What do vultures in India and beavers in West London have to do with protecting our ecosystems? What’s the link between biodiversity loss and human-driven climate change? Why does Simon love beavers so much? And what exactly is “COP16”?

This episode explores some of the key issues at play – focusing on global ecosystems and local conservation efforts, and coincides with the Sixteenth Convention on Biological Diversity in Cali, Columbia.

Hosts Mark and Simon are joined in the studio by Elliot Newton of The Ealing Beaver Project: a collaboration between the Ealing Wildlife Group, Citizen Zoo, The Friends of Horsenden & Ealing Council. And UCL expert Dr Alex Pigot, whose work on evolutionary biodiversity helps predict how ecosystems are responding to climate change.

While at the conference in Cali, Simon also catches up with freshwater systems expert: UCL’s Dr Izzy Bishop, to discuss the work she took to COP16.

Citizen Zoo www.citizenzoo.org/
The Ealing Beaver Project theealingbeaverproject.com/
UCL Faculty of Life Sciences biodiversity campaign www.ucl.ac.uk/lifesciences-facul…rsity-ucl-priority
Find out more about UCL at COP16 www.ucl.ac.uk/climate-change/ucl-cop/ucl-and-cop16
Access the transcript www.ucl.ac.uk/climate-change/pod…ne-climate-podcast

Date of episode recording: Friday 18th October 2024
Duration: 45 mins
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Professor Mark Maslin and Dr Simon Chin-Yee
Guests:
Elliot Newton, Head of Conservation at Citizen Zoo and Creative Director at A Focus On Nature
Dr Alex Pigot, Professorial Research Fellow in the UCL Division of Biosciences
Dr Izzy Bishop, Lecturer in Ecology, UCL’s People and Nature Lab
Producers:
Adam Batstone
Caitlin Mullin
Jane Yelloly