"Wildlife films bring distant worlds into focus, connect New Yorkers to a global conservation story, and challenge us to see nature as something intertwined with our lives," write WCS's John Calvelli in a new op-ed for the New York Daily News highlighting this month's REEL WILD New York Film Festival. "If Earth Month is to mean anything," adds John, "it must move us beyond appreciation to action."

"Across wildly diverse ecosystems and human cultures," write WCS's Joe Walston and biographer Miriam Horn in a new essay for PBS Nature, "George Schaller laid down principles that still guide conservation: a commitment to science that keeps up with a changing world to add more data and new understanding; respect for the knowledge held by local communities and for their central role in conservation solutions; and an understanding that an animal’s future is not secured by a lone outsider or study, but by generations of national scientists and practitioners."

WCS's George Schaller is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern field biology — a scientist whose work helped transform how we study animals in the wild. From gorillas in the Congo to snow leopards in the Himalayas, his research has shaped conservation for decades. This week, WCS Wild Audio caught up with author Miriam Horn to discuss her new biography of Schaller, Homesick for a World Unknown, and the legacy of a life spent observing wildlife.

WCS’s REEL WILD™️ New York Film Festival returns to showcase fresh, powerful stories about people and nature from around the world. One of this year’s featured films is "Keeper"—a documentary short that follows a Bronx beekeeper, Sean Flynn, and his daughter. The film was shortlisted for an Oscar Award. This week for WCS Wild Audio, Dan Rosen talks to Sean and film director Hannah Rafkin. You can see Keeper on Friday, April 24.

"Rushing the design and construction of an unprecedented road through sensitive landscapes carries real risk of causing irreversible damage to ecosystems – on top of financial concerns," writes WCS Canada's Adam Kirkwood in a new essay for the Globe and Mail, warning that "problems that careful planning could address will instead be discovered after the fact, at far greater cost."

The REEL WILD™ New York Film Festival returns April 23–26, 2026, celebrating filmmakers and wildlife stories that inspire action and conservation impact. In advance, WCS Wild Audio’s Hannah Kaplan sat down with Dr. Edith Widder, star of A Life Illuminated, winner of Best Exploration Film and Best in Fest. The documentary follows Dr. Widder - one of the first women in her field and first people to explore the ocean’s twilight zone - as she descends 3,300 feet into the deep, capturing the first-ever footage of the elusive giant squid and uncovering bioluminescent phenomena that could transform our understanding of life on Earth.

In a new commentary for PBS Nature celebrating Women's History Month, the New York Aquarium's Jessica Hernandez discusses the importance of her role as Supervising Maintainer for the Facilities and Operations Department. "Our Life Support Systems replicate and maintain the natural conditions of both freshwater and saltwater habitats by carefully controlling factors such as temperature, water quality, salinity, oxygen levels, and waste removal," she notes, adding "Regular maintenance and monitoring ensure that the aquarium life support systems maintain a delicate balance that mimics nature. Without them, it would be nearly impossible to sustain aquatic ecosystems in the aquarium."

Strengthening co-management systems ensures that governance structures are inclusive and representative of all resource users, including women and youth, notes WCS Madagascar's Ravaka Ranaivoson in a new essay for PBS Nature celebrating Women in Conservation. "Promoting women’s participation," she says, "requires both empowerment and efforts to foster social acceptance, including approaches that engage men as allies."

WCS's John Calvelli talks to John Catsimatidis about the global crisis of illegal wildlife trafficking for the Cats Roundtable podcast.

"As a young woman I always dreamed of working with wildlife and travelling the world, but I did not believe it was a possibility simply because there were never any women of color on nature shows at that time," writes the Bronx Zoo Zoological Health Program's Dalia Ferguson in a new essay at PBS Nature for Women's History Month. "I think that it is an incredible thing I ended up where my younger self never thought she would belong."

"Unlike other international agreements, the Convention on Migratory Species is built around a recognition that it is not enough to protect animals in one country if they are vulnerable in another," writes WCS's Sue Lieberman in a new commentary for PBS Nature. "The treaty focuses on connectivity—protecting migration routes, safeguarding key habitats, and coordinating action across borders."

In a new essay for PBS Nature celebrating International Women's Month, WCS Lao PDR's Manoly Sisavanh write, "Conservation means ensuring that present and future generations respect and share landscapes where forests still stand, wildlife still thrives, and ecosystems continue to sustain livelihoods, economies and human wellbeing—as interconnected parts of a single, living system."

This month between March 23-29, governments from around the world will gather in Campo Grande, Brazil, for the triennial conference of parties to the Convention on Migratory Species, or CMS. It’s a treaty focused on animals that cross borders—birds, whales and sharks, big cats, freshwater fish—that no one country can conserve alone. As the meeting approaches, WCS Wild Audio spoke to CMS Executive Secretary Amy Fraenkel about the state of the world’s migratory species — and what’s at stake at this year’s conference.

"My academic background is outside of biology," says Bronx Zoo Animal Commissary Manager Jessica White in a new blog at PBS Nature to celebrate Black History Month. "This never discouraged me. I understood what I brought to the table: discipline, curiosity, grit, and a willingness to learn. And here I am, five years later, rubbing elbows and working alongside scientists, curators, veterinarians, leaders — holding my own and contributing in ways that matter. I celebrate and honor Black history month every month because I live it every day. My presence in this field is part of that history — a reminder that representation matters, especially in spaces where, sadly, it’s still far too rare. I wish the conservation world had more African-American voices, more faces that reflect the communities we serve."

"As a Black keeper in conservation," writes Ayesha Smith in a new blog at PBS Nature for Black History Month, "I am driven to help others see that there is space for them here too. Representation matters and it shapes who feels welcome and who can imagine a future in this field. Looking back, my journey hasn’t been a straight line. I once aspired to be a doctor, yet I found my way back to a childhood passion for wildlife."

Across the Amazon Basin, the search for gold has unleashed a crisis both environmental and human. Illegal and small-scale gold mining depends on mercury to separate gold from stone. That mercury seeps into rivers, the air, and the food people eat, poisoning ecosystems and communities alike. This week, WCS Wild Audio has the story of how—from Ecuador to Bolivia —conservationists and Indigenous leaders are fighting back.