WCS Wild Audio
Season 6
S6, Episode 16: At CITES COP20, A Chance to Protect Sharks and Rays
Sharks and rays are some of the ocean’s most iconic species, but they are in crisis. At the upcoming CITES COP20 meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, governments will decide on dozens of proposals to regulate global trade in wildlife and wildlife products. That includes whether or not to give certain shark and ray species the highest level of international trade protections—a full ban.
Reporting: Dan Rosen
Guests: Luke Warwick, Dana Tricarico
Previous Episodes
S6, Episode 15: Introducing Adam Falk, WCS’s New President & CEO
This summer, The Wildlife Conservation Society welcomed Adam Falk as its new president and CEO. Previously the president of Williams College and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Adam brings to his new role a deep commitment to science, a passion for education, and a belief in the power of collaboration. As WCS begins a new chapter, Adam sat down with Wild Audio to share his excitement for his new position and the opportunity to lead the Wildlife Conservation Society as it confronts the urgent conservation challenges of the moment.
Reporting: Nat Moss
Guest: Adam Falk
S6, Episode 14: Yasina Conservation Deed: Indigenous Leadership in Forest Conservation
In Papua New Guinea’s Eastern Highlands, five clans have come together to formally protect 2,000 hectares of ancestral forest through the Yasina Conservation Deed. This landmark agreement shows how Indigenous communities can lead conservation, safeguarding biodiversity while preserving their cultural traditions.
Reporting: Hannah Kaplan
Guests: Harshad Hemant Karandikar, Bennie W Atigini
S6, Episode 13: Addressing the Pet Trade at the IUCN World Conservation Congress
Every four years, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, brings together governments, NGOs, scientists, and Indigenous leaders at the World Conservation Congress. This October, it will be convened in Abu Dhabi. The growing threat of the pet trade in terrestrial wildlife is one of the important issues that will be addressed.
Reporting: Dan Rosen
Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Bennett
S6, Episode 12: The New World of Darkness
Many New Yorkers have great memories of the Bronx Zoo's World of Darkness. It was a groundbreaking exhibit when it opened in 1969. This summer, the zoo opened a new version that features some fascinating species. From naked mole rats to aye ayes to vampire bats, the updated space offers a rare glimpse into the lives of animals that thrive in the dark.
Reporting: Dan Rosen
Guest: Keith Lovett
S6, Episode 11: Freedom to Roam | Defending the Guanaco’s Grassland Home
Guanacos—fleet-footed cousins of the llama—roam the grasslands of South America in one of the world’s longest overland migrations. But fences, hunting, and competition with livestock are putting their survival at risk.
Ahead of the 2nd International Guanaco Day, hear how WCS Argentina is joining forces with local communities and the government to secure vast migration corridors, promote sustainable livelihoods, and bring guanaco populations back from the brink.
In this week’s episode, we look at how conservation is turning the tide for these resilient creatures—and why their future matters for ecosystems and people alike.
Reporting: Hannah Kaplan
Guests: Dr. Susan Lieberman, Dr. Andres Navaro
S6, Episode 10: WCS’s New York Aquarium Helps Rescue Confiscated Corals
Recently, staff at WCS’s New York Aquarium got a call from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The authorities had intercepted an illegal shipment of corals and they needed WCS’s help. When corals come into the country like this, they typically can’t be returned to the wild. So the Fish and Wildlife Service turns to accredited facilities like the New York Aquarium to care for the animals.
Reporting: Dan Rosen
Guests: Aaron Brett, Camilla Piechocki
S6, Episode 9: The Graduate Scholarship Program
Talented, passionate local conservation leaders are critical for the durable conservation of wildlife and wild places around the world. To support them, WCS launched the Graduate Scholarship Program in 1996 to provide financial support for the highest quality, graduate-level academic training to promising conservationists. Over its nearly 30 years, the program has awarded 163 scholarships to conservationists from 42 different countries to pursue advanced degrees. With those skills, recipients are able return home and make a significant impact on their countries. They now lead conservation efforts in governments, universities, local organizations, and WCS itself—building lasting conservation capacity from within and delivering tangible conservation results on the ground.
Reporting: Dan Rosen
Guests: Denise Garcia, Richard Malonga, Peter Umunay
S6 Episode 8: The WCS 30x30 Ocean Accelerator Is Leveraging $40 Million for Marine Conservation
Participants from around the world have gathered in Nice this week for the third United Nations Oceans Conference. It’s an opportunity to assess the current state of marine conservation and seek ambitious new opportunities to achieve progress toward ocean protection. WCS was there with a big announcement to make.
Reporting: Nat Moss
Guests: Stacy Jupiter, Pamela Castillo
The 30x30 Ocean Accelerator is made possible through funding support from the Thomas L. Kempner, Jr. Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, BlackRock, The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, the Shark Conservation Fund, and several other visionary private donors, with multilateral partners now engaged to expand its reach.
S6, Episode 7: Small Fish, Big Impact
Journey to the heart of the Amazon Basin—home to the largest freshwater system on Earth. These waterways don’t just support rich biodiversity—they’re a vital source of food and nutrition for millions across South America, where fish are often the most affordable and accessible source of protein. But this life-sustaining resource is under threat. Mercury contamination, overfishing, and the pressures of a globalized food market are putting fish populations—and the health of the people who rely on them—at risk. In this episode, how conservationists are working to reimagine food systems in the Amazon—blending traditional knowledge with science to protect rivers, restore fisheries, and ensure a healthy, sustainable future for communities and ecosystems alike.
Reporting: Hannah Kaplan
Guests: Silvia López Casas, Sebastian Heilpern
S6, Episode 6: This Endangered Species Day, Uncovering the Secrets of the Rainforest
A leopard. A giant pangolin. A group of forest elephants. They can be almost impossible to spot in the wild. But in February, WCS and wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas released a series of high definition camera trap photos of these species and more from the Republic of Congo’s Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park. The hope is that sharing these remarkable pictures of rarely seen animals in their natural environment will inspire people to protect them.
Reporting: Dan Rosen
Guest: Will Burrard-Lucas
For four decades, the Conservation Leadership Programme, or CLP, has been providing critical early career funding awards to emerging conservationists. Born out of a partnership between Birdlife International, Fauna & Flora, and the Wildlife Conservation Society, the CLP has opened the door countless scientists working across the globe in countries rich in biodiversity but often lacking resources for their protection. As the program turns 40, we checked in with a few alumni to hear how the program has helped them to advance in their journey to become conservation leaders.
Reporting: Nat Moss
Guests: Camila Kass, Jorge Parra, Deepshikha Sharma
S6, Episode 4: This Earth Day, a Conversation on Why We Protect Wildlife and Wild Places
As Earth Day turns 55 this year, it seemed like a good moment to reflect on WCS’s mission to protect wildlife and wild places. Why does the protection of biodiversity carry with it so many other benefits to humankind? What are the approaches that work and what are the challenges? And what can the average person do to make it a priority in their lives? WCS Wild Audio found just the right person to ask.
Reporting: Nat Moss
Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Bennett
S6, Episode 3: Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant & Peter Gros of NBC’s Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Host “Family Day” at the REEL WILD New York Film Festival, April 5
In the 3rd and final episode featuring the inaugural REEL WILD New York Film Festival, which launches in New York City this week, we talk to the hosts of the popular television series Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom “Protecting the Wild.” They’ll be on hand for the screening of several of the show’s episodes in an exciting and inviting family-friendly program on Saturday, April 5.
Reporting: Nat Moss
Guests: Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, Peter Gros
S6, Episode 2 Stories That Inspire, Films That Matter | REEL WILD™ NY Film Festival
In the second episode of our three-part series on WCS's REEL WILD™ New York Film Festival, we go behind the scenes to uncover the inspiration behind this inaugural event celebrating remarkable filmmakers and extraordinary wildlife stories from around the globe.
From Namibia’s resilient desert lions to a massive annual walrus gathering in the Russian Arctic, this year’s lineup aims not only to captivate audiences but also to spark meaningful conservation action. Hannah Kaplan has this report.
Get your tickets for The REEL WILD™ NEW YORK Film Festival: reelwild.org
Reporting: Hannah Kaplan
Guests: Natalie Cash, John Calvelli
S6, Episode 1: Oscar-Nominated Documentary “Haulout” Comes to the First Annual REEL WILD™ New York Film Festival
This spring, the inaugural WCS-curated REEL WILD™ New York Film Festival comes to Manhattan. Taking place on April 4-5, this two-day event showcases award-winning natural history films and offers a unique chance to hear directly from the filmmakers and experts behind the stories. In the first of a 3-part series on the festival, we look at one of those films, the 2022 Oscar-nominated documentary “Haulout,” which explores the impact of climate change on walrus habitat in the Arctic.
Reporting: Nat Moss
Guests: Evgenia Arbugaeva, Natalie Cash, Martin Robards, Jonathan Slaght
[Parts of this episode originally aired in March 2023.]
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