Wildlife Conservation Society

As you travel through Terminal 4 at JFK International Air Terminal this #Thanksgiving2024, enjoy the wildlife videos on display. A big thank you to the team at T4 for their commitment to sustainability, helping keep our planet healthier for all of us and wildlife around the world.

On the latest episode of #WCSWildAudio, hear the story of Chile's Karukinka Natural Park, which turns 20 this year. It was created after land in Chilean Tierra del Fuego was donated to WCS by Goldman Sachs. Today, says Saavedra Barbara, the park is making a significant contribution to #climatechange mitigation, in part due to its carbon-rich peatlands. LISTEN: https://lnkd.in/dAMYVZ8j

Illegal cattle trafficking is fueling the dangerous resurgence of a parasite, the New World screwworm. The parasite had been eradicated from Central America, Mexico, and the U.S. over 30 years ago at an approximate cost of $800 million. But we have seen a rapid resurgence recently across Central America, with the recent confirmation of the first screwworm case in Mexico on November 23. “Evidence directly links illegal cattle trafficking to the screwworm’s resurgence,” says WCS's Jeremy Radachowsky, Mesoamerica and Western Caribbean Regional Director, in a statement. This swift spread endangers millions of animals and threatens the livelihoods of ranchers across the region. By bypassing sanitary controls, often with stressed, undernourished, and injured livestock, cattle smuggling creates the ideal conditions for transboundary transmission of diseases, including brucellosis, tuberculosis, and parasites such as the screwworm, Radachowsky says. We are calling for decisive action by the U.S. and Mexico to stop this illegal ranching and protect livestock, public health, and economies. Read our statement: https://lnkd.in/ewpsdDGY #onehealth #mesoamerica #illegalcattleranching #illegalranching

NEWS: New protected area established in Argentina. Islas y Canales Verdes del Río Uruguay National Park spans nearly 10,000 acres and “provides a global example of how nature conservation can be promoted and sustained in the long term,” said WCS's Martin Mendez, Southern Cone Regional Director. https://lnkd.in/e6dq5mZW #30x30 #GBF

❤️ As #GivingTuesday approaches, you can help our efforts to save elephants. Right now, your gift goes 3X as far. https://lnkd.in/ejeAK27V

Lots of learning and exchange at the Wildlife Conservation Society Kenya 2024 Annual Fishers’ Forum in Kwale, Kenya. The forum has brought together Beach Management Units (BMU) and fisher community representatives, scientists, managers, and decision-makers within the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region - Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar to review and discuss issues relevant to small-scale fisheries restoration, sustainability, management, and conservation of coastal ecosystems. Tim McClanahan, Director of Science at WCS, shared research done along the Kenyan coast for more than 20 years with the aim of realizing sustainable small scale fisheries. Fisherman have been declining in numbers over the years. Marine resources worldwide are deteriorating, contributing to poor returns by fishers. There is need for stakeholders to emphasize good resource management to ensure maximum benefit to the communities. ~ Jesse Kosgei WCS Scientist The positive news is that marine ecosystem conservation efforts have contributed to 10% of fish quantity within Marine Protected Areas in Kenya. Kongamao la wavuvi ni mojawapo ya sehemu ambapo uhamasisho wa mabadiliko kwa sheria za uvuvi unafanyika ~ Remy Mandela Oddenyo #FishersForum2024 #SustainableFisheries #KongamanoLaWavuvi2024

Recently, in the Pacific Ocean, scientists discovered the world’s largest coral. So big it can be seen from space.   It shows, says WCS’s Emily Darling, that there are still environmental conditions where corals can survive and thrive, even potentially through the accelerating impacts of climate change   Previously, scientists thought there was only one way for corals to make it through—by being located in rare ocean ‘cool spots’ and avoiding the impacts of warming entirely. But new research from WCS tells us that there are at least three distinct types of coral reefs that are defying the odds of #climatechange, and they are each showing signs of resilience in a variety of remarkable ways. As we find and protect these climate resilient coral reefs, we can create a global network of them. A globally connected network can allow reefs to recover faster from climate disturbances and share genetic adaptations that may be critical for future resilience..   Pictured: 1️⃣ An Avoidance Reef, which has been able to avoid the impacts of hot water thanks to being located in a rare underwater ‘cool spot’. 2️⃣ A Recovery Reef that has experienced bleaching but recovered remarkably fast. 3️⃣ A Resistance Reef that’s evolved adaptations that allow it to take hot water events in stride and defy bleaching and other impacts. Learn more about our approach at www.wcs.org/coral and datamermaid.org.

We welcome the new scientific opinion ‘One Health Governance in the European Union’ by the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors. It offers key recommendations for the effective implementation of a #OneHealth approach in the EU, says WCS’s Susan Lieberman. We are pleased to see the opinion’s reference to the ‘Manhattan Principles,’ which highlights WCS's long-standing commitment to a holistic systems-based approach to health and preventing zoonotic disease emergence. Also, said WCS’s Christian Walzer, “the protection of ecological integrity to benefit humans, their domesticated animals, and the foundational biodiversity that supports life on Earth.” Read more: https://bit.ly/3YVtaUp #OneHealth #EU #covid19 #pandemics #pandemicprevention

"We foster a space where youth not only appreciate nature and wildlife but also commit to protecting it through the lens of their unique experiences." For #HispanicHeritageMonth, Laura Velázquez writes about how her upbringing led her to help launch the Youth Environmental Advocate Program at WCS's Queens Zoo. More: https://lnkd.in/emuZm7zr #education #youthactivism #environmentalists #environment #teaching

At #COP29, WCS’s Carlos Rittl led a side event on making nature and climate synergies a reality across the Rio Conventions (on biodiversity, climate change, desertification). It’s vital we align climate and biodiversity goals to preserve ecological integrity and ensure the resilience of natural systems.