  Reporting: Nat Moss Guests: John Calvelli, Keith Aune, Dave Carter, Jim Stone

Each year, the WCS Career Lattice supports over 1,900 youth ages 14 to 24 in volunteer, internship, and employment opportunities across its five parks in New York City. It’s helping young people turn early opportunities into meaningful careers, as they develop skills, find mentorship opportunities, and gain valuable experience. Reporting: Dan RosenGuests: Reiariel Garcia, Yvonne Bennett, John Calvelli

George Schaller is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern field biology — a scientist whose work helped transform how we study animals in the wild. From gorillas in the Congo to snow leopards in the Himalayas, his research has shaped conservation for decades. This week, WCS Wild Audio caught up with author Miriam Horn to discuss her new biography of Schaller, Homesick for a World Unknown, and the legacy of a life spent observing wildlife. Reporting: Nat Moss Guest: Miriam Horn