WCS Wild Audio

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. 

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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