1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:01,240 Speaker 1: Have you seen Turning Red? 2 00:00:01,520 --> 00:00:03,640 Speaker 2: No, but it's on my list. I'm behind. 3 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: I can't believe that because you are usually the one 4 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:09,160 Speaker 1: that's recommending movies to me. I saw Turning Red probably 5 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,600 Speaker 1: the first week it came out, and I loved it. 6 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: So in the movie, there is a red panda which 7 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:19,759 Speaker 1: is native to China. But did you know that the 8 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:23,360 Speaker 1: red panda is endangered? Do you know how upset that 9 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:24,920 Speaker 1: makes me? After watching that movie? 10 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 2: I did not know that. You want to know what 11 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 2: else is in danger? What the gray Wolf? 12 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: The gray Wolf? What's going on? 13 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 2: Yes, the gray Wolf is also in danger. And it's 14 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:37,760 Speaker 2: been a yo yo off the list in twenty twenty, 15 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:39,680 Speaker 2: back on the list in twenty twenty one, and here 16 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:41,520 Speaker 2: we are twenty twenty two. Is back on the list. 17 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:45,080 Speaker 1: And it's little things that we are doing that caused 18 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 1: these disruptions in their prevalence on the planet. 19 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:51,279 Speaker 2: Yep, we should all walk around with our heads hung low. 20 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,640 Speaker 1: Shame Shane, Shane Shane, absolutely even when we think of so. 21 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: Like in La there is this mountain lion called P 22 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:02,760 Speaker 1: twenty two and he is famous honey, and we disrupted 23 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: his food chain because he ended up eating an animal 24 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: who probably ate another animal, who ate a rat was 25 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 1: killed by rat poison and then P twenty two eventually 26 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 1: got sick because that rat poison made its way up 27 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: the food chain. 28 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 2: And who brought the rat poison us? 29 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 1: Shame, shame, shame. 30 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 2: I wish people could see us tolling our bill iron 31 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 2: Tt and I'm Zachiah and from Spotify. 32 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:53,960 Speaker 3: This is Dope Labs. 33 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Dope Labs, a weekly podcast that mixes hardcore science, 34 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 1: pop culture, and a healthy dost of friendship. This week 35 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: we're talking all about biodiversity and conservation. And if that 36 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:08,880 Speaker 1: sounds like a word salad to you, don't worry. We're 37 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: gonna dig into those terms in this episode. 38 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 2: You know, it's spring, That means the flowers are blooming, 39 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:17,200 Speaker 2: and the animals are out and about. The birds are chirping. 40 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 1: I've been in my hammock. 41 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 2: You've been in your hammock. 42 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 3: Yep. 43 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 1: Every time it gets warm, I pull that hammock out 44 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:24,960 Speaker 1: of the shed and I do at least an hour 45 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:26,960 Speaker 1: and a half every day of hammock time. 46 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 2: Well, you better keep your eyes open in your hammick time. 47 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:31,800 Speaker 2: You could have a visitor, Well, you wouldn't have a 48 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 2: visitor like they had out in Silver Lake, California with p. 49 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 2: Twenty two, that mountain lion that was roaming. But you 50 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:39,079 Speaker 2: could have a different type of visitor based on where 51 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 2: you live. 52 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 1: Yes, there is a neighborhood fox that I think I've 53 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: seen its tail, but I have not seen his full body, 54 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 1: but everybody talks about him. 55 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:50,799 Speaker 2: Well, all the animals are stirring, and as you know, 56 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:53,079 Speaker 2: this is their home, we're just inhabiting it. 57 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:58,200 Speaker 1: We are visitors that overstate are welcome. You imagine somebody 58 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 1: moving to your house and it's like, mmm, I'm gonna 59 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:04,240 Speaker 1: knock this wall down and turn this into a gym, 60 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: and you're like, this is where I'm trying to sleep. 61 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 2: And that has been suburban sprawl. Yeah, but you know, 62 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:14,359 Speaker 2: it brings a great point as our population of humans 63 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 2: continues to grow, how do we live in harmony with animals? 64 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:19,520 Speaker 2: How do we keep what's already here, preserve it and 65 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 2: not make any other species go extinct? 66 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:23,400 Speaker 1: Okay, let's get into the recitation. 67 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:33,760 Speaker 3: So what do we know? 68 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 2: I think we know even back to like elementary school, 69 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 2: do you remember those things like food wheels where will 70 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 2: show how all the different animals and plants are connected 71 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 2: and they're part of a yea. 72 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 3: Yes, the circle of life. 73 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 2: Yes, we know it's important to have a lot of diversity, 74 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 2: biological diversity, different animals and species all working together for 75 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 2: us to have a healthy environment, healthy planet. But I 76 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 2: think we know that there's been some shortcomings there and 77 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:01,280 Speaker 2: we've seen a lot of different species going extinct or 78 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 2: decreasing populations of certain organisms. One example is the northern 79 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 2: white rhinoceros, which is functionally extinct because there are only 80 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 2: two females left. That's something that I don't think I 81 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 2: think about when I think about, Okay. 82 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 1: This species is going extinct. I'm just like, oh, okay, well, 83 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:21,200 Speaker 1: we want every species to live. We want all these 84 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:23,159 Speaker 1: animals to live. But I don't think about how it 85 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:26,760 Speaker 1: affects the food chain and everything else. 86 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 2: I think we know there are scientists, and sometimes these 87 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 2: feel like the most appealing scientists that are tracking what's 88 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 2: happening with different wildlife and animals. Like when I think 89 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:39,000 Speaker 2: about what Steve Erwin used to do, and basically everybody 90 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:42,479 Speaker 2: on National Geographic Right, they're doing the glamorous science. They're 91 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 2: saving the wildlife. 92 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 1: Yes, and I think one of the other things that 93 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:48,679 Speaker 1: we know is that being able to create more balance 94 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 1: with biodiversity isn't easy, and so it takes a lot 95 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:55,200 Speaker 1: from a lot of different types of scientists and people 96 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: just generally making sure that we have the biodiversity that 97 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:01,640 Speaker 1: we need have a balanced ecosystem. 98 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that's right. You know, that's something we 99 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 2: talked about keeping that type balance for the ecosystem back 100 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 2: in the Truth Pie episode, and we've touched on it 101 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 2: a little bit even in our early Coronavirus episode where 102 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 2: we talked about the more expansion of human behavior. So, 103 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 2: you know, city and suburban sprawl, as they encroach on 104 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:25,720 Speaker 2: wildlife areas or areas where different animals are living, we're 105 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:28,320 Speaker 2: somehow having an effect on them. Right. We might think 106 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 2: it's positive that we're putting that bird feeder out, but like, 107 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:32,760 Speaker 2: is this the best thing? Is that enough? 108 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 1: You know? 109 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:34,680 Speaker 2: What should we be doing? 110 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 1: Right? 111 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 2: And I guess I'm already asking questions, So we're now 112 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 2: we're at what do we want to know? Yes? 113 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:45,039 Speaker 1: I want to know the intricacies of what these types 114 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:48,640 Speaker 1: of scientists, like, what their day to day would be like. 115 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 2: Yes, And I think an intersection of some topics that 116 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:55,679 Speaker 2: we've been interested in is for this episode, the biodiversity, 117 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:58,760 Speaker 2: but also climate change. How is that affecting animals? A 118 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:01,520 Speaker 2: lot of times we think about climate change just affecting humans, 119 00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:04,320 Speaker 2: but what about everybody else? Their habitats are. 120 00:06:04,279 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 1: Changing absolutely, And I think another question that that leads 121 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 1: to is how our behavior as human animals, How are 122 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:14,800 Speaker 1: we affecting the ecosystem? 123 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, because I think there are a lot of misconceptions 124 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:22,160 Speaker 2: about how helpful who we are, and so I think 125 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:25,280 Speaker 2: i'd like to low, you know, what's the realty. I 126 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 2: think we're ready to jump into the dissection. 127 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 1: Our guest for today's lab is doctor ray Winn Grant. 128 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:46,800 Speaker 4: I'm doctor ray Win Grant. I am a wildlife ecologist. 129 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 4: I am a national geographic explorer. I'm a professor and 130 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 4: a storyteller and an intersectional person and a scientist. 131 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:01,000 Speaker 2: As a large carnivoy ecologist, Doctor Wynn has studied the 132 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:04,279 Speaker 2: impact of human activity on the behavior of black bears 133 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:07,679 Speaker 2: in northeastern Montana, but she's also done research on African 134 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:11,200 Speaker 2: lions in rural Kenya and Tanzania, gorillas and chimpanzees in 135 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:14,800 Speaker 2: the Congo Basin, and grizzly bears in Yellowstone. What have 136 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 2: you been doing. 137 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 1: Where in the world is Carmen San Diego. Where in 138 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 1: the world is doctor ray Wynn Grant. This isn't the 139 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 1: first time we've talked about ecology on the show. Our 140 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 1: very first lab on Cuffing season was with doctor Alejandra 141 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:39,240 Speaker 1: Trio a behavioral ecologists. 142 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 2: And ecology is the study of the relationship between living organisms, 143 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:46,040 Speaker 2: that's including humans and their environment, and so much has 144 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:48,840 Speaker 2: learned about those relationships through collecting data. 145 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 4: When I was in graduate school, one of my professors said, 146 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:55,360 Speaker 4: ecology is essentially just counting things. You know, how many 147 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:58,520 Speaker 4: mountain lions are in this space, how many mountains per 148 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:01,720 Speaker 4: square kilometer or per one hundred square kilometers. So data 149 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:05,040 Speaker 4: collection is the exciting stuff out in the field in 150 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 4: remote parts of the world, camping for days or weeks 151 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 4: tracking wild animals. 152 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:15,239 Speaker 1: It feels like doctor Wyngrant does it all. She collects 153 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 1: all kinds of data out in the field, everything from 154 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:22,240 Speaker 1: parasitic load and a particular species to performing dental exams, 155 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:25,120 Speaker 1: which we know from our conversation with doctor Johnson in 156 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:28,280 Speaker 1: Lab fifty four can be an indicator for overall health. 157 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:30,640 Speaker 1: All of this helps her understand the health of a 158 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:34,720 Speaker 1: particular animal. She'll also fit animals with a GPS collar 159 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 1: so she can track migration patterns over time. 160 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:40,320 Speaker 4: And then what is equal is important, but definitely less 161 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:44,600 Speaker 4: glamorous is the data analysis part, where I'm sitting in 162 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 4: front of computer and doing high level statistics to better 163 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:50,800 Speaker 4: understand my data. 164 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:53,480 Speaker 2: That's always the least glamorous part. And it feels like, 165 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 2: no matter what your job is, everybody has to do 166 00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:59,520 Speaker 2: their time in spreadsheets, right. There's just no way around it, Excel. 167 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 2: So you may be wondering why is doctor wyn Grant 168 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 2: collecting all this data. 169 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:07,320 Speaker 1: Well, it's because data helps us understand the biodiversity of 170 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:08,880 Speaker 1: a particular environment. 171 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:11,720 Speaker 4: Biodiversity is like the diversity of life, you know, That's 172 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:12,320 Speaker 4: what it means. 173 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:15,240 Speaker 2: Humans depend on the planet's biodiversity for a number of things, 174 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:18,560 Speaker 2: including food, fuel, fresh water, and medicine. And we're not 175 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:21,880 Speaker 2: the only ones depending on the planet's biodiversity. Other animals 176 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 2: and species are too. 177 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:24,720 Speaker 1: All of this kind of reminds me of when we 178 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:29,000 Speaker 1: were talking about how the supply chain was affected by COVID, 179 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:31,560 Speaker 1: and we talked about it in our live show about 180 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:34,720 Speaker 1: how when there was a traffic jam in Virginia it 181 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:38,000 Speaker 1: affected the grocery stores in my neighborhood for weeks because 182 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:41,920 Speaker 1: those trucks can show up. So the biodiversity in the 183 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:46,920 Speaker 1: ecosystem is it feels like the supply chain for the ecosystem, 184 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:49,800 Speaker 1: where when you lose one aspect of it, then it 185 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:51,400 Speaker 1: affects the entire system. 186 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:52,679 Speaker 2: And so I think that's a good point. But I 187 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:55,240 Speaker 2: think the difference is it's even worse right in nature 188 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:58,160 Speaker 2: because when you lose biodiversity, there's not another truck to bring. 189 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 1: It back, right, So, like imagine and if it just 190 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:03,199 Speaker 1: completely went away, then what do we do. Then we 191 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:05,440 Speaker 1: have to be walking around trying to figure out where 192 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:06,360 Speaker 1: we can get food from. 193 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:08,480 Speaker 2: And it's not just one thing that happens. Then, So 194 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:12,160 Speaker 2: then if you think I'm a predator, in my average 195 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:15,040 Speaker 2: prey that I normally use for fuel for energy is 196 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:17,600 Speaker 2: now gone. Now I'm looking to something else, and so 197 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:20,240 Speaker 2: I'm going to graze on that. But now that population 198 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:24,079 Speaker 2: begins to dwindle, and whatever was before using that animal 199 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:26,720 Speaker 2: as it's source of nutrition, now it's affected, and so 200 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,360 Speaker 2: the whole thing begins to crumble. It's a ripple effect. 201 00:10:29,559 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 2: The gray wolf is an apex predator, and you may 202 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,760 Speaker 2: think Oh, they don't really matter that much. But if 203 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:38,040 Speaker 2: you go back and look at the history, whenever gray 204 00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:43,600 Speaker 2: wolves were overhunted, their prey overgrazed the land, causing extinction 205 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:44,800 Speaker 2: of certain vegetation. 206 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:47,240 Speaker 1: I wish we could pull that clip from a lion 207 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:50,880 Speaker 1: King where mufass is like the antelope eth the grass 208 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:53,400 Speaker 1: and then we eat the antelope, and so it's the 209 00:10:53,440 --> 00:11:04,200 Speaker 1: circle of life. Yes, well, MOVEASA said it best and 210 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:07,760 Speaker 1: it still holds true. It may be surprising, but biodiversity 211 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:13,199 Speaker 1: conservation is facing a data shortage, especially with invertebrates, so 212 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 1: animals that don't have a spine, plants and fish. We 213 00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 1: still need more data collectors like doctor Wynn Grant. 214 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:23,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean part of it is resources to collect 215 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:26,320 Speaker 2: these things. Invertebrates are small, they're hard to track, they're 216 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:28,360 Speaker 2: hard to find. You got to look under logs and 217 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 2: you know they exist in these different places. There are 218 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:34,360 Speaker 2: only so many people doing this work. It's expensive, it's costly. 219 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:38,320 Speaker 2: It's longitudinal, so you can capture what something looks like 220 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:40,560 Speaker 2: in twenty twenty, So, for example, there were so many 221 00:11:40,559 --> 00:11:44,640 Speaker 2: gray wolves in twenty twenty that US Regulating Agency said, 222 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:47,520 Speaker 2: this is no longer an endangered species here we are 223 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:51,080 Speaker 2: February twenty twenty two. It is an endangered species. So 224 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:54,319 Speaker 2: if you think about that, unless you are tracking these 225 00:11:54,679 --> 00:11:58,600 Speaker 2: different species all the time, you're only capturing them at 226 00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:00,920 Speaker 2: singular moments and you don't get the full picture. And 227 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:04,400 Speaker 2: so it would be so expensive, so time consuming to 228 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 2: constantly track every single species. So we just simply don't 229 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,840 Speaker 2: have the ability to do that. And sometimes what happens 230 00:12:11,880 --> 00:12:14,120 Speaker 2: because we don't have that ability is that we don't 231 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:18,559 Speaker 2: realize when there are declining populations until something's already extinct 232 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:21,679 Speaker 2: and you can't find it anymore. There's so much biodiversity 233 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:24,240 Speaker 2: on our planet, but there's also so much that we 234 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:27,080 Speaker 2: don't know. Just think about the ocean, which covers about 235 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:30,079 Speaker 2: seventy one percent of the Earth. We haven't even explored 236 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:31,920 Speaker 2: over eighty percent of it. 237 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:34,360 Speaker 1: See, this is why I'm more afraid of the ocean 238 00:12:34,679 --> 00:12:35,760 Speaker 1: than I am of space. 239 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:38,400 Speaker 2: You do say that, you say that a lot. 240 00:12:38,559 --> 00:12:39,520 Speaker 3: I don't know what's in there. 241 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:44,160 Speaker 2: Jesus, I'm leaning towards you were right. I'm not going 242 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:44,640 Speaker 2: down there. 243 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:48,080 Speaker 1: My sister was asking me, would you rather live at 244 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:50,920 Speaker 1: the bottom of the ocean or in space? I said, 245 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:53,280 Speaker 1: absolutely space. We don't know what's down there. 246 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:55,839 Speaker 2: People think the bottom of the ocean is like Bikini Bottom. 247 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:58,679 Speaker 2: It ain't. Those are shallow waters where SpongeBob. 248 00:12:58,280 --> 00:12:59,600 Speaker 1: Is Smogebob being down there. 249 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:03,160 Speaker 2: No, it's dark. Man at the bottom of the ocean, 250 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:04,600 Speaker 2: it's dark and we. 251 00:13:04,679 --> 00:13:07,480 Speaker 1: Don't know what's down there. You think a shark is scared, 252 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:10,760 Speaker 1: imagine a shark that ain't never seen the sun. I 253 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:19,360 Speaker 1: don't want to run up against that thing. Biodiversity is 254 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:23,520 Speaker 1: more than just variety. It also includes variability of life 255 00:13:23,559 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 1: at multiple levels, like species richness, which is the total 256 00:13:27,720 --> 00:13:31,560 Speaker 1: number of species within an area, genetic diversity which is 257 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 1: the total variety of genes within a single species, endemic 258 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:39,280 Speaker 1: species which is species that occur in one place and 259 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:43,600 Speaker 1: nowhere else in the world. And the fourth is ecosystem diversity, 260 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:46,720 Speaker 1: which is the total number of ecosystems in that area. 261 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:50,000 Speaker 2: And we can't talk about biodiversity without the context of 262 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:54,640 Speaker 2: the environment, so not all ecosystems are created equal. Biodiversity 263 00:13:54,679 --> 00:13:58,920 Speaker 2: is highly concentrated in tropical ecosystems, so rainforests, core reefs, 264 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:02,280 Speaker 2: and savannahs, and those contain over seventy five percent of 265 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:04,600 Speaker 2: known non marine species. 266 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:07,680 Speaker 1: Climate change has a huge effect on these ecosystems and 267 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:11,560 Speaker 1: continues to threaten our planet's biodiversity. We're going to get 268 00:14:11,559 --> 00:14:13,200 Speaker 1: into that later in the episode. 269 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:15,960 Speaker 4: One of the things I love about the word biodiversity 270 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:18,880 Speaker 4: is that I think it's pretty straightforward in terms of 271 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:22,680 Speaker 4: understanding it, and it's measurable. In my work, I mostly 272 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:24,920 Speaker 4: focus on like one or two species at a time, 273 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:27,560 Speaker 4: so it's again really straightforward for me to measure the 274 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:31,040 Speaker 4: amount of biodiversity, like how many mountain lions are in 275 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:33,760 Speaker 4: this space? How many mountain liines per square kilometer or 276 00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:35,360 Speaker 4: per hundred square kilometers. 277 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:39,080 Speaker 2: Sometimes, though, collecting this data is more challenging than just counting. 278 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 4: I'll give you an example. Every so often i'll do 279 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:46,400 Speaker 4: a little project in the tropics, and tropical ecosystems are 280 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:49,600 Speaker 4: often places of tremendous biodiversity. There's all these plants, there's 281 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:51,680 Speaker 4: all these insects, there's all these animals, there's all these everything. 282 00:14:51,920 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 1: Doctor Wngrant and a couple other scientists were in the 283 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:59,160 Speaker 1: tropics to document the biodiversity in a rainforest in Madagascar. 284 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:03,160 Speaker 1: A certain species may be difficult to observe if you 285 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 1: can't measure an organism directly, though you can do it 286 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:09,160 Speaker 1: by proxy. If you know some of the organism's friends, 287 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 1: or if you know some of the predators or the 288 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:14,960 Speaker 1: organisms prey, you can use those to help you tell 289 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:17,440 Speaker 1: the story about the animal you're actually interested in. 290 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:21,240 Speaker 4: And one of the ways that I learned through this 291 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:24,240 Speaker 4: that you can measure biodiversity in a space is through 292 00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:30,360 Speaker 4: blood from leeches. There's some emerging techniques from some really 293 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:35,040 Speaker 4: awesome scientists where they are actually taking leeches instead of 294 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:37,160 Speaker 4: looking for the animal. Maybe you're looking for, you know, 295 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:40,400 Speaker 4: a fusa, right, that's a kind of like a cat species, 296 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:43,560 Speaker 4: large predator and Madagascar, and you can't find any, it 297 00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:45,720 Speaker 4: doesn't mean it's not there, because they're very elusive. So 298 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:50,200 Speaker 4: taking a couple leeches and looking and taking the blood 299 00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:53,600 Speaker 4: that the leeches have sucked and analyzing the different DNA 300 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:56,600 Speaker 4: in the leech blood, we'll tell you what it's been 301 00:15:56,640 --> 00:15:58,920 Speaker 4: feeding on. And maybe it's been feeding on a fusa. 302 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:01,200 Speaker 4: Maybe it's been feeding on a lot of fusa, And 303 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:03,360 Speaker 4: that means they're there even though we never saw them. 304 00:16:03,440 --> 00:16:06,000 Speaker 4: It means they're there and they're not extinct. And so 305 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 4: that I think is just this rad way of understanding 306 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:13,360 Speaker 4: biodiversity because it's not always going to be in our face. 307 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:16,680 Speaker 2: Using DNA extracted from leeches is a more indirect way 308 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:19,720 Speaker 2: of measuring biodiversity in an environment, and it can be 309 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:23,320 Speaker 2: especially useful for more elusive species. But when it comes 310 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:27,280 Speaker 2: to large predators like bears, doctor Wingrant's approaches a lot 311 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:30,040 Speaker 2: more straightforward. So at this point we really needed doctor 312 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:33,040 Speaker 2: wind Grant to walk us through what it's actually like 313 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:37,440 Speaker 2: trapping bears for data collection. How does she do that. 314 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:39,120 Speaker 4: For a bear? For a mountain line? We have a 315 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:41,640 Speaker 4: proper trap, right, it's like a big barrel. We call 316 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:43,880 Speaker 4: it a culvert trap or barrel trap. It's like a 317 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:48,200 Speaker 4: bear sized barrel. Of course, there's like windows, and you know, 318 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:50,880 Speaker 4: it's like open air. And then on one end it 319 00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 4: has a gait like a trap door, and so you 320 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:56,800 Speaker 4: put some bait in the back and then the bear smells, 321 00:16:56,840 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 4: it walks into the trap, grabs for the bait, and 322 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,000 Speaker 4: then the door shuts, and then the door also sends 323 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:04,879 Speaker 4: a little signal text message to my phone. 324 00:17:05,880 --> 00:17:08,040 Speaker 2: That's a text I'm not answering, I'm sorry, I just 325 00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 2: have to leave it on My phone is on do 326 00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:10,320 Speaker 2: not disturb. 327 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:12,040 Speaker 1: I don't want to know what that bear is up. 328 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:15,360 Speaker 4: To, and then I go and from there, I can 329 00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:18,120 Speaker 4: either use a dart gun, but usually if the bear 330 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:20,200 Speaker 4: is trapped, I will just use what we call a 331 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:23,320 Speaker 4: jab stick, which literally just looks like a stick. You know, 332 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:26,440 Speaker 4: if you're playing pool with a little syringe at the end, 333 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:29,000 Speaker 4: and you just like get the bear in its shoulder 334 00:17:29,359 --> 00:17:31,480 Speaker 4: or it's a little hip and you give it it's 335 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:34,600 Speaker 4: a little sedative, and then in five minutes it, you know, 336 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:37,080 Speaker 4: falls asleep and then you open the door and that's 337 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:40,240 Speaker 4: when you know, you get pictures of me like handling 338 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:42,640 Speaker 4: a bear. It's sedated and it's asleep. 339 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:45,000 Speaker 1: And at that point doctor Wingrant can give the bear 340 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:48,840 Speaker 1: a checkup, take its temperature, weigh and measure it, check 341 00:17:48,880 --> 00:17:52,240 Speaker 1: its overall health, and then she attaches a GPS collar. 342 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:54,960 Speaker 4: Haul the bear out of the trap, put it somewhere 343 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:58,400 Speaker 4: nice and shady, put a little water out, and get 344 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:00,320 Speaker 4: out of there and wait for it to wake up up. 345 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:04,200 Speaker 4: And sometimes I hide and watch it wake up, but 346 00:18:04,359 --> 00:18:06,680 Speaker 4: usually I just get out of there so that when 347 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:09,439 Speaker 4: it does come to, it's not frightened by the presence 348 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:11,040 Speaker 4: of a person or just doesn't get used to the 349 00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:13,520 Speaker 4: presence of a person and that's it, and then I 350 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:15,520 Speaker 4: am able to track that bear, you know, for a 351 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 4: long time. 352 00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:19,000 Speaker 2: If we haven't already made it clear, biodiversity is important. 353 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:23,040 Speaker 2: If hypothetically the earth we're hanging on biothread, then biodiversity 354 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:25,240 Speaker 2: is that thread. So we're going to take a quick 355 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:26,919 Speaker 2: break and when we get back, we're going to talk 356 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:46,760 Speaker 2: about how to preserve and protect biodiversity. 357 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:52,639 Speaker 1: We're back, but before we get back into what we 358 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:56,320 Speaker 1: can do to protect biodiversity, let's quickly talk about next 359 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:59,960 Speaker 1: week's lab. We're talking nuclear energy with doctor Marina Robinson's 360 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:02,080 Speaker 1: note in nuclear energy is something that I feel like 361 00:19:02,119 --> 00:19:04,040 Speaker 1: we've all heard about but don't know much about. So 362 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:07,399 Speaker 1: we're getting into the science, politics, risks, and the potential 363 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:08,560 Speaker 1: with nuclear energy. 364 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:12,400 Speaker 2: I can't wait for that episode. Let's get back to today's lab. 365 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:15,359 Speaker 2: We're talking to doctor Ray winn Grant, and before the 366 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:18,920 Speaker 2: break we cover biodiversity House measure and why it's important. 367 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:21,320 Speaker 2: But now we're going to turn our focus to conservation. 368 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:24,720 Speaker 2: And when you think about it, biodiversity and conservation go 369 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:25,560 Speaker 2: hand in hand. 370 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:28,719 Speaker 4: I do wildlife conservation, so I am very very very 371 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:33,240 Speaker 4: much actively in the business of conserving life on Earth. 372 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:37,960 Speaker 1: There are a lot of different kinds of conservation environmental, animal, marine, 373 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:41,359 Speaker 1: and even human conservation. The one thing they all have 374 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:44,359 Speaker 1: in common is the goal to protect and preserve living things. 375 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:47,879 Speaker 1: But that doesn't mean non living materials don't play an 376 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:48,600 Speaker 1: important role. 377 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:51,240 Speaker 4: One of the beautiful things about our natural world is 378 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:55,119 Speaker 4: that it is both biotic and abiotic. So conservation, you know, 379 00:19:55,119 --> 00:19:57,919 Speaker 4: if it's complete and comprehensive, should address water, you know, 380 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:00,760 Speaker 4: which is not alive, and should address a which is 381 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:04,760 Speaker 4: not alive and soil. Our biotic environment and biodiversity does 382 00:20:04,760 --> 00:20:08,919 Speaker 4: depend on the abiotic environment as well, and so conservation 383 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:10,360 Speaker 4: needs to be comprehensive. 384 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:14,280 Speaker 2: That's right. Conservation is intersectional. It depends on the interactions 385 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:16,880 Speaker 2: of many different living and non living things in order 386 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:18,840 Speaker 2: to sustain a habitable environment. 387 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:23,600 Speaker 4: The United States has a history of looking at one species, right, 388 00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:26,119 Speaker 4: like one animal, and being like, okay, we need to 389 00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:27,879 Speaker 4: save this one animal in this one place. 390 00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:32,359 Speaker 2: Go. I'm sure you've heard some examples of these types 391 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:35,000 Speaker 2: of efforts, you know, save the snow leopards, the pandas, 392 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:38,440 Speaker 2: the whales. And yes, focusing on the specific endangered species 393 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:40,360 Speaker 2: is important, but in the. 394 00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:44,000 Speaker 4: Past that's really missed the point, right, It's missed like, Okay, well, actually, 395 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 4: maybe we need to like save the ecosystem and enhance 396 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:49,199 Speaker 4: the ecosystem, and maybe that means that we don't put 397 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:51,600 Speaker 4: as many protections for this one animal. Maybe we lose 398 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:53,200 Speaker 4: some more of those animals. But what if we keep 399 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:56,240 Speaker 4: the water or keep the soil bacteria and that's actually 400 00:20:56,280 --> 00:20:58,800 Speaker 4: what we need, or keep the insect community and you know, 401 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:01,040 Speaker 4: those pollinators in that what we need even if we 402 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:04,840 Speaker 4: lose you know, other things. So it probably comes as 403 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 4: no surprise to so many people that nature is complex. 404 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:12,560 Speaker 1: This complexity is something that was completely overlooked by the 405 00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:16,720 Speaker 1: big name American conservationists back in the late nineteenth and 406 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:18,080 Speaker 1: early twentieth century. 407 00:21:18,359 --> 00:21:22,040 Speaker 4: I've been getting a re education about this science in 408 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:25,440 Speaker 4: a lot of ways, but also with conservation. Conservation as 409 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:29,400 Speaker 4: I understand it and as it is taught these days, 410 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:32,280 Speaker 4: is very, very very much rooted in colonialism. 411 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:36,680 Speaker 2: Conservation and environmentalism more broadly has a very racist history. 412 00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:39,199 Speaker 2: Many of the figures most well known for founding the 413 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:43,280 Speaker 2: first conservation lands, think Teddy Roosevelt, Madison Grant, John Mirror, 414 00:21:43,359 --> 00:21:46,040 Speaker 2: all embraced the perspective on conservation that was rooted in 415 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:49,240 Speaker 2: white supremacy, eugenics, and European colonialism. 416 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:52,920 Speaker 4: They were very harmful and they were motivated by some 417 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:58,360 Speaker 4: really terrible belief systems that were inherently racist, particularly towards 418 00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:00,560 Speaker 4: indigenous groups and black folks. 419 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:05,080 Speaker 1: This idea of selective conservation, which is only saving those 420 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:08,520 Speaker 1: species that are deemed quote unquote valuable by a dominant group, 421 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:11,680 Speaker 1: excludes indigenous groups that inhabit the land. 422 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:12,480 Speaker 3: And it was. 423 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:16,200 Speaker 4: Really really driven by capitalism too. It wasn't like, oh, well, 424 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:19,600 Speaker 4: we should respect nature and just you know, not consume 425 00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:22,679 Speaker 4: and not destroy. It was more like, oh, gosh, well 426 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:25,800 Speaker 4: we destroyed so much, you know, for the timber industry, 427 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:30,040 Speaker 4: we destroyed so much through like sport hunting, that the 428 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:34,520 Speaker 4: core concepts, if you will, of conservation are essentially like 429 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:38,359 Speaker 4: what most indigenous groups around the world were just doing 430 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:40,320 Speaker 4: as regular lifestyle. 431 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:42,320 Speaker 2: Yes, and we talked about a lot of this in 432 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:45,560 Speaker 2: Lab eighteen Truth PI with doctor Nicholas Reo, and I 433 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:47,880 Speaker 2: think one of the things to understand is that conventional 434 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:52,800 Speaker 2: or traditional conservation policy has focused on taking large patches 435 00:22:52,960 --> 00:22:56,679 Speaker 2: or swaths of land and saying this is protected, but 436 00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:00,720 Speaker 2: it's also doing that without consideration of who was living 437 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:04,080 Speaker 2: on that land, and so often we see the exclusion 438 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:09,200 Speaker 2: of indigenous people when deciding where these protected areas or 439 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:13,119 Speaker 2: zones are. And it also is disconnecting indigenous people from 440 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:16,600 Speaker 2: their sources of traditional food or important cultural sites, or 441 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:19,119 Speaker 2: you know, just general living. If somebody were to just 442 00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:21,280 Speaker 2: show up in your neighborhood and say this ten mile 443 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:25,639 Speaker 2: radius is protected for the sparrow. They don't care if 444 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:27,920 Speaker 2: your grocery store is there, they don't care if that's 445 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:30,560 Speaker 2: where you go to church. You know, it's no consideration 446 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:33,720 Speaker 2: for any of those things. And it could have been that, yes, 447 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:36,000 Speaker 2: they did it intentionally, but it also could be that 448 00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:37,879 Speaker 2: they don't see it because they don't understand your culture. 449 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:41,120 Speaker 2: And so I think that's what a lack of cultural awareness, 450 00:23:41,359 --> 00:23:43,520 Speaker 2: that's how it can be so damaging and has been 451 00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:45,480 Speaker 2: in the past for conservation policy. 452 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:49,640 Speaker 4: The conservation world is having a bit of a reckoning 453 00:23:50,119 --> 00:23:52,840 Speaker 4: because there has been this miseducation and a lot of 454 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:56,240 Speaker 4: problems and a lot of harm. The environment isn't in 455 00:23:56,359 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 4: better shape than when conservation started. And I say this 456 00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:03,959 Speaker 4: as a conservation scientist, like that is my career, and 457 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:07,560 Speaker 4: I was taught the Western way and I have benefitted 458 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:10,639 Speaker 4: from the Western Way, like it's paid my bills, you know, 459 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:13,320 Speaker 4: up until this point. And I would even argue that 460 00:24:13,359 --> 00:24:17,720 Speaker 4: it just needs to be deconstructed and reconstructed with black, 461 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:23,280 Speaker 4: Indigenous people of color leadership and like an anti capitalist mindset. 462 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:27,000 Speaker 2: And that reconstruction of conservation is already underway. One crucial 463 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:30,359 Speaker 2: element is understanding the past. In June twenty twenty, the 464 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:33,840 Speaker 2: executive director of the Sierra Club finally acknowledged the racist 465 00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:36,840 Speaker 2: beliefs and actions of that organization's founder, John Muhr. 466 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:41,760 Speaker 1: Another important step towards reconstructing our understanding of conservation is 467 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:45,080 Speaker 1: also reframing the spaces where conservation is happening. 468 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:46,440 Speaker 4: Like a lot of people and they think of like 469 00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:49,520 Speaker 4: where can I see wild animals? It's like national parks, 470 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:51,560 Speaker 4: right Like you want to see bears, Like go to Yosemite, 471 00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:55,000 Speaker 4: you want to see wolves, go to Yellowstone. National parks 472 00:24:55,000 --> 00:25:00,679 Speaker 4: were constructed to conserve biodiversity, and they do. Majority of 473 00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:03,479 Speaker 4: top predators in the United States in North America, the bears, 474 00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:07,080 Speaker 4: the wolves, the mountain lions, the bobcats, all of them 475 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:09,879 Speaker 4: live outside of national parks and other protected areas. So 476 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:13,320 Speaker 4: although they exist in them, they mostly exist outside of them. 477 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:17,159 Speaker 2: And this is a pretty big misconception, right. Biodiversity conservation 478 00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:20,560 Speaker 2: is happening everywhere. It's happening in your backyard, and it's 479 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:24,040 Speaker 2: not just about protecting endangered species either, although that is important. 480 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:27,600 Speaker 2: Conservation efforts are happening in the Appalachian mountains and in 481 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 2: the streets of South LA. People think you need to 482 00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:34,040 Speaker 2: have hundreds of acres of land to be actively practicing conservation, 483 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:37,120 Speaker 2: but it's just as important, especially in places that are 484 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:40,960 Speaker 2: really urban, that one patch of land can sustain so 485 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:43,720 Speaker 2: many species can be the make or break. It becomes 486 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:46,720 Speaker 2: even more important when it's an island of biodiversity or 487 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:50,560 Speaker 2: an island of conservation, because there are no other resources nearby, 488 00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:53,840 Speaker 2: so that patch of land begins to be even more important. 489 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:56,119 Speaker 1: I know in my county you aren't allowed to use 490 00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:58,800 Speaker 1: any pesticides on your lawn, and if you want to 491 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:01,359 Speaker 1: cut a tree down in your yard, you then have 492 00:26:01,480 --> 00:26:05,200 Speaker 1: to replant a tree somewhere else. So maybe that's part 493 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:08,040 Speaker 1: of that whole idea that you know, even like on 494 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:11,399 Speaker 1: a small local level, you are trying to maintain your 495 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:12,760 Speaker 1: local ecosystems. 496 00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:17,760 Speaker 4: We really have to reimagine what conservation should be and 497 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:21,200 Speaker 4: could be today for it to be effective for both 498 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:22,399 Speaker 4: wildlife and people. 499 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:27,240 Speaker 2: Yes, and so now we consider the concepts of national parks, 500 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:29,680 Speaker 2: but knowing that a lot of these animals are outside 501 00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:32,520 Speaker 2: of national parks, how do we protect those animals and 502 00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:34,919 Speaker 2: protect the type of life that we want. I have 503 00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:38,199 Speaker 2: a friend who wants to walk her dog, and she's like, 504 00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:40,800 Speaker 2: I have to be careful because I'm taking the dog out, 505 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:42,080 Speaker 2: but there are coyotes out there. 506 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:44,399 Speaker 1: Dylan one of the cutest dogs. 507 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:48,160 Speaker 2: Yes, and they're seeing an uptick in coyotes because they're 508 00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:49,960 Speaker 2: clearing out a lot of the land near where she 509 00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:53,520 Speaker 2: lives to build more houses, right, and so it's just 510 00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:57,560 Speaker 2: this delicate balance of the need for housing also to 511 00:26:57,600 --> 00:26:59,880 Speaker 2: share the space with the animals that are already there. 512 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:02,280 Speaker 2: What does it mean for us to be safe and 513 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:05,520 Speaker 2: not even just I feel uncomfortable around a coyote, but like, 514 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:08,320 Speaker 2: what kind of diseases do coyotes and deer and things 515 00:27:08,359 --> 00:27:10,639 Speaker 2: like that, Carrie that we can then bump up against 516 00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:13,000 Speaker 2: And you know, now your dog has and now you 517 00:27:13,080 --> 00:27:15,919 Speaker 2: have you know it. Just there are possibilities that we 518 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:17,160 Speaker 2: have to really consider. 519 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:19,800 Speaker 1: Pictures of Dylan will be in the show notes. 520 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:30,159 Speaker 2: Yes, and all of this is really just part of 521 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:34,800 Speaker 2: the broader definition and actual execution of biodiversity. So when 522 00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:37,400 Speaker 2: you hear about things like the California Old Spiel or 523 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,720 Speaker 2: other human influences and suburban sprawl, people pushing closer and 524 00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:45,520 Speaker 2: closer into what used to be really undisturbed areas, we 525 00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:48,520 Speaker 2: have to think about all of these things. That's biodiversity. 526 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:50,800 Speaker 1: And of course we can't talk about the effects of 527 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:55,240 Speaker 1: human behavior on conservation without talking about climate change. In 528 00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:59,200 Speaker 1: terms of biodiversity and specifically the types of wildlife conservation 529 00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:02,119 Speaker 1: that doctor Winns Grant does. Climate change means that with 530 00:28:02,359 --> 00:28:06,199 Speaker 1: changing climate, the ecosystems where animals are best suited to 531 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:08,360 Speaker 1: live in will also change. 532 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:11,000 Speaker 4: Let's say there's a protected area in this little circle 533 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:14,520 Speaker 4: that it has a perfect habitat for an animal. The 534 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:17,680 Speaker 4: climate change is going to move where that habitat is perfect, 535 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:19,919 Speaker 4: like you know, a thousand miles north or something. We 536 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:22,080 Speaker 4: can't just like pick up and move a protected area, 537 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:24,360 Speaker 4: so we're trying to figure out like, okay, well, what's 538 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:26,280 Speaker 4: a thousand miles north of there? 539 00:28:26,359 --> 00:28:26,560 Speaker 1: Right? 540 00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:29,400 Speaker 4: Is it a big city where this animal can't live? 541 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:32,440 Speaker 2: When we consider climate change and the overall warming of 542 00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:35,280 Speaker 2: the planet. If you need to be in a cooler area, 543 00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:38,080 Speaker 2: usually what we're seeing is around the equator. All that 544 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:42,160 Speaker 2: area is warmer. So the cooler areas are shifting higher 545 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:45,040 Speaker 2: north or further south away from the equator. Doctor Wing 546 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:47,640 Speaker 2: Grant used an example of the Java in rhino, which 547 00:28:47,680 --> 00:28:50,760 Speaker 2: is one of the most threatened rhino species. It's living 548 00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:54,400 Speaker 2: in the Yujung Kulon National Park on the island of Java, Indonesia. 549 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:56,400 Speaker 2: That rhino has been there for a long time and 550 00:28:56,440 --> 00:29:01,000 Speaker 2: it's evolved in order to inhabit that very specif ecosystem. 551 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:03,920 Speaker 4: And so if that specific ecosystem shifts because of climate 552 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:06,880 Speaker 4: change to somewhere else, the rhino can't just like walk 553 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:10,840 Speaker 4: on over there. And so when we're thinking of wildlife 554 00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:13,560 Speaker 4: conservation and climate change, does that mean we're thinking of 555 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:16,960 Speaker 4: like airlifting rhinos to this new place, all of them, 556 00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:20,520 Speaker 4: like all over the world, like flying animals to like 557 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:24,600 Speaker 4: their new home. No, that's crazy. And also like what's 558 00:29:24,680 --> 00:29:26,800 Speaker 4: north of here? You know, when we're talking about like 559 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:29,120 Speaker 4: East Asian islands, there might be like cities in the way, 560 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:31,280 Speaker 4: or you know, people just all kinds of stuff. 561 00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:35,880 Speaker 1: Doctor Winngrant said that reimagining conservation is also going to 562 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:39,280 Speaker 1: require a huge focus on human wildlife coexistence. 563 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:41,680 Speaker 4: One thing that I really believe is that cities are 564 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:44,240 Speaker 4: going to remain cities. You know, it appears from what 565 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:46,920 Speaker 4: we understand so far that cities are really good for 566 00:29:46,960 --> 00:29:50,160 Speaker 4: the environment, right. It's actually it's good for the environment 567 00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:54,680 Speaker 4: to condense, you know, a lot of people together and 568 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:58,720 Speaker 4: like a lot of like human activity and human development together, 569 00:29:59,560 --> 00:30:02,120 Speaker 4: because there's an argument that that can kind of spare 570 00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:06,200 Speaker 4: human development in places that aren't cities, and maybe those 571 00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:09,480 Speaker 4: can be good places for nature to thrive. That's I 572 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:15,000 Speaker 4: think easy to conceptualize in Western societies, but it's not 573 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:17,440 Speaker 4: applicable in a lot of places too. And there's a 574 00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:20,600 Speaker 4: lot of places where there's people who really want and 575 00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:23,760 Speaker 4: deserve to live on the land and not in urban spaces, 576 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:26,600 Speaker 4: and that needs to be protected as well. 577 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:29,320 Speaker 2: There's been a lot of conversation about what is the 578 00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:34,640 Speaker 2: best environmentally friendly consideration of biodiversity type of setup for 579 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 2: human and animal interface look like. Is it that most 580 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:40,560 Speaker 2: of us are living in cities, and is that fair 581 00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:44,040 Speaker 2: then to folks who live and grew up in rural 582 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:46,959 Speaker 2: areas or who desire to live in rural areas, like 583 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:49,880 Speaker 2: I just wonder how we will begin to manage these 584 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:52,320 Speaker 2: types of things. And this is not something that's unique 585 00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:55,040 Speaker 2: to the United States. You know, the United Nations has 586 00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:59,520 Speaker 2: i think fourteen sustainable development goals things that everybody is 587 00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:02,640 Speaker 2: working to, and one of those things is a balance 588 00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:07,240 Speaker 2: of how much land is used for farmland and agriculture 589 00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:13,200 Speaker 2: versus human development for living versus undisturbed and protected areas 590 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:16,600 Speaker 2: for wildlife. In every country, it feels like it's a 591 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:19,760 Speaker 2: pretty big deal. If the United Nations is saying this 592 00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:21,960 Speaker 2: is something that we need to all figure out. 593 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:24,800 Speaker 4: What we have to hold on to is hope that 594 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:28,000 Speaker 4: there's still a chance. And I have that hope. I'm 595 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:31,400 Speaker 4: an optimist. I think there's still a lot of reason 596 00:31:31,480 --> 00:31:34,600 Speaker 4: to believe that our environment will be okay and that 597 00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:38,520 Speaker 4: we can create balance in this planet and that we 598 00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:43,160 Speaker 4: can save more species from going extinct. I really truly 599 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:44,920 Speaker 4: think that today and in the future is going to 600 00:31:44,920 --> 00:31:48,120 Speaker 4: be more of this intersection of understanding climate change and 601 00:31:48,120 --> 00:31:51,560 Speaker 4: how that's changing our world. We're already getting more humans 602 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:54,800 Speaker 4: on this planet, and we're trying to get more wildlife 603 00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:57,160 Speaker 4: on this planet, and so if it's going to be 604 00:31:57,240 --> 00:32:00,320 Speaker 4: more of everything. We've got to figure out how to 605 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:04,600 Speaker 4: live in harmony together sustainably, and that's a big question 606 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:05,880 Speaker 4: I think of the time. 607 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:14,760 Speaker 2: All right, CD, it's time for our one thing. What's 608 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:15,840 Speaker 2: your one thing this week? 609 00:32:16,080 --> 00:32:18,320 Speaker 1: My one thing this week is a clothing brand. It's 610 00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:22,800 Speaker 1: black owned. It's called Thoughtless. Now it sounds like it 611 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:25,280 Speaker 1: wouldn't be that great, but Thoughtless is actually a really 612 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:29,320 Speaker 1: thoughtful brand. So it's founded by a black woman. Her 613 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:33,360 Speaker 1: name is Brooke, and she makes basic pieces that are 614 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:37,320 Speaker 1: meant to fit people with natural curves. So she has 615 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:39,880 Speaker 1: really great basic things that you can use for layering. 616 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:44,080 Speaker 1: She has really beautiful dresses, she has sweats, she has leggings, 617 00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:47,720 Speaker 1: tea's dresses, but they're all really beautifully made. I got 618 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:51,160 Speaker 1: a couple of pieces and they're very very high quality 619 00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:55,120 Speaker 1: and they fit like a dream. Oh my gosh. Like 620 00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:57,600 Speaker 1: I got these pair of biker shorts from Thoughtless, and 621 00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:00,760 Speaker 1: usually put those things on you're like, yeah, you know, 622 00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:04,120 Speaker 1: and these ones they slid on and I said, wow, 623 00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:07,520 Speaker 1: I have never put on something like this and it 624 00:33:07,600 --> 00:33:09,960 Speaker 1: fit me so well, like a glove. 625 00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:11,480 Speaker 3: So yeah, Thoughtless. 626 00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:14,760 Speaker 1: You can find them on Instagram at shop Thoughtless, or 627 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:16,920 Speaker 1: you can go to shop thoughtless dot com. 628 00:33:16,960 --> 00:33:17,400 Speaker 2: Awesome. 629 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:18,520 Speaker 1: What's your one thing? 630 00:33:18,760 --> 00:33:22,280 Speaker 2: My one thing this week is a poem. Yes, and 631 00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:27,600 Speaker 2: this month is National Poetry Month, and one of my 632 00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:31,840 Speaker 2: favorite poems is by Eve l Ewing and it's called 633 00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:34,920 Speaker 2: what I Mean when I say I'm sharpening my oyster knife? Yes, 634 00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:38,280 Speaker 2: and I really love that poem. I've posted it a 635 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:41,200 Speaker 2: couple of times. But it also is a reference to 636 00:33:41,320 --> 00:33:44,240 Speaker 2: a quote from Zora Neil Hurston, which is, no, I 637 00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:46,280 Speaker 2: do not weep at the world. I am too busy 638 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:49,040 Speaker 2: sharpening my oyster knife. And it felt really fitting because 639 00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:54,200 Speaker 2: we're talking about conservation and oysters are an incredible conservation 640 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:58,720 Speaker 2: resource for our waterways and a great economic resource as well. 641 00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:01,360 Speaker 2: So just want to put all those things together in 642 00:34:01,360 --> 00:34:04,320 Speaker 2: the package. I'll share a link to the poem in 643 00:34:04,360 --> 00:34:17,879 Speaker 2: the show notes. Maybe I'll perform it for you. All right, 644 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:20,960 Speaker 2: that's it for Lab fifty nine. Did you learn something new? 645 00:34:21,360 --> 00:34:23,120 Speaker 2: Are you worried about the gray wolf? Like I am? 646 00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:26,439 Speaker 2: Call us at two zero two five six seven seven 647 00:34:26,560 --> 00:34:28,440 Speaker 2: zero two eight and tell us what you thought, or 648 00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:30,480 Speaker 2: you can give us an idea for another lab you 649 00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:32,440 Speaker 2: think we should do. We love hearing from you, So 650 00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:35,000 Speaker 2: give us a call. That's two zero two five six 651 00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:36,960 Speaker 2: seven seven zero two eight. 652 00:34:37,120 --> 00:34:39,520 Speaker 1: And don't forget that there is so much more to 653 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:42,239 Speaker 1: dig into on our website. There'll be a cheat sheet 654 00:34:42,239 --> 00:34:45,680 Speaker 1: for today's lab, additional links and resources in the show notes. 655 00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:48,160 Speaker 1: Plus you can sign up for our newsletter check it 656 00:34:48,200 --> 00:34:52,680 Speaker 1: out at Dope labspodcast dot com. Special thanks to today's 657 00:34:52,719 --> 00:34:56,120 Speaker 1: guest expert, doctor ray Win Grant. Want to learn more 658 00:34:56,160 --> 00:34:59,040 Speaker 1: about doctor ray Win Grant, you can listen to her 659 00:34:59,080 --> 00:35:02,640 Speaker 1: podcast Go Wild on Spotify, or you can check her 660 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:05,960 Speaker 1: out on social media on Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok at 661 00:35:06,080 --> 00:35:09,680 Speaker 1: ray Win Grant that's r a e w y n 662 00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:12,640 Speaker 1: n g r A n T and for even more 663 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:16,000 Speaker 1: info check her out at Raywindgrant dot com. And you 664 00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:19,040 Speaker 1: can find us on Twitter and Instagram at Dope Labs podcast. 665 00:35:19,239 --> 00:35:22,080 Speaker 2: T T's on Twitter and Instagram at d R Underscore 666 00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:23,040 Speaker 2: t s h O. 667 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:26,799 Speaker 1: And you can find Zakia at z said So. Dope 668 00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:30,319 Speaker 1: Labs is a Spotify original production from Mega Own Media Group. 669 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:33,319 Speaker 2: Our producers are Jenny Radlett Mask and Lydia Smith of 670 00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:37,000 Speaker 2: WaveRunner Studios, our associate producer from Mega Own Media is 671 00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:38,360 Speaker 2: Brianna Garrett. 672 00:35:38,160 --> 00:35:41,480 Speaker 1: Editing in sound design by Rob Smerciak. 673 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:42,680 Speaker 2: Mixing by Hannes Brown. 674 00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:46,800 Speaker 1: Original music composed and produced by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex 675 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:52,720 Speaker 1: Sugier from Spotify, Executive producer Corin Gilliard and creative producer 676 00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:57,840 Speaker 1: Miguel Contreras. Special thanks to Shirley Ramos, Jess Borison, yasmin A, 677 00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:02,840 Speaker 1: Fifi Kamu, Elolia, Till crack Key, and Brian Marquis. Executive 678 00:36:02,840 --> 00:36:05,560 Speaker 1: producers from Mega Own Media Group are Us T. T 679 00:36:05,719 --> 00:36:20,560 Speaker 1: show Dia and Zekiah Wattley. I like the way that 680 00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:25,520 Speaker 1: you say poem, poem, How you said poem, How do 681 00:36:25,640 --> 00:36:33,800 Speaker 1: I say it? You say poem, poem, poem, poem, poem, poem, poem, poem, 682 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:38,719 Speaker 1: poem