The Think Wildlife Podcast

The Amazon Rainforest is one of the most crucial ecosystems in the world. Not only is it home to 10% of all the known species in the world, the rainforest produces around 20% of all oxygen produced on terrestrial ecosystems. With increasing awareness of the importance of biodiversity in tackling the climate crisis, it is therefore critical to conserve the Amazon rainforest.Unfortunately, the Amazon rainforest is under severe threat, having lost 17% of forest cover in just 50 years. Deforestation is rampant due to illegal mining and cattle grazing. The degradation of the rainforest is confounded by fierce forest fires associated with both climate change and slash and burn cultivation. Many of the Amazon's most precious species are severely threatened by habitat degradation and fragmentation, the illegal wildlife trade and human wildlife conflict. On this episode, I interview Jana Bell who is the founder of the Amazon Rainforest Conservancy. We elaborate upon the threats facing the Amazon Rainforests and the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic. Jana also talks about all the conservation work she is involved in, ranging from protecting intact rainforest to restoring fragmented jaguar habitats and restoring macaw populations. Tune in to one of the most interesting episodes of the season! Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

Between 2000 and 2020, over 1 million people lost their lives to snakebites in India. Snakebite is the most extensive neglected tropical disease and human wildlife conflict. While about a quarter of India's snakes are venomous, four prominent species are responsible for majority of snakebite in India - Russel's Viper, King Cobra, Common Krait and Indian Saw-Scaled Viper.On Episode 11, I interview Gnaneswar Ch from the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and the Centre for Herpetology. We talk about the drivers of human snake conflict, challenges of tackling snakebite, myths about snakebites and research on snakebites. We also disucss the work being done by MCBT to tackle snakebite, including outreach and the use citizen science and technology. Lastly, we also talk about other threats faced by India's snakes including habitat fragmentation, climate change and the illegal wildlife trade. Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

Otters are small carnivorous mammals found predominantly in freshwater and coastal habitats. They are considered keystone species and play a crucial role, not only in regulating aquatic ecosystems and climate change. Unfortunately, they face a large variety of threats, ranging from conflict with humans, pollution, habitat loss and the illegal wildlife trade. 3 out of the 13 otter species are found in India which includes the Smooth Coated Otter, the elusive Asiatic Small Clawed Otter and the rare Eurasian Otter. The Smooth Coated Otter is fairly widespread, not only in India but most of South Asia. Meanwhile, the smallest species of otter, the Asian Small Clawed, is found across the tropical mountains of the Western Ghats and the Himalayas. The range of Eurasian Otter, however, is fairly ambigious. In fact, there are increasing sightings of Eurasian Otters in unexpected regions of India, particularly in Central India.On this episode, I interview Vinni Jain, a Research Fellow at the Centre for Wildlife Studies on her research on otters at Balaghat District of Madhya Pradesh. We speak about the challenges of fieldwork, results from her research and the conservation of otters in India Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

Over 100 elephants and 350 people lose their lives to human elephant conflict in India. This is not surprising given that only 22% of elephant habitat in India is found within protected areas. The issue of HEC is compounded by increasing habitat fragmentation, due to urbanization, development of linear infrastructure and cropland expansion.On this episode, I interview Prachi Mehta who is the Executive Director of Research at the Wildlife Research and Conservation Society. We discuss the drivers of HEC, potential solutions, the use of technology to mitigate HEC and the works of WRCS. We also talk about the highly engandered Forest Owlet, a species which is making a reappearance around central India over the last few years. Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

Prowling the plains of the high Tibetan Platue is the Himalayan Wolf. Though considered a subspecies of the Gray Wolf, recent genetic studies have suggested that the Himalayan Wolf, is in fact a seperate species altogether. In fact, alongside the Indian Plains Wolf, the Himalayan Wolf is thought to be one of the oldest wolf lineages in the world.Unfortunately, like the other large carnivores of the Himalayas, including the elusive snow leopard and critically endangered Himalayan Brown Bear, the wolf is facing countless threats. Not only is climtate change causing significant habitat loss in the Himalayas, overgrazing of nomadic livestock herds is putting immense pressure on local prey species. With grasslands and prey species dwindiling, human wolf conflict in unavoidable. Additionally, feral dog populations have surged across the range of the Himalayan wolf, increasing competition for resources, hybridization and the spread of diseases. There is one conservation biologists, however, who is working extensively to study these magnificent predators. Dr. Geraldine Werhahn is a Research Associate at University of Oxford's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit. During her PHD, she set up the Himalayan Wolf Project to study these rare canids in Nepal. In this interview we speak about her work and the conservation of Himalayan wolves. Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

Also known as the "Ghosts of the Mountains", the Snow Leopard is probably one of the most elusive cat in the world. They, however, are the apex predators of the high Himalayas, alongside the genetically unique Himalayan Wolf and the critically endangered Himalayan Brown Bear. Unfortunately, climate change is causing a significant loss of habitat across the Himalayas, which has a large cascading effect. With rising temperatures, there's been increased instances of human wildlife conflict in the Himalayas, which in fact, is driving the illegal wildlife trade of snow leopard!On Episode 7, I interview Koustubh Sharma, India's leading Snow Leopard ecologist. While he did his PHD on the four horned antelope in central India, he has worked extensively on snow leopard research across the Himalayas and central Asia ever since. He is currently the director of science and communication at the Snow Leopard Trust. In this interview, we talk about his work on snow leopards, threats faced by this elusive cat and conservation efforts.Think Wildlife Foundation is supporting the adoption and upscaling of alternative livelihood projects within communities living in and around India's protected areas. We hope that these projects will reduce the monetary incentives of poaching for these local communities by providing sustainable sources of income. You can support these programs by buying products directly from these communities.Support the Communities living with Wildlife: https://linktr.ee/thinkwildlifefoundation.com Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

One of the largest challenges for any conservation project around the world is recieving suffecient funding. Projects aim to raise funds through various mechanisms, including grants, awards, scholarships, crowdfunding and the provision of services, such as consultancy. Fortunately, there are various organization, such as Whitley Awards for Nature, Ruffords and the Earthshot Prize which are working to fund conservation projects around the world. The Future For Nature Award is amongst the most prestigious international award that celebrates tangible achievements in protecting wild animal and plant species. The winners each receive 50,000 euro and the prestigious FFN Award. Projects they have supported have ranged from researching the elusive Himalayan wolf to conserving the pangolin. Other projects have attempted to tackle the illegal wildlife trade, while some aim to minimize the impacts of linear infrastructure on wildlife.In this interview, I speak to Rascha Nuijten, the director of FFN about the award, the impacts of covid 19, some of the most prominent projects supported and her vision for the future.Think Wildlife Foundation is supporting the adoption and upscaling of alternative livelihood projects within communities living in and around India's protected areas. We hope that these projects will reduce the monetary incentives of poaching for these local communities by providing sustainable sources of income. You can support these programs by buying products directly from these communities.Support the Communities living with Wildlife: https://linktr.ee/thinkwildlifefoundation.com Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

The Wildlife Society is amongst the oldest and most renowned wildlife conservation organizations around the world. Launched in 1936, the organization has over 11,000 members and is actively involved in conservation science, youth engagement, environmental education and the adoption of environmental policy. In this interview, I speak to the CEO of The Wildlife Society to discuss the rich history of the organization and the great work they are doing!Think Wildlife Foundation is supporting the adoption and upscaling of alternative livelihood projects within communities living in and around India's protected areas. We hope that these projects will reduce the monetary incentives of poaching for these local communities by providing sustainable sources of income. You can support these programs by buying products directly from these communities.Support the Communities living with Wildlife: https://linktr.ee/thinkwildlifefoundation.com Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

There is growing consensus that the biodiversity and climate crisis are intricately interlinked. In fact, a report found that just reintroducing nine species can help limit global warming to less than 1.5 degrees celcius. These are due to the immense ecosystem services provided by megafauna species including gray wolves, American bison, beavers, sharks, sea otters , whales and African forest elephants . Moreover, there is greater adoption of nature based solutions, not only to tackle the climate crisis, but also to help alleviate poverty and bolster economic growth. One such start up working on the adoption of nature based solutions for this purpose is Rebalance Earth. In the next decade, they hope to offset over a gigatonne of carbon through nature-based solutions, protecting and improving biodiversity and generating daily income for millions worldwide.In this episode, I interview one of their co-founder, Ian Redmond about the idea behind Rebalance Earth and the integration of AI and nature credits in conservation. We also talk about the conservation of the African Bush Elephants and the Great Apes. He also elaborates upon his role as the Chair for the Ape Alliance. Think Wildlife Foundation is supporting the adoption and upscaling of alternative livelihood projects within communities living in and around India's protected areas. We hope that these projects will reduce the monetary incentives of poaching for these local communities by providing sustainable sources of income. You can support these programs by buying products directly from these communities.Support the Communities living with Wildlife: https://linktr.ee/thinkwildlifefoundation.com Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

One of the primary targets of poachers around the world are rhinos. Their keratin horns form amongst the most lucrative products in the illegal wildlife trade. This has led to the decimation of the world's rhino species. Fortunately, through conservation efforts, the White Rhino and the Greater One Horned Rhino (aka the Indian Rhino) have witnessed remarkable comebacks. Meanwhile the critically endangered Sumatran and Javan Rhinos are on the verge of extinction.On this episode, I interview Jimmy Rutherford and Emma Pereira to talk about the great work being done by Save the Rhino International to revive the five species of rhinos around the world, the role of involving local communities in rhino conservation, and the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on rhino conservation. Think Wildlife Foundation is helping tackle the illegal wildlife trade to support alternative livelihood projects with communities living in and around India's protected areas. We hope that these projects will reduce the monetary incentives of poaching for these local communities by providing sustainable sources of income. You can support these programs by buying products directly from these communities. Support the Communities living with Wildlife: https://linktr.ee/thinkwildlifefoundation.com Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

The revival of tiger populations across India is one of India's most successful conservation stories. India has more than doubled her tiger population between 2006 and 2018. According to the preliminary results of the 2022 national census, India has approximately 3,100 tigers. On Episode 2, I interview Anish Andheria, who is the CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Trust. We discuss current challenges of tiger conservation in India, ranging from human tiger conflict to the issue of roadkills. We also discuss the success of Project Tiger and the future of tiger conservation in India. Lastly, we discuss about one of WCT's most prominent projects - the wildlife underpass along a stretch of NH44 between Kanha and Pench tiger reserve. With over 200 million people living in and around India's protected areas, it is crucial to engage local communities in conservation. We at Think Wildlife Foundation are fostering human wildlife coexistence by facilitating alternative livelihood projects around India. You can support these communities by visiting our shop and buying products directly from these communities.https://linktr.ee/thinkwildlifefoundation.com Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

The illegal wildlife trade is the fourth largest illict industry in the world, after the trafficking of drugs, arms and humans. Unfortunately, various species, ranging from pangolins to bears are on the verge of extinction due to the illegal wildlife trade. Worth over $23 billion annually, the impacts of the illegal wildlife trade goes beyond ecological destruction. In fact, the illegal wildlife trade is often used to fund various criminal syndicates.On Episode 1 of Season 2, I interview Azzedine Downes, the President and CEO of the International Fund for Animal Welfare. We talk about the implications of the illegal wildlife trade, the growing use of social media for the illegal wildlife trade and the impacts of covid-19. We also talk about some of the great work being done by IFAW to counter the illegal wildlife trade globally. If you enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to subscribe to our channel!Think Wildlife Foundation is helping tackle the illegal wildlife trade to support alternative livelihood projects with communities living in and around India's protected areas. We hope that these projects will reduce the monetary incentives of poaching for these local communities by providing sustainable sources of income. You can support these programs by buying products directly from these communities. Support the Communities living with Wildlife: https://linktr.ee/thinkwildlifefoundation.com Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

Join us on the final Episode of Season 1, where we speak to Dr. Aditi Sharma regarding the challenges of being a wildlife vetenerian in India, the challenges of translocating wildlife and the concept of one health. Dr. Aditi Sharma is working as a National Wildlife Policy Expert & Veterinary Consultant with CAMP (Community Action through Motivation Program). She is a former Senior Veterinary Officer in Uttarakhand Government. She is a specialization in Veterinary Surgery & Radiology and additional expertise in Advanced Wildlife Management. She also has been certified as Trainer by NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) for Tiger capture and translocation. Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

Wildlife tourism has a crucial role in India's conservation success. With nearly 300 million people living in and around forests, tourism has a crucial role in bolstering the economies of local communities. Tourists also help monitor protected areas in detecting wildlife crimes, such as poaching. Wildlife tourism was temporarily banned in protected areas in India in 2010 to minimise its impact on the environment. While the industry certainly can be improved, the Supreme Court has reversed this order and the industry is currently thriving. In Episode 19, we interview Anurag Sharma, the founder of Tigerwalah, a wildlife tourist company, based in Ranthambore. Listen more for insights into the industry and the impact of covid-19. Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

The climate and biodiversity crisis are highly interlinked. One particular ecosystem which has a critical role to play in tackling the climate crisis, are oceans. The important of oceans is not surpising, as they cover over 70% of the earth's surface. Marine ecosystems, ranging from coral reefs to kelp meadows, host immense biodiversity. These ecosystems also store immense amounts of carbons and play a crucial role in climate regulation. To support the conservation of biodiverse oceans, Harry Wright, a former lawyer, founded Bright Tide. This organization is a leading sustainability consultancy company that works with global organisations to address urgent climate and biodiversity challenges around the world. Through their accelerator programmes they enable their clients to integrate climate and biodiversity solutions into their decision making, investment strategy and supply chain. Listen to the episode to understand more about their work!​ Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

Resuming after a short break, The Think WIldlife Podcast returns with a new episode discussing the role of ecological economics with Nandan Nawn. We discuss the ideas and trends in ecological economics, how it varies from environmental economics, how the field is growing in India. We also discuss how nature can be valued and the role of local communities in conservation. We also discuss the recently launched National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Well-being and some of the great work being done by Biodiversity Collaborative.Nandan Nawn recently became a Professor at the Jamia Millia Islamia. Classical Political Economy, Ecological Economics and, Environment and Development have been his persistent academic interests. His present focus is on Economics of Ecological Restoration. He has designed/co-designed 13 and taught 21 courses across levels and programmes in four institutions across two cities of India. He has supervised 28 Master’s thesis, 1 MPhil dissertation and 1 PhD thesis. Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

India has more than doubled her tiger population since 2010. While this is certainly great news, it is still too early to celebrate. Unfortunately, a population recovery has been met with significant habitat destruction and forest fragmentation. Other than preventing consistent, long term gene flow, this encourages human tiger conflict. A lack of natural habitat and prey, results in tigers predating on livestock and sometimes, even humans. Retaliation is inevitable, and famous, apparent man eating tigers, such as Avni, have been put down for this. Currently, efforts are being made around India to mitigate human tiger conflict.One of the most prominent solutions is by improving the lives of indeginious communities, to minimise the long term financial costs of the conflict, while also allowing communities to voluntaringly resettle away from reserves. The Last Wildnerness Foundation is one such organization which is working at the grassroot level, directly with indeginious communities to prevent conflict.In Episode 14, Vidya Venkatesh, the director of LWF talks about the intricasies of human tiger conflict, the potential of alternative livliehoods for conservation and their amazing work in uplifting the Baiga people, a community ostracized for formerly being poachers. In fact, we at Think Wildlife Foundation are supporting this project by providing them with a platform to go online! Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

While many are celebrating the majestic recovery of the Asiatic Lion from the brink of extinction, it is still too early to celebrate. Politics is currently stalling the conservation of lions in India, while the illegal wildlife trade threatens their African counterparts, which truly are struggling. Habitat loss and the depletion of natural prey are also major contributing factors due this concerning population decline.In Episode 13, Peter Lindsey, the Director of the Lion Recovery Fund (Wildlife Conservation Network), elaborates on these threats. The issue of canned hunting is also touche upon. Lastly, we talk about a few of the exciting lion conservation projects across Africa. Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

Oceans are the forerunners in our fight against climate change. Unfortunately, we are destroying our marine ecosystems. Overfishing, pollution and unplanned development has impacted these sensitive ecoystems significantly. In episode 12, with Akansha Tiwari, we talk about the importance of marine ecosystems, the ecological impact of marine debris and potential solutions. Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

In just over 30 years, the United Nations predicts that the world population will reach 10 billion. While the current biodiversity and climate crisis is the doing of forgone generations, it is the youth of today who will be facing the brunt of environment destruction. Yet, they have the potential to create significant change. It is for this reason that Patrick Arnold founded 10 Billion Strong. With the aim to invest in and provide environmental education, the organization hopes that these programs will empower the youth to drive, both immediate and long term, impact in communities through sustainability-focused action and policy changes. Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

The Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment is one of India's leading research institutes in conservation biology and ecology. In 2022, this presitigious institute celebrated its 25th aniversary. It was around this time when we spoke to Vamsidhar Pothula, the Chief Operating Officer of ATREE, about the organization's vision for conservation education and research, the importance conservation outreach and his experiences transitioning from the corporate sector to conservation. Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe