The giraffe is an icon of the African subcontinent, and yet, there are many gaps in knowledge about giraffes in the wild and how to best protect them. In the 21 countries where giraffe populations are found, their conservation status differs depending on the species, geography, and threats they face. Coupled with the threats of … [Read more…]
Laura Thomas-Walters, University of Stirling and Diogo Veríssimo, University of Oxford After its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2013, the documentary Blackfish reached nearly 21 million viewers within its first month of airing on CNN. The film tells the bleak story of Tilikum, a performing orca at the US marine park SeaWorld. … [Read more…]
The documentary Seaspiracy has generated lots of debate, and as someone who has worked a bit around the impact of documentaries I had the chance to wage in the Discussion. First, I was interviewed by Wired UK on “Can Netflix’s Seaspiracy really shock people into not eating fish?” an article I give full credit for … [Read more…]
Last week I was featured on the “Rising with the Tide” podcast. It was a lot of fun talking about how marketing can be used to help keep our planet biodiverse, discuss the impacts of Harry Potter on the trade in owls and why pangolins make great vloggers. Have a listen below:
The trade in wildlife has received a lot of coverage in the last year but we almost never think of insects when we think of the wildlife trade. I was happy to have participated in the documentary “Cast of the Titans” that sheds light on this trade, with a particular focus on the titan beetle … [Read more…]
Eric is a Pangolin and he has started a vlog (check it out below!). This is part of the development of the Youtbe Channel of On the Edge Conservation where we will have not only Eric but also other EDGE species talk about their daily lives… For now you can also check out a vlog … [Read more…]
Laura Thomas-Walters, University of Stirling; Amy Hinsley, University of Oxford, and Diogo Veríssimo, University of Oxford A British tourist on a tropical beach poses for a photo with a cute monkey-like animal. A Vietnamese man buys some rhino-horn powder and brags to his friends about its potency. An orchid collector admires their latest purchase, a … [Read more…]
Alegria Olmedo, University of Oxford; Dan Challender, University of Oxford, and Diogo Veríssimo, University of Oxford Arsenal footballer Hector Bellerin recently partnered with a reforestation charity and pledged to plant 3,000 trees every time his team won. This is just one example of the now widespread use of celebrities like him in environmental conservation marketing … [Read more…]
Laura Thomas-Walters, University of Kent; Bob Smith, University of Kent, and Diogo Veríssimo, University of Oxford Conservationists have been working for decades to save species such as pangolins and rhinos from illegal hunting and trading. And, with fears that the coronavirus pandemic originated from the wildlife trade, there’s never been more pressure to find solutions. … [Read more…]
A couple of weeks back I did an interview for a video explainer for Chanel 4 in the UK. It was great to have time to got into the detail and present a more nuanced perspective of the issue, beyond the headlines and soundbites that are featured in much of the press around this issue. … [Read more…]