New York, July 2, 2026 – The following statement has been issued by the Wildlife Conservation Society: “We at WCS express profound concern and alarm regarding the recent reported detention of wildlife conservationists Sepideh Kashani and Houman Jowkar, along with Sepideh’s sister Sima Kashani in Tehran on July 1, 2026. “Mr. Jowkar and his wife Ms. Kashani are among the world's leading experts on the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah. Through their pione...

NEW YORK, NY, July 2, 2026 — A newly published study in Conservation Biology warns that efforts to control New World screwworm will be weakened if governments focus primarily on legal livestock production systems while overlooking illegal cattle movements, wildlife, protected areas, and remote landscapes where infestations can go undetected. The paper, “Screwworm re-emergence, illegal cattle movements, and emerging risks to wildlife and protected areas in Mesoameric...

New York, NY – June 23, 2026 — Today, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) returns with Year 2 of its Petition Paper campaign, expanding its reach across select New York City restaurants to drive awareness and action around the protection of Hudson Canyon—a vital underwater ecosystem located just 100 miles offshore from here. The campaign aims to generate support for designating Hudson Canyon a National Marine Sanctuary. The campaign invites New Yorkers to engage with Hu...

MOMBASA, KENYA (June 18, 2026) – The following statement was released today by the Wildlife Conservation Society at the 11th Our Ocean Conference (OOC11) in Mombasa, Kenya. Said Dr. Susan Lieberman, WCS Vice President of International Policy: “This week exceeded our expectations in terms of advancing strong commitments for actions that have tremendous potential to truly lead to equitable and effective protection and conservation of ocean ecosystems, for the benef...

MOMBASA, KENYA (June 18, 2026) – Nine African governments announced new commitments to ocean protection this week at the 11th Our Ocean Conference (OOC11) in Mombasa, Kenya, marking concrete progress toward the global goal of effectively and equitably protecting 30 percent of the world's ocean ecosystems by 2030. The announcements – spanning newly gazetted marine protected areas (MPAs), national conservation strategies, new planning frameworks, and commitments to develop new...

MOMBASA, KENYA (June 18, 2026) – At the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, the Women Ocean Guardians coalition today announced its expansion into Africa. Twenty-six women – protected area managers, fishers, and coastal community leaders from 11 African nations – gathered on the Kenyan coast in the days prior, coming together for the first time as an African collective and issuing a declaration for dignity, justice, and healthy oceans.  They were joined...

MOMBASA, KENYA (June 17, 2026) – At the 11th Our Ocean Conference (OOC11) in Mombasa, Kenya, 5 new governments signed the High-Level Climate-Resilient Coral Reef Commitment, the first global pledge to protect the world’s climate-resilient coral reefs – reefs with the greatest potential to survive climate change and serve as the foundation for future reef recovery.  The new signatories bring the total coalition to 20 reef countries across all coral regions, expandin...

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — June 17, 2026 — Shark Party, a family-friendly celebration of sharks and marine conservation, will return by popular demand to the New York Aquarium on July 18- 19 and 25-26. The multi-weekend event invites guests to discover the vital role that sharks play in marine ecosystems around the world, and to learn more about these often-misunderstood denizens of the deep. Festivities run from 11 AM-4:30 PM each day and are included with New York Aquarium admission or...

MOMBASA, KENYA (June 17, 2026) – At a side event this evening at the Our Ocean Conference, the governments of Madagascar and Zanzibar announced sweeping new national protections for sharks and rays, marking the latest milestone in a decade of conservation progress across East Africa. Sharks and rays are experiencing one of the fastest extinction crises of any vertebrate group on Earth – more than 37% of species are now threatened with extinction, driven largely by overfishing and ...

(From left to right) Alejandro Santo Domingo, Chair of the WCS Board of Trustees; Rob Walton, former chairman of Walmart and a longtime conservation philanthropist; Adam Falk, WCS President and CEO. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) hosted its annual gala at the Central Park Zoo in New York City on June 10, 2026, honoring Walton. Walton has focused his giving on practical, durable efforts to protect wildlife and wild places, strengthen protected-area management, and support partn...