ZSL Wild Science Podcast

Happy World Swallowtail Day to our listeners! 🦋 To mark this special day and celebrate these incredible insects, we catch up with Sophie Ledger, Red List Research Associate and Manager at ZSL's Institute of Zoology, and Dr Mark Collins, President of the Swallowtail and Birdwing Butterfly Trust, to explore the ecology, adaptations and challenges of this remarkable family of butterflies, and hear about the work being done to protect and conserve them. Whether you're a lifelong lepidopterist, or simply enjoy watching a butterfly in flight, we hope you enjoy this episode. Overview 00:11 Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction 01:19 Sophie Ledger, Red List Research Associate and Manager at ZSL's Institute of Zoology gives an overview of the swallowtail butterfly family, the threats they currently face, and the wonderful (and sometimes weird) adaptations they have evolved to increase their chances of survival 13:29 Sophie and Harriet discuss the work of the IUCN Butterfly and Moth Specialist Group and what comes next for swallowtail populations 22:44 Dr Mark Collins, President of the Swallowtail and Butterfly Birdwing Trust, discusses the work of the Trust both further afield in Malaysia and Bhutan, and closer to home in Norfolk, UK 38:05 Thank you 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: wild.science@zsl.org Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation Sophie Ledger: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/sophie-ledger Collins, N. M., & Morris, M. G. (1985). Threatened swallowtail butterflies of the world: the IUCN Red Data Book. IUCN. Available for download from: https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/6844 IUCN SSC Butterfly and Moth Specialist Group: https://iucn.org/our-union/commissions/group/iucn-ssc-butterfly-and-moth-specialist-group IUCN Red List of Threatened Species assessment overview https://www.iucnredlist.org/assessment/process Genital photoreceptors have crucial role in oviposition for females and copulation for males (sees with its genitals). References: Kentaro Arikawa, Hindsight of Butterflies: The Papilio butterfly has light sensitivity in the genitalia, which appears to be crucial for reproductive behavior, BioScience, Volume 51, Issue 3, March 2001, Pages 219–225, https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0219:HOB]2.0.CO;2 Kentaro Arikawa, Nobuhiro Takagi "Genital Photoreceptors Have Crucial Role in Oviposition in Japanese Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly, Papilio xuthus," Zoological Science, 18(2), 175-179, (1 March 2001) Swallowtail and Birdwing Butterfly Trust: https://www.sbbt.org.uk/ Saving Swallowtails Conference: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbsU_zSUBrn7qcbUIxv1vONuqzcOhnHO-&si=mBA8eg-8cwmSu1pS Get in touch Email wild.science@zsl.org 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

Co-existence between communities living on the Korean Peninsula and carnivores such as leopards, tigers and black bears, has historically presented many challenges leading to population declines in these species. However, thanks to international treaties such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, as well as economic growth and conservation translocations, the tide is now turning on these declines in South Korea. In this episode, host Harriet McAra is joined by Joshua Elves-Powell to discuss how wildlife trade has impacted carnivores in East Asia, and the conservation measures being taken to protect these globally threatened species. Overview 00:20 - Introduction to the topic from Harriet McAra, and introduction to the podcast guest 02:24 - Josh Elves-Powell, PhD student at the Institute of Zoology and UCL, introduction and interview 27:06 - 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: wild.science@zsl.org Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation Joshua Elves-Powell: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/joshua-elves-powell The latest publication from Joshua Elves-Powell, reporting major declines in South Korean big cat trade: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0299783 Project Moon Bear: https://en.projectmoonbear.org/Mission Korean Tiger and Leopard Conservation Fund: https://blog.naver.com/savetiger Blogs written by Joshua Elves-Powell Asiatic black bear restoration in South Korea: https://theconversation.com/south-korea-is-bringing-back-bears-in-a-country-of-52-million-people-i-went-to-find-out-how-164301 Moves to end bear farming in South Korea: https://theconversation.com/south-korea-to-ban-bear-farming-but-what-to-do-about-hundreds-of-captive-animals-that-remain-197316 Get in touch Email wild.science@zsl.org with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes! Tweet us @ZSLScience with the hashtag #ZSLWildScience Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation

The world is facing a crisis of species extinction, however targeted efforts in conservation biology can provide a glimmer of hope. A new study led by ZSL, published recently in Science, is the first to assess animals and plants categorised as 'Extinct in the Wild' by the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species – until now, a surprisingly overlooked group. In this episode, our host Ellie Darbey, with the help of four fantastic guests, discovers the incredible potential for conservation zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens and seedbanks across the world to save these species from the brink of extinction. What are the problems associated with tiny populations? How is ZSL involved in Extinct in the Wild projects? And why won't anyone just choose their favourite species?! Overview 03:36 - Ellie Darbey introduces the first guest, Dr Donal Smith (Postdoctoral Research Associate) to discuss the new publication and small population biology 18:50 - Ellie is joined by Dr John Ewen (Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Zoology, ZSL) to talk about ZSL's Extinct in the Wild initiative and conservation decision making 28:25 - Species Spotlight: Partula snails! 29:40 - Ellie welcomes Alex Cliffe (Ectotherms Team Leader, ZSL Whipsnade Zoo), to discuss breeding programmes in zoos, and ZSL's work with the Mexican pupfish 39:45 - Ellie is joined by the final guest, Melanie Mesa Blas (Guam Department of Education and recipient of 2022 National Geographic Explorer Grant with ZSL) to find out about the future of the Sihek, or Guam kingfisher and considerations for releasing back into the wild 49:28 - The guests give their thoughts on the most important thing needed now to save these species on the brink of extinction Resources If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts on the one thing these Extinct in the Wild species need to survive, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: wild.science@zsl.org Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation Previous Episode mentioned #010 on the IUCN Red List: https://www.zsl.org/zsl-wild-science-podcast IUCN Red List: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ The new publication 'Extinct in the wild: The precarious state of Earth's most threatened group of species': https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.add2889 and blog: https://www.zsl.org/news-and-events/news/conservation-zoos-have-powerful-potential-reverse-extinction ZSL's conservation work with partula snails: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/partula-snail-conservation ZSL's Sihek or Guam Kingfisher conservation project: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/sihek-conservation Previous ZSL Science and Conservation Event: https://www.zsl.org/news-and-events/events/return-wild-how-can-we-recover-extinct-wild-species Get in touch Email wild.science@zsl.org with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes! Tweet us @ZSLScience with the hashtag #ZSLWildScience Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation

Pathology is the science of diagnosing diseases by observing physical changes in animal cells and tissues, either in living, or more commonly dead animals. In this episode, our host Ellie Darbey will explore the unseen…or rather, unheard world of wildlife pathology with the help of ZSL's experienced pathologists, veterinarians, and scientists. Through post mortems on black widow spiders, to giant stranded humpback whales, these four pathology professionals will show the value of this diagnostic work to the conservation and welfare of animals in zoos and in the wild. What are the practicalities of examining large animals like elephants and rhinos? How can pathology be used to solve wildlife crimes? And what do pathology and The Supreme Court have in common? Guests Dr Simon Spiro, Wildlife Health Services, Zoological Society of London Dr Becki Lawson, Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London Rob Deaville, Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London Dr Tammy Shadbolt, Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London Overview 01:22 – Ellie Darbey introduces the first guest, Dr Simon Spiro, to discuss what it's like to be a veterinarian pathologist, and how pathology can be used for animal welfare and conservation 14:06 – Ellie is joined by Dr Becki Lawson to explore the Garden Wildlife Health Project and the detective work used to discover a snake fungal pathogen in Europe. 27:15 – Rob Deaville joins to explain what happened to "Hessy" the humpback whale, and how the Cetacean Strandings programme works. 40:10 – Ellie welcomes the final guest Dr Tammy Shadbolt to discuss the Disease Risk Analysis and Health Surveillance Project and how pathology can help solve wildlife crimes. 49:44 – The speakers give their advice for pursuing a career involving wildlife pathology from their varied backgrounds and perspectives. Resources Previous ZSL Event "Revealing the unseen: the amazing world of wildlife pathology": https://www.zsl.org/science/whats-on/revealing-the-unseen-the-amazing-world-of-wildlife-pathology Blog: Grass in the Snake - Zoo Pathology in Practice: https://www.zsl.org/blogs/science/grass-in-the-snake-zoo-pathology-in-practice Royal College of Pathologists: Careers in Pathology: https://www.rcpath.org/discover-pathology/careers-in-pathology.html Royal College of Pathologists: Become a Veterinary Pathologist: https://www.rcpath.org/discover-pathology/careers-in-pathology/become-a-veterinary-pathologist.html Garden Wildlife Health Project: gardenwildlifehealth.org UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP): https://www.zsl.org/science/research/uk-cetacean-strandings-investigation-programme-csip "Hessy" the humpback whale in the media: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/09/humpback-whale-found-dead-thames-hit-by-ship Collaborative UK Marine Mammals Strandings Project: summary of contaminant data for the period 1993-2001: https://www.cefas.co.uk/publications/techrep/tech131.pdf Disease Risk Analysis and Health Surveillance (DRAHS) Project: https://www.zsl.org/science/wildlife-health/disease-risk-analysis-and-health-surveillance Hazel dormouse 1000th reintroduction: https://www.zsl.org/blogs/science/dormouse-reintroductions--a-landmark-day Study and Research Opportunities at ZSL: https://www.zsl.org/science/postgraduate-study

Coastal marine habitats are essential to the health of our marine ecosystem, and hold both environmental and social importance. They provide valuable ecosystem services, but for decades they have been impacted by harmful human activities. In her final episode as host, Monni Böhm will be joined by co-host Celine Gamble and an expert panel to explore the need for active restoration to conserve four incredible marine habitats: native oyster beds, saltmarshes, kelp forests and seagrass. How can we scale up these restoration efforts? What makes some species in these habitats ecological superheroes? And what on earth is a scuba-diving spider? Please note: this episode was recorded in 2020. Guests: Celine Gamble, Zoological Society of London Dr Joanne Preston, University of Portsmouth Angus Garbutt, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Dr Ian Hendy, The Blue Marine Foundation Dr Richard Unsworth, Swansea University and Project Seagrass Overview 01:06 – Dr Monni Böhm introduces the co-host of this episode, Celine Gamble, to discuss why marine habitat restoration is needed, and introduce the Native Oyster Network. 05:29 – Monni and Celine are joined by Dr Joanne Preston who will discuss the forgotten ecosystem of oyster beds, and how to restore native oyster reefs in the UK. 14:51 – Angus Garbutt describes the diversity of saltmarshes of the UK, provides unique insight into their ecological and cultural importance, and the methods used to restore them. 28:12 – Monni and Celine introduce Dr Ian Hendy who explains what can be done to 'Help our Kelp' and why conserving it is crucial for marine biodiversity in the UK. 39:16 – Dr Richard Unsworth joins the hosts to talk about the importance of seagrasses, and the lessons learned from the UK's first major seagrass restoration project . Resources 25 Year environment plan: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/25-year-environment-plan UN decade on Ecosystem Restoration: https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/ Native Oyster Network: https://nativeoysternetwork.org/ Native Oyster Network Habitat Restoration Handbook (November 2020): https://nativeoysternetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2020/11/ZSL00150%20Oyster%20Handbook_WEB.pdf ZSL Native oyster restoration: https://www.zsl.org/conservation/regions/uk-europe/thames-conservation/native-oyster-restoration Twitter: @NativeOysterNet; #OysterLove UKCEH Restoration of coastal habitats: https://www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/projects/restoration The Saltmarsh App: https://www.saltmarshapp.com/ Blue Marine Foundation Sussex Kelp Project: https://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/projects/sussex-kelp/ Lyme Bay Reserve: https://www.lymebayreserve.co.uk/science/ Research on Kelp and Oyster restoration in Australia: kelp and oyster restoration in Australia? https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.13719 Project Seagrass (Seagrass Ocean Rescue): https://www.projectseagrass.org/ Chesapeake Bay Seagrass Restoration: https://www.vims.edu/research/units/programs/sav1/restoration/index.php 750,000 seeds planted in Wales in UK's Biggest Seagrass Restoration Scheme: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/press-office/news-events/news/2020/03/750000-seeds-planted-in-wales-inuks-biggest-seagrassrestoration-scheme-.php

Coral reefs are the most biodiverse marine ecosystems in the world, and more than 500 million people worldwide rely on coral reefs for their livelihoods, food security, and coastal protection. However, coral reefs are impacted by several threats, including rises in sea-surface temperature due to climate change. Join Monni as she navigates these unique underwater ecosystems with the help of five fantastic coral connoisseurs. How can new technologies be used to protect and preserve coral reefs for the future? Why is connectivity important? And which fascinating fact will make your brain (coral) explode? Guests: Dr Catherine Head, Institute of Zoology, ZSL and University of Oxford Dr Jamie Craggs FLS, Horniman Museum & Gardens and Natural History Museum, London Dr James Guest, Newcastle University Dr Rosa van der Ven, Wageningen University Dr Chris Yesson, Institute of Zoology, ZSL Overview 01:05 – Monni is joined by the co-host of this episode, Dr Catherine Head, an expert in applied ecology and evolution in marine ecosystems, particularly coral reefs, and how tools like population genetics can help conserve them. 05:29 – First up, Monni and Catherine welcome Dr Jamie Craggs, to discuss how captive breeding techniques in aquaria can be used for coral conservation. 14:40 – Dr James Guest joins the podcast to talk about his work with 'Coral Assist', a project which examines the feasibility of using "assisted gene flow" and selective breeding to assist corals in the face of climate change. 24:14 – Dr Rosa van der Ven discusses genetic connectivity of corals between reefs, and explains why connectivity is important for their conservation. 30:52 – Monni and Catherine are joined by their final guest, Dr Chris Yesson, cold water coral expert, to discuss how genetic techniques like coral barcoding are used to identify corals in aquaria, and how this can be useful coral conservation. Resources Project Coral: https://www.horniman.ac.uk/project/project-coral/ Coral Assist: https://www.coralassistlab.org/ ZSL Wild Science Podcast #011 Can we still save coral reefs and what if we don't?: https://www.zsl.org/zsl-wild-science-podcast ZSL's work with coral reefs in the Chagos Archipelago: https://www.zsl.org/regions/uk-overseas-territories/chagos-archipelago Bertarelli Foundation: https://www.fondation-bertarelli.org/ Hosted and edited by Dr Monni Böhm, ZSL Research Fellow, and produced by Eleanor Darbey, ZSL Scientific Events Coordinator.

Law breaking, such as poaching or fishing inside marine reserves, is a great challenge to conservationists because research is often complicated by ethics and data privacy. However, important technological progress has been made in recent years, especially in the fields of surveillance and vessel tracking. Join Monni as she finds out from a panel of experts how machine learning and technology developments in drones, infrared imaging, global positioning systems and cameras can help tackle wildlife crime. How can social science help us understand the motivations behind rule-breaking? And what rule is Monni so afraid of admitting that she once broke? Guests: Dr Tom B Letessier, Research Fellow at the Institute of Zoology, ZSL Dr Kristina Boerder, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Dalhousie University Professor Serge Wich, Liverpool John Moores University Dr Colin Beale, Reader at the University of York Dr Ana Nuno, NOVA University Lisbon and University of Exeter Overview 00:53 - Monni is joined by the co-host of today's episode, Dr Tom B Letessier, an expert in the use of drones and other technologies for marine protected area (MPA) surveillance, fisheries enforcement and megafauna monitoring. 03:49 - Monni and Tom welcome Dr Kristina Boerder to discuss the use of automatic identification systems (AIS) to track illegal activity of fishing vessels in MPAs. 17:48 - Professor Serge Wich joins the hosts to take the surveillance discussion on land, using drones and infrared cameras in tropical terrestrial ecosystems. 24:35 - Dr Colin Beale discusses how to tackle wildlife crime in Africa using algorithms to analyse evidence of illegal activity in the bush and inform ranger-led patrols. 33:44 - Monni and Tom are joined by their final guest, Dr Ana Nuno, to find out how social science can address rule breaking in conservation. Resources: Guardian article on the use of technology to stop illegal trade: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/08/wildlife-trafficking-science-technology-come-to-rescue-end-illegal-trade Guardian article on drones and big datat: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/feb/18/drones-and-big-data-the-next-frontier-in-the-fight-against-wildlife-extinction Global Fishing Watch: https://globalfishingwatch.org/ Link to New York Times article on Palau vs the Poachers: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/21/magazine/palau-vs-the-poachers.html Review of the Outlaw Ocean book: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/oct/02/the-outlaw-ocean-by-ian-urbina-review

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