Wildlife conservation is essential to the health of ecosystems and communities around the world. Leaders from organizations across North America are working to protect wild species and restore balance to habitats under threat.
Guests:
Zara McDonald, President & Director, Felidae Conservation Fund
Mitch Friedman, Executive Director, Conservation Northwest
Sean Stevens, Executive Director, WildEarth Guardians
Interview by: Mark Oppenheim
Key Points:
- Conservation efforts connect human, wildlife, and environmental health through research, advocacy, and education.
- Habitat connectivity is critical—linking core areas through corridors allows species like cougars, wolverines, and lynx to thrive.
- Wolves, grizzlies, and other apex predators face challenges from habitat loss and human conflict but can recover through coexistence programs.
- Coexistence initiatives include range riders, volunteer engagement, and citizen science platforms to promote understanding.
- Polarization hinders conservation; collaboration with diverse constituencies, including ranchers and hunters, builds success.
- Legal frameworks like the Endangered Species Act remain essential tools for species protection, despite political pressures.
- Public education, empathy, and early engagement foster collective responsibility for shared ecosystems.
- Conservation relies on sustainable funding, volunteerism, and long-term community support to achieve measurable impact.
Other Points on Conservation of Wildlife Ecosystems:
Conservation work emphasizes that all ecosystems are interconnected. Healthy environments in one region affect stability across the planet. By protecting wildlife corridors and maintaining species diversity, organizations are sustaining the balance needed for all life to flourish.
Predator recovery demonstrates the importance of coexistence. Programs that help ranchers minimize livestock losses while protecting wolves and cougars show that collaboration, not conflict, drives long-term success.
Education and outreach play a dual role: teaching communities to live alongside wildlife while inviting them to contribute knowledge and data through citizen science. These efforts transform passive awareness into active stewardship.
Above all, conservation leaders stress the need to bridge divides—rural and urban, political and cultural—through listening and shared purpose. When communities work together with empathy and respect, both people and wildlife benefit.