"My academic background is outside of biology," says Bronx Zoo Animal Commissary Manager Jessica White in a new blog at PBS Nature to celebrate Black History Month. "This never discouraged me. I understood what I brought to the table: discipline, curiosity, grit, and a willingness to learn. And here I am, five years later, rubbing elbows and working alongside scientists, curators, veterinarians, leaders — holding my own and contributing in ways that matter. I celebrate and honor Black history month every month because I live it every day. My presence in this field is part of that history — a reminder that representation matters, especially in spaces where, sadly, it’s still far too rare. I wish the conservation world had more African-American voices, more faces that reflect the communities we serve."

"As a Black keeper in conservation," writes Ayesha Smith in a new blog at PBS Nature for Black History Month, "I am driven to help others see that there is space for them here too. Representation matters and it shapes who feels welcome and who can imagine a future in this field. Looking back, my journey hasn’t been a straight line. I once aspired to be a doctor, yet I found my way back to a childhood passion for wildlife."

Across the Amazon Basin, the search for gold has unleashed a crisis both environmental and human. Illegal and small-scale gold mining depends on mercury to separate gold from stone. That mercury seeps into rivers, the air, and the food people eat, poisoning ecosystems and communities alike. This week, WCS Wild Audio has the story of how—from Ecuador to Bolivia —conservationists and Indigenous leaders are fighting back.

In a new op-ed for the New York Daily News, WCS's John Calvelli and Melba Wilson of the world-famous Melba’s Restaurant in Harlem write, "We are excited and hope to welcome more visitors in 2026. This summer, NYC will host eight World Cup matches. As a true soccer fan, the mayor understands the significance of this moment." They note that Tourism Economics, a leading industry analyst, estimates the World Cup will generate more than $3 billion of economic activity, much of it from international visitors.

As negotiations on the post-2027 EU budget are ongoing, observers WCS's Arnaud Goessens in a new commentary for Forbes Belgium, "the question should no longer be whether nature and biodiversity matter, but whether the EU will turn recognition into binding commitments and sustained investment.”

"Shark conservation requires global leadership, and Panama is setting the pace for ocean conservation," write WCS's Luke Warwick, conservationist Cristina Mittermeier, and Panama Environment Minister Juan Carlos Navarro in a new essay for Time magazine. Last week, Panama's Ministry of Environment announced that the country will end all trade in shark and ray products. Panama now protects 54% of its national waters, well beyond the global target to protect 30% by 2030, and was among the first countries to join the 100% Alliance, pledging to sustainably manage 100% of its ocean area.

Peatlands don’t get the attention they deserve. Worldwide, these wetlands provide crucial ecosystem services. They are vital for Indigenous livelihoods and as carbon storage powerhouses. Canada has some of the world's largest remaining intact peatlands. Now, says Victoria Goodday in a new episode of the WCS Wild Audio podcast, WCS Canada has a new national strategy to safeguard them before it’s too late.

If Ottawa is serious about good climate policy and capital budgets, notes WCS Canada's Victoria Goodday in a new opinion essay for Policy Options, it will position nature as the foundation of economic security.

Coral reefs are facing unprecedented pressure from overfishing, pollution, and climate change. But scientists are finding that some reefs are more resilient than others — and that protecting those reefs could shape the future of coral conservation worldwide. The Wildlife Conservation Society has developed a new strategy focused on identifying and safeguarding those places of resilience. To learn more, WCS Wild Audio spoke with WCS Director of Coral Reef Conservation Emily Darling.

As WCS Canada's Cori Lausen notes in a new essay for the Vancouver Sun, 48 species listed as endangered federally aren't recognized as species at risk in B.C. and thus don't qualify for measures that could save their habitat from destruction or disturbance.

As the Director of Professional Development for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) at the Bronx Zoo, Dave Johnston is rewriting the narrative on where conservation happens. Whether he is leading students through the gritty, biodiversity-rich wetlands of Jamaica Bay in New York City or driving across the vast Mongolian steppe with no GPS, Dave’s focus remains the same: people. Check out his podcast interview with Project Dragonfly.

As implementation proceeds on the WHO's Pandemic Agreement, write WCS's Sue Lieberan and her colleague Jamie Reaser, "governments are encouraged to weigh the risks to human, wildlife, and livestock health against the benefits, and restrict or prohibit the capture, use, commercialisation, breeding, and trade in live wildlife (eg, for use as food, pets, or other purposes) accordingly."

In a new essay for Earth | Food | Life, WCS's Valeria Falabella, Claudio Campagna, and Julieta Campagna describe how an unprecedented avian flu outbreak in Argentine Patagonia devastated a stable elephant seal colony, highlighting the rising threat of infectious disease to wildlife in a warming world.

WCS's Anna Lello-Smith joins Talkin' Birds podcast host Ray Brown to discuss her recent research connecting the 5 Great Forests of Mesoamerica with "sister landscapes" in the United State and Canada based their shared role as a home for some of North America's most beloved migratory bird species during and between their annual migrations.

For two weeks in late November and early December, Samarkand, Uzbekistan became the epicenter of global conservation diplomacy. Delegates from around the world gathered for the 20th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES COP20. Among them were WCS's Alfred DeGemmis and Arnaud Goessens. These two graduates of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs played active roles in the COP's complex negotiations.

Protected areas are cornerstones of global biodiversity conservation strategy, yet their social impacts remain contentious. A recent study conducted by WCS's Heidi Kretser, Diane Detoeuf, and Michelle Wieland--in collaboration with Middlebury College's Jessica L’Roe--examined perceptions of these areas among thousands of local residents living near five forested regions of Central Africa and Madagascar.