“As the COVID-19 pandemic reminded us, biotechnology will play a critical role in preparing for and responding to future health crises.,” write WCS’s Sue Lieberman in an essay in support of a nuanced embrace of synthetic biology at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi. “Developing vaccines and diagnostic tools quickly saved millions of lives. Closing off avenues of research now would risk leaving humanity unprepared for threats we know are coming, from the next viral outbreak to the spread of antimicrobial resistance.”

A key motion under consideration at the IUCN World Conservation Congress opening this week would create guidelines for managing the wildlife pet trade, and that’s key because across the world, millions of live animals — mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians — are taken from the wild every year. Read this report on the stakes of this issue from WCS's Liz Bennett at Mongabay.

Once numbering in the tens of millions, the American bison was nearly driven to extinction by the early 1900s. But a coalition of conservationists, Native American communities, and private partners were determined to save the species. In this episode of the Unseen Upside podcast, WCS's John Calvelli shares the remarkable story of the near extinction and subsequent restoration of the American bison in North America.

A hundred years after the Wildlife Conservation Society's Arcturus research vessel first explored the Hudson Canyon, this undersea treasure once again draws explorers to its depths. This month, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are sending a remotely operated vehicle more than a mile into its depths. As WCS's John Calvelli notes in a new essay for PBS Nature, the unmanned submersible will relay footage of a world rarely seen—revealing corals, sponges, and sharks in a hidden marine wilderness.

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. Soon, it will be convened in Abu Dhabi. As WCS's Liz Bennett explains, the growing threat of the pet trade in terrestrial wildlife is one of the important issues that will be addressed there.

Did you know there's a tiny insect that can move poop balls and also helps keep nature clean and full of life? A new episode of the Cumbre Kids podcast explores the surprising world of dung beetles with WCS's Gabriela Ponce in a special collaboration with PBS Nature.

In the wake of the poaching and killing of a tiger in the Endau Rompin landscape of Malaysia, WCS's Mark Rayan Darmaraj commends in a new commenbtary he swift action of the Royal Malaysia Police Federal Reserve Unit Intelligence Team and the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Johor in intercepting the suspects.

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. To learn more WCS Wild Audio's Dan Rosen talked to Keith Lovett, WCS VP and Director of Animal Programs at the Bronx Zoo.

"Addressing biodiversity loss at its roots requires mitigating systemic drivers of decline and adopting policies that prioritize long-term ecosystem resilience," write WCS Canada's Justina Ray and her colleague Chris Johnson in a new essay for The Conversation. "To forsake species protections is not to move forward. It is to close the door on recovery before the story is over."

"To help the guanaco population to continue recovering," writes Andrés Novaro in a new commentary for PBS Nature on the occasion of International Guanaco Day, "we must safeguard large swaths of the breathtaking Patagonian steppe as protected areas that can support their migrations every winter and summer to feed and reproduce."

More than 140 wildlife species are affected by illegal trafficking in Argentina despite the regulations of the National Wildlife Conservation Law (No. 22,421). Environmental organizations report that thousands of specimens are captured each year to be illegally traded as pets, handicrafts (such as ornaments and jewelry), medicines, or for collectibles. It is estimated that the illegal wildlife trade alone generates between $15 and $20 billion annually. To share her perspective on this destructive and unsustainable trade, WCS's Carina Righi spoke to the Rights and Action podcast.

Ahead of the 2nd International Guanaco Day, WCS Argentina is joining forces with local communities and the government to secure this species' vast migration corridors, promote sustainable livelihoods, and bring guanaco populations back from the brink.

For World Elephant Day, WCS's Aaron Nicholas writes that WCS has played a leading role in Tanzania in the recognition and improved management of wildlife corridors for elephants and other wildlife. That work has been facilitated by active collaboration with local communities. By empowering local communities, notes Aaron, "Critical wildlife corridors are now being managed — helping assure the overall integrity of one of Africa’s true wildlife strongholds while also strengthening the improved management of natural resources that benefit people and wildlife."

A year after failure of the Yukon's Eagle Mine, contributing to increased cyanide, mercury, cobalt, and copper pollution in downstream waters, WCS Canada's Chris Addison argues that it's time not just for technical reviews or regulatory tweaks but for a full public inquiry into the systemic failures that have long shaped resource development in this territory. "Only through such a reckoning," writes Chris for the Yukon News, "can we prevent the next project from becoming another story of broken promises, environmental harm, and community neglect."

In a new essay for Policy Options Politiques, WCS Canada's Justina Ray argues that while housing, economic growth, national security and immigration may seem separate from climate change or biodiversity loss, that idea is both artificial and costly.

Climate-resilient corals can recover from the impacts of climate change, serving as vital havens for marine life and supporting coastal communities. WCS's Emily Darling and the International Coral Reef Initiative's Margaux Monfared, explore why.in a new blog for Together for the Ocean.