Covid-19 Exotic Animal Origins, Reversing Biodiversity Declines (WWF), Global Bird Conservation Efforts (RSPB), Kangaroo Island Fire Impacts on Biodiversity and More
Life History Strategies in Butterflies, Ocean Science, DNA Species Cataloguing, Philippines Biodiversity Conservation, Nonlinearity in Mate Choice and De-mystifying Toxicology
DNA Zoo

Our planet is losing animals at an alarming rate of one species every six hours. We are in the midst of earth’s sixth mass extinction with currently ~11,000 endangered species. With the climate emergency exacerbating natural disasters, as evidenced by the Australian wildfires having killed an estimated over one billion animals, we have a very short time to catalog and record our unique biodiversity.
Dr. Parwinder Kaur, University of Western Australia
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Date/time: Monday 8th June 9pm BST / Tuesday 9th June, 4pm (Australian Western Standard Time)
Whale Shark Conservation Maldives

A short documentary that explores the culture, history, conservation and future of the Whale Shark in the Maldives - through stories from the local people.
The film celebrates the conservation work of the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme (MWSRP) a scientific research charity conducting whale shark research from the small Island of Dhigurah in the South Ari Atoll. We hear from two locals on the island who remember the whale sharks being hunted before the ban in 1995, and their thoughts on the whale sharks now and for the future. We also explore the effects of unregulated tourism, and the impact this can have on the whale sharks. We hear about solutions though community engagement and citizen science and suggestions from the MWSRP to help keep the sharks safe into the future.
An important message for people to take away is if you are seeking encounters with wildlife, you should ask lots of questions and conduct your own research into tour operators and programs thoroughly before committing. You can then confidently choose to support operators that contribute to the local economy and conservation and try to minimise their negative impacts on the environment.
Q&A after the screening with Director & Producer Lewis Jefferies hosted by marine scientist and conservationist Charlie Young.
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Seeing Indigenous Land Struggles in COVID-19
Popular and academic commentary on the multispecies assemblage of COVID-19 has focused extensively on its nebulous animal origins. Bats, civets, snakes, pangolins, and birds have all found themselves implicated as possible hosts for the novel virus. A multispecies exploration of COVID-19 appropriately highlights the profitable and violent commodity chains that connect mass consumption of wild animals to global ‘biodiversity hotspots.’ Yet, perversely, this move has also worked to erase reference to the peoples who actually coexist with these lifeforms. In this talk, we examine what is rendered invisible when ‘exotic’ animal origins are fetishized. Throughout Southeast Asia, the ancestral territories of indigenous peoples are the ultimate source of wildlife destined for consumption throughout the region. Drawing on examples from the Philippines and Malaysia, we explore how indigenous struggles for land and livelihood are central, not marginal, to understanding the emergence of a zoonotic pathogen like SARS-CoV-2.
with Will Smith, Noah Theriault and June Rubis, University of Western Australia
Date/time: Tuesday 9th June, 10am - 11:30am (Australian Eastern Standard Time, GMT+10)
Protecting what you love, turning Ocean Science into Impact
with Sahira Bell, Brinkley Davies and Stefan Andrews, University of Western Australia
Wednesday 10th June 5pm AWST time
The evolutionary history of an ancient alternative life history strategy in butterflies
Prof. Christopher Wheat, Stockholm University

Wednesday June 10th 5-6pm BST/ 9-10am PST
Watch here
How did the fires impact Kangaroo Island’s biodiversity, and what is next for recovery and conservation?
Dr. Daniel Rogers, Flinders University, Australia
Thursday June 11th 2-3pm ACST
Watch here
De-mystifying clinical toxicology for non-medics
David Warrell, University of Oxford
Wednesday June 10th 6pm BST / 10am PDT
Visit @HerpSeminars where a live link will appear a few minutes before the event.
How to care for a bleeding heart: Conservation effort in the Philippines.
Dr. Daphne Kerhoas, Lecturer in Conservation Science, Bristol Zoo
Visit Bristol Zoo Conservation Lectures where a live link will appear ten minutes before the event.
Wednesday June 10th 6pm BST / 10am PDT
“Crazy Love”: Nonlinearity and Irrationality in Mate Choice

Click here to find out more
Join here
Wednesday June 10th 5pm PDT or Thursday June 11th 10am in AEST (GMT + 10)
Using science to conserve species and sites around the world

RSPB’s international research works to underpin the conservation of threatened species and sites around the world. I will illustrate our approach using a range of projects from vultures in southeast Asia to seabirds in the south Atlantic and tropical forests in west Africa.
Juliet Vickery, RSPB
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Thursday June 11th 3pm BST / 7am PDT
Fuller Seminar: Biodiversity Revisited – A New Agenda for a Just and Sustainable Future
What has gone wrong with nature conservation and how do we bring about transformative change to create a fairer, more sustainable future? Which types of knowledge, ethics, principles and actions are needed to reverse the decline of biodiversity? This seminar presents the outcomes of Biodiversity Revisited, a two-year initiative that addresses these questions, culminating in a new research and action agenda for sustaining life on Earth. It also shares the inspiring experience of harnessing the collective energy and expertise of some 200 researchers and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines.
Click here and scroll down to find out more
Register here
Thursday June 11th 9pm BST / 1pm PDT