ZSL Wild Science Podcast

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: [email protected]
Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation
Darwin Tree of Life project: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/darwin-tree-life-project
Dr Ava Jenkins: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/dr-ava-jenkins
BTO ringing scheme: https://www.bto.org/get-involved/volunteer/projects/bird-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: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.04.14.536868v1.full.pdf 
Get in touch 
Email [email protected] 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

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: [email protected]
Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation
Read more about the project: www.zsl.org/news-and-events/feature/responsible-sourcing-africa 
World Forest ID: https://worldforestid.org/ 
The Alliance for Wood ID Testing: https://worldforestid.org/insights/partnership-with-wwf 
ZSL SPOTT'S ESG policy transparency assessments of timber and pulp companies: https://www.spott.org/timber-pulp/ 
Free training materials on forest-driven commodities: https://www.spott.org/training-hub/ 
 Help keep SPOTT going. Without continued funding, these assessments can't continue. Donate today at https://donate.zsl.org/spott/ or email [email protected] 
Find out more about ZSL's Sustainable Business and Finance team: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/working-with-business 
Get in touch 
Email [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/working-with-business/advisory-services

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: [email protected]
Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation
SPOTT: https://www.spott.org/
Natural rubber: SPOTT'S ESG policy transparency assessments: https://www.spott.org/natural-rubber/
SPOTT training hub: https://www.spott.org/training-hub/
Help keep SPOTT going. Without continued funding, these assessments can't continue. Donate today at https://donate.zsl.org/spott/ or email [email protected]
Find out more about ZSL's Sustainable Business and Finance team: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/working-with-business 
Get in touch 
Email [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/working-with-business/advisory-services

The coastal waters of Wales are home to a whopping 27 species of sharks, skates and rays, known collectively as elasmobranchs, and they are a fundamental part of Wales' natural heritage. But even so, research on their biology and conservation status is lacking. In this episode, Wild Science hits the road to join scientists from Project SIARC and the Ocean Predator Lab in North Wales as they work with local fishing communities to monitor tope sharks, and contribute to better understanding and conservation of shark species in the region.
Overview
00:11    Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction
01:26    Welcome to Pwllheli
03:13    Interview with David Curnick, Research Fellow, Institute of Zoology, ZSL and Head of the Ocean Predator Lab
06:18    How to tag a tope shark
12:44    Interview with Daniel Montgomery, Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Institute of Zoology, ZSL
18:44    Interview with Jake Davies, Project SIARC Technical Specialist, ZSL and Natural Resources Wales
22:57    Outro and final reflections
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: [email protected]
Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation
Project SIARC: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/project-siarc
Ocean Predator Lab: https://www.oceanpredatorlab.com/
David Curnick: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/david-curnick
A fisher's perspective: Using half a century of local fisher knowledge to identify socio-economic, ecological and legislative trends influencing angelshark (Squatina squatina) records in Wales: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.70044 
Get in touch 
Email [email protected] 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

Making sure that the animals held in ZSL's two conservation zoos, London and Whipsnade, are fed a diet that can help them thrive is crucial, both for keeping them healthy under managed care, and ensuring they are in the best possible shape for a return to the wild. Amanda Ferguson is ZSL's Diet Management Officer and is responsible for creating tailored diets for all the animals across both ZSL Zoos, from snails to elephants! We learn how to feed an animal for which there are no guidelines, why enriched feeding methods are so important, and why you'll rarely see a monkey at London Zoo with a banana.
Overview
00:11     Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction
01:10     Interview with Amanda Ferguson
25:16     How does nutrition help us recover wild populations?
33:04     Outro and final reflections
 
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: [email protected]
Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation
The Evolution of Enrichment, a public event held at ZSL featuring a talk from Amanda Ferguson on how diet presentation can meet the behavioural needs of animals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hqrweox2UA
Amanda Ferguson: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Amanda-Ferguson-9
Corncrake conservation: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/conserving-native-birds
Mountain chicken frog conservation: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/mountain-chicken-frog-conservation
Comparison of the nutritional content of the captive and wild diets of the critically endangered mountain chicken frog (Leptodactylus fallax) to improve its captive husbandry https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30221785/
Get in touch 
Email [email protected] 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