Zoological Society of London
50 episodes listed below
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Delve into topical issues in zoology, conservation and the environment, from saving species and protecting the planet, to finding out about the animals living across the globe, including in London's own river Thames. Learn more about the science behind the conservation work being done by ZSL and others, in this podcast from ZSL's Institute of Zoology. Hosted previously by Dr Monni Böhm and Ellie Darbey, and now by Harriet McAra.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Conservation science becomes practical here, with Harriet Makara connecting field evidence, institutional decisions and the people responsible for carrying them out.
Harriet Makara makes conservation science legible by following it from technical method to practical decision. Conversations with ZSL staff move between genome sequencing and species recovery, animal nutrition and disease surveillance, with questions that establish the basics…
Harriet McAra asks what tigers get for tea; you'll end up thinking about their spare time.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Genomics, conservation, and fieldwork come together in a clear look at biodiversity.
ZSL Wild Science treats genetics as a conservation problem rather than a lab puzzle. It moves from a Cambridgeshire garden to the Darwin Tree of Life project, which aims to sequence the genomes of 30,000 species of eukaryotic organisms in Britain and Ireland.
A clear-eyed look at how science can expose hidden timber supply chains.
ZSL Wild Science follows timber from floorboards, desks, and chairs back to its source, making a plain but important case for why origin matters in the fight against illegal logging, habitat loss, and climate impacts.
A grounded look at rubber, sustainability, and who pays for change.
Natural rubber is treated here as a system rather than a commodity, with conservation risk, farmer livelihoods, and buyer responsibility all in view.
Feeding is treated as welfare, behavior, and husbandry, not just meal prep.
ZSL Wild Science treats zoo feeding as a welfare question as much as a nutrition one. Amanda Ferguson describes how a Diet Management Officer has to account for what hundreds of species eat, but also how they spend time, use their senses, and avoid the idle stretches that can…
COP16's unfinished negotiations show how biodiversity goals can stall when monitoring, quorum, and money remain unresolved.
At COP16 in Cali, Colombia, biodiversity diplomacy turns into a test of whether agreed ambition can survive the mechanics of a UN meeting. The second part of Nature's Negotiators follows ZSL's team through talks where the monitoring framework for the Global Biodiversity…
A grounded account of the health evidence behind conservation reintroductions.
Reintroducing an animal is treated here as careful conservation work, not a simple gate-opening moment. Harriet Makara guides the episode through Tony Sainsbury's explanation of translocation and reintroduction, then into the DRAS team's work on parasites, sampling and disease…
A clear, grounded guide to the slow work of biodiversity policy.
Nature's Negotiators follows Harriet Makara in conversation with Bethan Loughlin, ZSL's Senior Policy Specialist, during CBD intersessional meetings in Nairobi, where biodiversity policy is being shaped line by line.
A grounded look at shark conservation that keeps the science and its limits in view.
The episode follows a dawn outing off North Wales and keeps its focus on the work itself. Harriet Makara joins ZSL scientists in coastal waters that are said to hold 27 species of sharks, skates and rays, and the reporting stays with the methods: acoustic and satellite tagging,…
Mushroom culture from soil to society.
Clear neuroscience for curious minds.
Plant papers, jokes, and useful uncertainty.
Weed science, from genomes to paddocks.
Biomedical careers, described from the inside.
Human stakes behind biomedical progress.
Harriet Makara hosts ZSL Wild Science Podcast #050, which follows the Darwin Tree of Life project as it tries to sequence 30,000 species of eukaryotic organisms in Britain and Ireland.
Harriet Makara opens ZSL Wild Science Podcast by asking where the wood in floorboards, desks, and dining chairs comes from, and frames the episode around tracing timber back to its source.
Natural rubber still flows mostly into tyres, with Rachel Polouan saying around 70% of global production goes to the tyre industry and that tyre manufacturing uses more than 200 raw materials.
Amanda Ferguson turns zoo feeding into a three-part problem: nutrition, physiology, and behaviour, across more than 450 species at London and Whipsnade zoos.
A bonus episode discussing the outcomes of UN climate and biodiversity meetings, focusing on finance for climate action.
Harriet Makara and ZSL Senior Policy Specialist Bethan Loughlin assess COP16 in Cali, Colombia, where more than 20,000 participants attended the largest biodiversity COP.
Harriet Makara interviews ZSL's Disease Risk Analysis and Health Surveillance team about managing disease during wildlife reintroductions and conservation translocations.
ZSL Wild Science Podcast host Harriet Makara speaks with ZSL Senior Policy Specialist Bethan Loughlin about biodiversity negotiations under the Convention on Biological Diversity, ahead of COP16 in Cali, Colombia.
This episode explores human-wildlife coexistence, focusing on a PhD study about large carnivores in northwest Spain.
This episode celebrates the conservation success of the River Thames Estuary, featuring experts discussing restoration efforts and how to get involved.
This episode discusses World Pangolin Day, the threats facing pangolins as the most trafficked wild mammals, and conservation solutions.
This episode discusses the conservation of the critically endangered mountain chicken frog threatened by chytridiomycosis.
A panel debate discussing the 58% decline in global wildlife populations since 1970 and whether lifestyle choices or political pressure can protect the planet.