In a new commentary for The Conversation, WCS's Iain Caldwell and his colleague Joshua Cinner argue that no-take zones punch above their weight. "Of the fish biomass attributable to protection efforts," they write, "about 20% comes from just 3% of sites in no-take zones. This proportion would be even higher if illegal fishing in no-take zones was stamped out."

The 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity—or CBD COP16—convenes in Cali, Colombia beginning on October 21. More than 14,000 participants are expected to attend, representing national governments, NGOs, Indigenous groups, the private sector, and others. In the first of a three-part series on the coming COP, WCS Wild Audio spoke with CBD Deputy Executive Secretary David Cooper to learn more about what brings the conservation community to Latin America and what they hope to achieve there.

In Part 2 of our podcast series exploring the themes of New York Climate Week, we look at a new initiative being piloted by the WCS Forests and Climate Change program to attract investment in large tropical areas with healthy ecosystems. The High Integrity Forest Investment Initiative, or HIFOR, say WCS's Ashley Camhi and Tom Evans, provides a novel approach to compensate nature and its protectors for the services they provide.

How do we study wildlife in extreme environments? The premiere of the One Wild World podcast's Season 2 features a conversation with WCS's Joel Berger, who provides his expert perspective on challenges in conservation, the importance of public engagement, and some tips on daily actions we can take to support wildlife conservation.

Cassandra, daughter of the King and Queen of Troy, knew that if her brother Paris went to Sparta and came back with Queen Helen, the destruction of Troy would follow. Cassandra had the gift of prophecy bestowed upon her by Apollo, but because she refused to give herself to the god, he added this curse: No one would believe her. "Thousands of years separate us from this story," writes WCS's Dan Zarin in a new essay for PBS Nature. "But dire prophecy, deeply rooted in truth, is staring us in the face. Like the ancient Trojans, we refuse to take action. The arrival of New York Climate Week that coincides each year with the gathering of global leaders for the UN General Assembly meetings must inspire us to do just that."

Season 5 of the WCS Wild Audio podcast begins with a two-part series looking to NY Climate Week, which runs during the US General Assembly this month. For Part 1, we explore how WCS is focusing on ecological restoration, transforming degraded lands into thriving habitats with the collaboration of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and innovative tools enabling real-time tracking of conservation progress. Hannah Kaplan explores how restoration, technology, and community partnerships are shaping a sustainable future.

With an estimated 25 million cumulative excess deaths during COVID-19 and the WHO declaring Mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, we must ask how many more millions must die before governments take the necessary action to prevent the spillover of pathogens between wildlife, people and other animals.

The world produces over 400 metric tons of plastic every year today. Single-use plastics—from utensils and straws to soda bottles and packaging—enter our waste stream at an alarming rate. Less than 10 percent of all plastic is recycled. For Part 6—and the final episode—of our summer series on marine conservation, we investigate the impact of plastic pollution on marine life and steps being taken to reduce single-use plastic consumption at WCS and its home in New York City.

"Never has it been more urgent than now to protect the right to self-determination of Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation and initial contact," write WCS's Sushil Raj and Dawa Yangi Sherpa with several colleagues at PBS Nature for International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. The loss of their stewardship of nature, the authors say, will lead to the destruction of high integrity forests, biodiversity, and our ability to combat the climate crisis.

As the WCS Bolivia program's Llanos de Moxos expedition proceeds, writes senior conservationist Rob Wallace in a new essay at Medium, the team encounters extraordinary biodiversity and archaeological artifacts. Bolivian biologists, notes Rob, registered 297 butterfly subspecies, 75 fish, 42 amphibians and reptiles, 301 birds, and 100 mammals.

WCS's Fiona "Boo" Maisels reflects on her work, recent research, and career as a conservation scientist in an interview with Marie McNeely for the People Behind the Science podcast.

In the first of a multi-part blog series at Medium documenting WCS Bolivia's Llanos de Moxos expedition, Rob Wallace discusses how WCS and several local organizations have formed the Llanos de Moxos Working Group, which collectively seeks to promote the conservation of the largest wetland in the Amazon while improving local livelihoods.

In a letter to the Malaysia newspaper The Star, WCS's Mark Rayan Darmaraj congratulates government authorities on the recent arrest of six suspects in Pahang linked to the wildlife trade. One of these suspects was found with the skull and bones of a tiger, which is a protected species under the country's Wildlife Conservation (Amendment) Act of 2022.

"I hope to encourage empathy towards 'scary' animals and maybe even a love for them," writes George Gurgis in a new essay PBS Nature for LGBTQ+ Pride Month, adding, "That is why every time I see someone become excited towards my favorite classroom animals—a collection of snakes and two precious rats—it makes me so genuinely happy. It’s not only a win for the misunderstood animals, but for all of us that were labeled as 'different.'"

Turtles and tortoises are facing extinction like few other species groups. Nearly half of the 300+ species are at risk. The international pet trade is a major reason why. This week, the WCS Wild Audio podcast explores how the Bronx Zoo, as a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, is working to tackle the problem and why the case of the radiated tortoise is a good example.

Last week in Part 1 of our series on bison conservation, we explored the historical role that WCS and Indigenous and other partners played in helping to save the American bison from extinction and begin to restore this iconic species on tribal lands in the west. In Part 2, we look at how critical partnerships across lines of geography, culture, and politics helped to establish the bison as the national mammal of the United States.