ZSL Wild Science Podcast

Delve into topical issues in zoology, conservation and the environment, from saving species and protecting the planet, to finding out about the animals living across the globe, including in London’s own river Thames. Learn more about the science behind the conservation work being done by ZSL and others, in this podcast from ZSL’s Institute of Zoology. Hosted previously by Dr Monni Böhm and Ellie Darbey, and now by Harriet McAra.

ZSL #050 Mapping Nature’s Code 02/27/2026

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: Check out our science and conservation work at: or Darwin Tree of Life project: Dr Ava Jenkins: BTO 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: Get in touch Email 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 /episode/index/show/zslscience/id/40216310

ZSL #049 The forest behind your floorboards 10/24/2025

ZSL #049 The forest behind your floorboards 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: Check out our science and conservation work at: or Read more about the project: World Forest ID: The Alliance for Wood ID Testing: ZSL SPOTT’S ESG policy transparency assessments of timber and pulp companies: Free training materials on forest-driven commodities: Help keep SPOTT going. Without continued funding, these assessments can’t continue. Donate today at or email Find out more about ZSL’s Sustainable Business and Finance team: Get in touch Email 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 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: /episode/index/show/zslscience/id/38739320

ZSL #048 The rubber story and the road to sustainability 08/22/2025

ZSL #048 The rubber story and the road to sustainability 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: Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or SPOTT: Natural rubber: SPOTT’S ESG policy transparency assessments: SPOTT training hub: Help keep SPOTT going. Without continued funding, these assessments can’t continue. Donate today at https://donate.zsl.org/spott/ or email Find out more about ZSL’s Sustainable Business and Finance team: Get in touch Email 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 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: /episode/index/show/zslscience/id/37815400

ZSL #047 Shark Tales of North Wales 06/27/2025

ZSL #046 Feeding the Zoo: Nutrition for animals under managed care 04/16/2025

ZSL #045 BONUS Nature's Negotiators: Saving the planet one meeting at a time 12/30/2024

ZSL #044 Nature's Negotiators: The UN's Wildest Diplomatic Mission - Part 2 12/18/2024

ZSL #044 Nature's Negotiators: The UN's Wildest Diplomatic Mission - Part 2 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 , Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction 01:12 , 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 , 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: Check out our science and conservation work at: or Bethan Laughlin: Georgina Chandler: Read more about our EDGE Fellows: ZSL’s COP16 position statement: “Negotiations ran out of time, but action on biodiversity loss cannot be postponed…” Blog written by Georgina Chandler: Get in touch Email with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes! Tweet us @ZSLScience with the hashtag #ZSLWildScience Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation /episode/index/show/zslscience/id/34483135

ZSL #043 Back to the Wild: Assessing disease risks for species reintroduction 10/18/2024

ZSL #042 Nature's Negotiators: The UN's Wildest Diplomatic Mission - Part 1 08/21/2024

ZSL #041 Reimagining Coral Reefs 06/14/2024

ZSL #040 Mammal conservation in Korea: Human-carnivore coexistence on the Korean Peninsula 05/20/2024

ZSL #039 Wild Science is back for 2024 05/10/2024

ZSL #037 How can we recover nature in our cities: rewilding, reconnecting habitats and restoring rivers 12/20/2022

ZSL #037 How can we recover nature in our cities: rewilding, reconnecting habitats and restoring rivers It’s no secret that cities are generally perceived as spaces of little conservation relevance, yet local urban wildlife underpins a range of ecosystem services. In a time where rapid changes in the climate are causing more extreme natural events, wildlife is disappearing and we are becoming more and more disconnected from nature through urbanisation, could the recovery of urban ecosystems be a potential solution for a more resilient planet? In this episode, our host Ellie Darbey will discover how we can recover nature in our cities, with ZSL’s experts in rewilding, reconnecting habitats and river restoration. Does the answer lie in empowering local communities? Or is it in the plight of the hedgehog? And why must we enact the mysterious Schedule Three? Guests , Institute of Zoology, ZSL , Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Zoology, ZSL Joe Pecorelli, Conservation Project Manager, , Conservation & Policy, ZSL Overview 03:31 – Ellie Darbey introduces the first guest, Professor Nathalie Pettorelli to discuss how to rewild in urban environments 16:39 – Ellie is joined by Dr Chris Carbone to talk about the London Hogwatch Project, and their community engagement 26:59 – Species Spotlight: The European hedgehog! 28:12 – Ellie welcomes the final guest Joe Pecorelli to discuss river restoration in London, and the power of the waterways 37:19 – The guests give their answer for the one thing they’d like to change in policy or legislation to help recover urban nature. 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 change you’d like to see in policy or legislation to help recover nature in cities, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: Check out our science and conservation work at: or Living Planet Report: Previous Episode mentioned #035 on Nature-based solutions: Rewilding your cities ZSL report: Rewild my street: London Hogwatch: Pine Marten sighting: London’s Rivers: State of the Thames Report: Volunteer for London’s Rivers: Flood and Water Management act: Get in touch Email with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes! Tweet us with the hashtag #ZSLWildScience Follow us on Facebook /episode/index/show/zslscience/id/25374873