Inside Biodiversity

Guest: Damaris Zurell

In this episode, macroecologist Damaris Zurell and host Volker Hahn look at what the data tell us about bird change worldwide. While bird numbers (abundance) have declined dramatically in Europe and North America, some species are increasing—and local species richness can remain stable even as bird communities undergo major changes. They discuss the roles of habitat loss, land-use change, climate change and direct exploitation, and explore what can be done to protect birds—from international conservation efforts to creating better habitats in our own gardens.

Damaris Zurell’s website: https://damariszurell.github.io/

Papers mentioned in this episode:
Loss of 3 billion individual birds since 1970 in North America: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaw1313
Loss of of 560–620 million individual birds since 1980 in the EU: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.8282
61% of bird species worldwide have declining populations: https://www.birdlife.org/news/2025/10/10/restoring-habitats-key-to-fighting-extinctions/
European birds shifted their ranges north and north-eastwards, US birds westwards: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10999265/
Declines of understory birds in a protected forest in Panama: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35377736/

Bird monitoring opportunities mentioned in this episode:
eBird https://ebird.org/home?continue
Merlin https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/
Ornitho.de https://www.ornitho.de/
Annual bird-counting in Germany (“Stunde der Gartenvögel”) https://www.nabu.de/tiere-und-pflanzen/aktionen-und-projekte/stunde-der-gartenvoegel/index.html

Guest: Luise McRae

In this episode, podcast host Volker Hahn talks to Louise McRae about the new Living Planet Index (LPI) featured in WWF’s new Living Planet Report, published on 8 October 2026.

Louise McRae at the Zoological Society of London, Institute of Zoology: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/louise-mcrae

Link to WWF’s Living Planet Report: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/living-planet-report

The LPI discussed at Our World in Data: https://ourworldindata.org/living-planet-index-decline

Guest: Shai Meiri

In this episode, host Volker Hahn speaks with macroecologist Shai Meiri about the state of reptiles worldwide. Which reptile groups are most threatened? Why do we know so little about lizards and snakes? And how do public perceptions influence research and conservation? The episode explores global reptile trends, the major threats they face, and why these often-overlooked animals deserve far more attention.

Shai Meiri at the University of Melbourne: https://biosciences.unimelb.edu.au/research/shai-meiri-lab
Shai Meiri at Tel Aviv University: https://en-lifesci.tau.ac.il/profile/uncshai

Reptiles mentioned in this episode:

Thorny devil (Moloch horridus) – Australian desert lizard known for its spiny appearance and specialized ant diet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorny_devil

Leaf-tailed geckos – Masters of camouflage from Madagascar and Australia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uroplatus
https://australian.museum/learn/animals/reptiles/southern-leaf-tailed-gecko/

Tropiocolotes yomtovi – Tiny gecko inhabiting the Sahara–Arabian Desert: https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Tropiocolotes&species=yomtovi

Skinks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skink

Caribbean iguanas: The Grand Cayman Blue Iguana is a rare conservation success story: https://www.iguanafoundation.org/what-we-support/rock-iguanas/grand-cayman-blue-iguana/ However, not all Caribbean iguanas are increasing: https://www.iucn-isg.org/

Marine turtles – Among the world's best-known and most intensively conserved reptiles: https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/sea-turtle

IUCN Red List explained: https://www.iucnredlist.org/resources/summary-statistics

A special review episode with host Volker Hahn

Is biodiversity always declining? Or is the story more complicated? In this special review episode, host Volker Hahn revisits highlights from previous episodes to explore biodiversity change and the biodiversity conservation paradox. Featuring insights from leading researchers, the episode explains why biodiversity trends depend on scale, the metrics we use, and the species we study. It revisits scientific debates, challenges common assumptions, and shows why understanding biodiversity change requires nuance rather than simple narratives.

Featured episodes

Episode 1: Is Biodiversity Declining Everywhere? Guest: Maria Dornelas

Episode 4: Is Biodiversity Change Always Bad? Guest: Henrique Pereira

Episode 3: Is More Biodiversity Always Good? Guest: Jonathan Chase

Episode 2: How Much Are Humans Changing Biodiversity? Guest: Andrew Gonzalez

Episode 10: How Is Climate Change Changing Biodiversity? Guest: Miguel Bastos Araújo

Episode 13: How Are the Insects Doing? Guest: Roel van Klink

Episode 15: How Are the Mammals Doing? Guest: Carlo Rondinini

Episode 16: How Are the Plants Doing? Guests: Helge Bruelheide & Ute Jandt

Episode 11: Is the Planetary Boundaries Concept Useful for Communication? Guest: Katrin Böhning-Gaese

Guests: Ute Jandt and Helge Bruelheide

In this episode, plant ecologists Ute Jandt and Helge Bruelheide explain why a greener planet isn’t necessarily a more diverse one. They discuss global greening, the rise of generalist species, the homogenisation of ecosystems, and how rewilding, forestry, and agriculture can help conserve plant biodiversity in a changing world with podcast host Volker Hahn.

Plants mentioned in this episode:

Laurophyllous subtropical forest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurel_forest

Bryophytes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryophyte

Carpobrotus: https://lifegate.idiv.de/#genus-14-187.95-1542.99,zoom=auto

Limonium auriculifolium: https://www.botanicalrealm.com/plant-identification/limonium-auriculifolium/

Related links:

Ute Jandt at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg: https://www.botanik.uni-halle.de/geobotanik/ute_jandt/?lang=en

Helge Bruelheide at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg: https://www.botanik.uni-halle.de/geobotanik/helge_bruelheide/

Flora Incognita (app for identifying plant species): https://floraincognita.com/

Guest: Carlo Rondinini

In this episode, Volker Hahn talks to Carlo Rondinini, Professor of Zoology at Sapienza University of Rome, about wolves, beavers, otters, hedgehogs, jackals, and the global fate of mammals. They explore why some species are making remarkable comebacks in Europe, while one quarter of mammals worldwide are at risk of extinction. And although the threats are complex — from habitat loss and overexploitation to climate change — Rondinini says one solution matters more than almost anything else.

Related links:

Carlo Rondinini at the Gobal Mammal Assessment: https://globalmammal.org/staff/carlo-rondinini-2/

Wild mammals are making a comeback in Europe thanks to conservation efforts: https://ourworldindata.org/europe-mammal-comeback

Almost all of the world’s mammal biomass is humans and livestock: https://ourworldindata.org/wild-mammals-birds-biomass

Global trends and scenarios for terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystem services from 1900 to 2050: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adn3441#tab-contributors

How many bird and mammal extinctions has recent conservation action prevented?: https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.12762

Global protected areas seem insufficient to safeguard half of the world's mammals from human-induced extinction: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2200118119

Guest: Shawan Chowdhury

Why are insects declining — and what can social media teach us about biodiversity? Entomologist Dr Shawan Chowdhury talks with host Volker Hahn about his research on insect conservation and protected areas, the striking lack of data from tropical regions, and how Facebook, iNaturalist and other platforms can help fill these gaps. Shawan also shares how he uses social media not only as a scientific tool, but as a bridge between research and the public — and why communicating science across cultures matters as much as doing it.

Shawan Chowdhury’s lab website: https://shawanchowdhurylab.com/

“Protected areas and the future of insect conservation” (discussed in this episode): https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/fulltext/S0169-5347(22)00224-5

“Three-quarters of insect species are insufficiently represented by protected areas” (discussed in this episode): https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fulltext/S2590-3322(22)00631-5

Shawan on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Shawan-Chowdhury-Lab-61576000974986/

Shawan on X: https://x.com/shawan_c

Shawan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawan-chowdhury/

Shawan on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/shawan-chowdhury.bsky.social

Guest: Roel van Klink

Are insect numbers really declining — and if so, why? In this episode, entomologist Roel van Klink explains what long-term data reveal about global and local insect trends and why the causes behind these changes remain surprisingly uncertain. We also discuss why it is difficult to distinguish between natural fluctuations and human-driven impacts, such as land-use change or climate change. We explore what scientists currently know, what they still don’t know, and why understanding these drivers is crucial for biodiversity conservation.

Dr. Roel van Klink is an entomologist at iDiv and the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. He is the lead author of one of the largest meta-studies on global insect trends.

Related links:

Roel van Klink at iDiv: https://www.idiv.de/staff/roel-van-klink/

Roel van Klink on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roelvanklink/

Roel van Klink’s major study on global insect trends, published in the journal Science in 2020 and discussed in this episode: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aax9931

Study of insect declines in the Krefeld area, published in 2017 and mentioned in this episode. This study drew massive public attention to the issue of insect declines: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0185809

Guest: Taylor Dotson

How can conservation succeed in a polarised society? This episode features Taylor Dotson, a Science and Technology Studies scholar and an associate professor at New Mexico Tech. Together with podcast host Volker Hahn, Dotson discusses his new book, “Conservation by the people – The Future of Biodiversity in a Divided World”. In it, Dotson describes “fanatical confrontations over nature”, and he explores ways of resolving environmental disputes productively and democratically. How can we better understand those who oppose conservation policies? How do we prevent biodiversity policy from becoming as polarising as climate change? How can incremental change through trial and error help us achieve what Dotson calls “biodiversity democracy”?

Related links:

Taylor Dotson at New Mexico Tech: https://www.nmt.edu/academics/class/faculty/tdotson.php

Taylor Dotson on Substack: https://tamingcomplexity.substack.com/

Taylor Dotson’s latest book “Conservation by the people – The Future of Biodiversity in a Divided World”: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262052092/conservation-by-the-people/

Taylor Dotson’s second book “The Divide – How Fanatical Certitude is Destroying Democracy”: https://www.taylorcdotson.com/the-divide.html

Guest: Katrin Böhning-Gaese

In this episode, Professor Katrin Böhning-Gaese, scientific director of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, and podcast host Dr. Volker Hahn discuss the Planetary Boundaries framework, focusing not only on the science but also considering the value of this framework for communication. Other questions at the heart of this episode are: Where has communication on climate and biodiversity gone wrong? Is there a tendency to exaggerate risks and understate progress? What are the consequences of catastrophizing rhetoric for mental health and people’s readiness to act? What can biodiversity communication learn from climate communication, and vice versa? Most importantly, how can researchers and the media do better?

Related links:

Katrin Böhning-Gaese on the UFZ website: https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=51666

The Planetary Boundaries Framework and its control variables discussed in this podcast (HANPP, industrial nitrogen fixation, among others): https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adh2458

“Global Catastrophic Risks 2026”, “Ecological Collapse” section, cited in this episode: https://globalchallenges.org//app/uploads/2025/12/GCF-Risk-report-2026-Risk-2-.pdf

Guest: Miguel Bastos Araújo

In this episode of Inside Biodiversity, Volker Hahn speaks with iDiv's sabbatical guest Miguel Bastos Araújo (Spanish Research Council at the National Museum of Natural Sciences, Madrid), one of the leading experts on species distributions and climate change. Araújo explains how species are shifting their ranges due to climate change, why some traditional protected areas are reaching their limits, and how conservation policy should adapt to a changing climate. The conversation explores how scientific evidence can inform policy and why effective conservation requires navigating multiple, often competing, rationalities. A thought-provoking episode on climate change, biodiversity, and the science-policy interface.

Related links:

Miguel Bastos Araújo’s website: https://www.maraujolab.eu/people/miguel-bastos-araujo/#

Towards a climate-resilient conservation network in Portugal. Araújo’s Biological Conservation paper mentioned in this episode: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320725002861

Conflicting rationalities limit the uptake of spatial conservation prioritizations. Araújo’s comment in Nature Reviews Biodiversity, mentioned in this episode: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44358-025-00042-z

Host: Dr. Volker Hahn, Head of iDiv’s Impact Department
Postproduction: Leven Wortmann

Guest: Marten Scheffer

In this episode, Prof. Marten Scheffer from Wageningen University & Research explains critical transitions and tipping points, from shallow lakes and coral reefs to tropical rainforests. Together with host Dr. Volker Hahn, he explores whether local tipping points can be scaled up to a biospheric planetary boundary, and how uncertainty shapes our understanding and communication. Scheffer explains why he believes the concept of tipping points remains relevant for policy and management—even when we do not know where they lie.

Related links:

Marten Scheffer on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marten_Scheffer

“Critical Transitions in Nature and Society”, Marten Scheffer’s influential book from 2009: https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781400833276/html

Two influential planetary boundary papers co-authored by Marten Scheffer “A safe operating space for humanity” (2009) https://www.nature.com/articles/461472a “Safe and just Earth system boundaries” (2023) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06083-8

“Tipping out of Trouble”, Marten Scheffer’s new book: https://www.cambridge.org/tc/universitypress/subjects/history/global-history/tipping-out-trouble-how-societies-transformed-and-how-we-can-do-so-again

Host: Dr. Volker Hahn, Head of Media and Communications at iDiv Postproduction: Leven Wortmann

Guest: Helmut Hillebrand

Are there tipping points in ecosystems — and if so, can we detect them before the system tips? In this episode of Inside Biodiversity, host Volker Hahn talks with Helmut Hillebrand, professor at the University of Oldenburg and the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity, about the science and the politics behind thresholds, regime shifts, and planetary boundaries.

Hillebrand explains why predicting tipping points in ecosystems is so difficult, what his global meta-analysis revealed about abrupt versus gradual change, and why applying “safe operating spaces” to biodiversity might do more harm than good. Together, Hillebrand and Hahn explore what this means for environmental policy — and for how we think about the resilience and value of life on Earth.

“Thinking about biodiversity in binary ways—about below and above the threshold—is the wrong way of thinking about how biodiversity works and how we rely on it”, says Hillebrand.

Related links:

Helmut Hillebrand at the University of Oldenburg: https://uol.de/en/icbm/research-groups/plankton-ecology/staff/helmut-hillebrand

Hillebrand’s meta-meta-analysis discussed in this episode: “Thresholds for ecological responses to global change do not emerge from empirical data” https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-020-1256-9

Essay paper – mentioned in this episode – which conceptualises Hillebrand’s criticism of the tipping narrative: “Thresholds and tipping points are tempting but not necessarily suitable concepts to address anthropogenic biodiversity change—an intervention” https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12526-023-01342-3

Paper, which introduced Human Appropriation of Net Primary Productivity (HANPP) as the control variable for the Functional Biosphere Integrity Planetary Boundary – discussed in this episode: “Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries” https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adh2458

Host: Dr. Volker Hahn, Head of Media and Communications at iDiv Postproduction: Leven Wortmann

Guest: Marten Winter

Not every species introduced by humans becomes a problem – but some do, especially on islands. In this episode of Inside Biodiversity, invasion biologist Marten Winter (iDiv and Leipzig University) explains how we define alien vs. invasive alien species, why the raccoon is a management challenge for Europe, and why management is particularly tricky in places like Australia. We also discuss the ethical dilemmas of controlling species such as the red fox – and whether it is possible to identify non-native species without knowing their origin.

Related links:

Dr Marten Winter on the iDiv website: https://www.idiv.de/staff/marten-winter/

“How we move (alien) species around the world” – TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1wBsKAfuw&list=PLJFvAPy3UkyQCmYVpSOUtT38YdNyyr5x&index=2

“Don't judge species on their origins” – This comment in the journal Nature sparked several contesting replies: https://www.nature.com/articles/474153a

IPBES Invasive Alien Species Assessment: Summary for Policymakers: https://zenodo.org/records/11254974

Host: Dr. Volker Hahn, Head of Media and Communications at iDiv Postproduction: Leven Wortmann

Guest: Emma Marris

What should we really aim for in nature conservation—and who gets to decide? In this episode of Inside Biodiversity, science writer Emma Marris challenges long-held ideas about wilderness, ecosystem integrity, and invasive species. She argues that conservation is driven by human values—not objective science—and calls for a more democratic, transparent approach to setting goals for nature. If you’ve ever wondered whether “naturalness” is an illusion or why change in ecosystems isn’t always a loss, this thought-provoking conversation will make you see biodiversity in a whole new light.

Related links:

Emma Marris’s popular science books https://emmamarris.com/books/

Perspective paper “Ecosystem integrity is neither real nor valuable” (2021) https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/csp2.411

Media article “Inevitable Planetary Doom Has Been Exaggerated“ (2021) https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/02/other-side-catastrophe/617865/

Media article “Nature Doesn’t Care Where a Species Is From“ (2024) https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2024/02/invasive-species-large-herbivores-plants/677325/

Host: Dr. Volker Hahn, Head of Media and Communications at iDiv Postproduction: Leven Wortmann

Guest: Susanne Fritz

Why has biodiversity decreased over the past 20 million years? Why did large mammals, such as giant sloths, tapirs, and mammoths, go extinct at the end of the last ice age, some 50,000 to 10,000 years ago? Why are there many fewer mammal species today than there “should be”?

In this episode, we speak with Prof. Susanne Fritz, research group head at iDiv and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, about biodiversity change over very long time scales. She shares insights into how past extinction events shaped today’s ecosystems — and what that might mean for the future.

“Maybe we’re still in kind of the recovery from this extinction, maybe there is speciation ongoing, if we let it run for long enough, there would be large mammals again”, says Prof. Fritz.

Join us for a fascinating conversation about evolutionary history and biodiversity change over very long time scales, and what lessons we might be able to draw from the past and apply when looking at biodiversity today.

Related links:

Prof. Dr. Susanne Fritz at iDiv: https://www.idiv.de/staff/susanne-fritz/

Paper on mammalian diversity change: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1602145113

Paper on past mammalian body size change: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/geb.13594

Paper on bird migration: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.6729

Paper on future bird diversity change: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2021.2184

Host: Dr. Volker Hahn, Head of Media and Communications at iDiv Postproduction: Leven Wortmann

Guest: Henrique Pereira

While some biodiversity change trends are deeply worrying, such as the decline of common bird species in North America, others offer hope, such as the recovery of rare birds: “I've seen in my lifetime species that were locally extinct come back, and rivers that were dead come back to life,” says Inside Biodiversity guest Henrique Pereira. “And that's because there's been so much positive development from environmental policy in Europe and in other countries in the world.”

In this episode, we explore why biodiversity change isn’t a single story of loss and why it is important to understand the complexity of the issue for science, communication, and policy.

Other topics we cover:

• What does it mean when biodiversity declines globally but not locally?
• Can we calculate average global biodiversity in a simple way, just as we calculate average global temperature?
• What does it mean to 'follow the science' when it comes to environmental policy?

Join us as we discuss these issues with Professor Henrique Pereira, research group leader at iDiv and the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.

Links:

Prof. Dr. Henrique M. Pereira at iDiv: https://www.idiv.de/staff/henrique-miguel-pereira/

Science paper on biodiversity trends and scenarios: https://www.science.org/stoken/author-tokens/ST-1834/full

Public talk about rewilding European landscapes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJFkhQ9VYA&list=PLJFvAPy3UkyQCmYVpSOUtT38YdNyyr5x&index=6

Host: Dr. Volker Hahn, Head of Media and Communications at iDiv Postproduction: Leven Wortmann

Guest: Jonathan Chase

Is biodiversity loss always bad? What if cutting down an old-growth forest actually increases the number of species? According to biodiversity researcher Jonathan Chase, “You can have huge levels of biodiversity in habitats that are strongly degraded by people.”

In this episode, we explore how biodiversity changes can be counterintuitive, and why measuring it is more complicated than just counting species. If biodiversity isn't inherently good or bad, then what do we—as individuals and as a society—value about nature? We discuss these questions in this episode of Inside Biodiversity with Jonathan Chase, professor at iDiv and the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.

Other topics discussed include:

• The extent of human-driven changes on the planet and how they are reflected in biodiversity metrics like species richness
• The language we use when talking about biodiversity shifts
• Global biodiversity loss, island extinctions, detection and attribution, and more

Links:

Professor Jonathan Chase at iDiv: https://www.idiv.de/staff/jonathan-chase/

Paper on “detection and attribution” in biodiversity research, discussed in this episode: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2022.0182

TEDx talk by Jonathan Chase, “Biodiversity scientists as honest brokers or advocates?”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXgd8d5cCuY&list=PLJFvA_Py3UkyQCmYVpSOUtT38YdNyyr5x&index=4

Host: Dr. Volker Hahn, Head of Media and Communications at iDiv Postproduction: Leven Wortmann

Guest: Andrew Gonzalez

In this episode of Inside Biodiversity, we talk to Andrew Gonzalez about how biodiversity is changing – and how humans are driving this process. Gonzalez discusses shifts in species composition, critiques conclusions drawn from time-series analyses we covered in episode one, and calls for better data to link changes to human impacts. Drawing on climate science, he proposes a “detection and attribution” approach and urges scientists to focus on solutions. A thought-provoking look at the science and communication of biodiversity change.

Links:

Professor Andrew Gonzalez’s profile at McGill University: https://www.thegonzalezlab.org/about-andrew-gonzalez

Paper critiquing analyses of time-series data, which have suggested biodiversity is not declining at local scales: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S000632071732089X?via%3Dihub

Paper on “detection and attribution” in biodiversity research, discussed in this episode: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2022.0182

Episode summary:

Andy Gonzalez, a biodiversity scientist at McGill University, explores the complexity of biodiversity change and urges caution against oversimplified narratives of biodiversity decline. He acknowledges that while extinction is real and alarming, biodiversity is not uniformly decreasing — many local communities are experiencing reorganization rather than outright loss, with changing species compositions and shifting abundances.

Gonzalez critiques time-series data analyses we discussed in episode one for their geographic and taxonomic biases and argues that we lack a truly global, representative understanding of biodiversity trends.

Drawing inspiration from climate science, he promotes a “detection and attribution” framework to better link observed biodiversity changes to human drivers.

Gonzalez stresses the need for standardized, long-term data collection and a focus on causal understanding. Gonzalez also highlights the importance of shifting communication from loss to actionable solutions, suggesting that focusing solely on negative trends risks alienating the public. Instead, he calls for a balanced, evidence-based narrative that recognizes both the challenges and potential of biodiversity conservation.

Host: Volker Hahn Postproduction: Leven Wortmann

Guest: Maria Dornelas

In this episode of Inside Biodiversity, we look at one of the most controversial questions in biodiversity research: How ubiquitous is biodiversity loss? Our guest, Maria Dornelas, has challenged overly simplistic narratives of how biodiversity is changing. We discuss the current state of knowledge and how best to communicate it. Whether you are a sceptic or an advocate of biodiversity conservation, this conversation will give you new insights into the fascination and complexity of biodiversity change.

Maria Dornelas is a Professor at the University of St Andrews and the University of Lisbon, specializing in global biodiversity patterns, species diversity, and ecological change. Her research challenges common assumptions about biodiversity loss, using long-term data to reveal complex trends.

Links:

Maria Dornelas’s profile at the University of St Andrews: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/biology/people/maadd

Controversial paper discussed in this podcast episode: Assemblage Time Series Reveal Biodiversity Change but Not Systematic Loss https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1248484

Recent review paper: Looking Back on Biodiversity Change: Lessons for the Road Ahead https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rstb.2022.0199

Episode summary:

Maria Dornelas, a macroecologist at the University of St. Andrews and the University of Lisbon, challenges the common view that biodiversity is uniformly declining. Her research, based on the BioTIME database, reveals a more complex picture, with biodiversity trends varying by location—some areas remaining stable or even seeing increases in species diversity.

She discusses the "biodiversity conservation paradox," where human activities alter ecosystems, yet biodiversity declines are not universal. While biodiversity loss is real, it is part of a broader story that includes species turnover and recovery. Dornelas advocates shifting the focus from "biodiversity loss" to "biodiversity change."

Addressing criticisms, she acknowledges limitations like short analysis timeframes and regional biases in monitoring but emphasizes that her findings remain valuable. She calls for a more nuanced conservation approach, highlighting successes alongside challenges. Overly simplistic narratives, she warns, risk disengaging the public—echoing mistakes made in climate communication. Instead, she urges balanced messaging and expanded global biodiversity monitoring efforts.

Host: Volker Hahn Postproduction: Leven Wortmann