The majority of species around the world are declining from habitat loss. Biodiversity is valuable for human health and wildlife, but current conservation practices focus on individual species and not the ecosystem. Therefore, we should begin to aim conservation practices to protect the habitat; allowing for better corridors, and greater biodiversity.

Episode Hosts: Nolan Bunting, Kara Maslyn, and James DeMoss

Course Coordinators & Podcast Ringmasters: Colleen Duncan, Molly Carpenter, Treana Mayer

Audio Engineer: Ethan Fagre

EPISODE NOTES:

Pandas, Koalas, and Elephants. We know of these animals in part due to the incredible effort to conserve them. However, conserving a singular species in an ecosystem is not nearly as valuable as conserving the habitat itself. Join us on an adventure from your own couch, as we explore the benefits of protecting the entire ecosystem. From wildlife to humanity, we all benefit from nature. We hope that this episode also teaches you how to help nature, and promote large conservation efforts. Remember, this is Nature and Nature needs you.

References:

Argentinian corridors

  • https://www.rutadelosparques.org/en/who-we-are/
  • https://www.tompkinsconservation.org/get-wild.php

African Transfrontier parks

  • https://www.sanparks.org/conservation/transfrontier/great_limpopo.php

Yellowstone to Yukon

  • https://y2y.net/about/

Impacts of biodiversity on Zoonotic Diseases

  • Keesing, & Ostfeld, R. S., 2021. Impacts of biodiversity and biodiversity loss on zoonotic diseases.
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, 118(17), 1–. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2023540118
  • Granter, Scott R, Aaron Bernstein, and Richard S Ostfeld., 2014. Of Mice and Men: Lyme
  • Disease and Biodiversity. Perspectives in biology and medicine 57.2: 198–207. https://doi.org/10.1353/pbm.2014.0015

Ways you can help

  • https://www.patagonia.com/activism/
  • Sexton C., 2020. Wildlife Tourism has the potential to transform conservation.
  • Earth.com.https://www.earth.com/news/wildlife-tourism-has-the-potential-to-transform-conservation/
  • World Bank, 2018. Growing Wildlife-Based Tourism Sustainably: A New Report and Q&A. World Bank featured stories. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2018/03/01/growing-wildlife-based-tourism-sustainably-a-new-report-and-qa

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