#50 It's all happening at the Toronto Zoo! A conversation with Dolf Dejong
Emerging Environments28 Heinä 2025

#50 It's all happening at the Toronto Zoo! A conversation with Dolf Dejong

In this episode, we are speaking with Dolf DeJong, Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Zoo. Dolf has had an exciting career at the intersection of conservation, public spaces and education. Dolf joined the Toronto Zoo in 2018 after acting as Vice President and General Manager of the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. At the Toronto Zoo, Dolf has focused on strengthening the zoo’s relationship with the surrounding community, and finding new and creative ways to connect the public with animals and conservation science to help raise awareness and fight extinction.

Chatting with Dolf, he reflected on his personal journey into conservation and how it relates to the scientific and strategic work happening at the Toronto Zoo. We explore how the Zoo's location within Rouge National Urban Park informs its partnerships with Parks Canada, and the exciting plans for the Zoo’s upcoming Conservation Campus, which is being built in collaboration with the University of Toronto Scarborough. We also talked about the emergence of so-called “de-extinction” technologies and their implication for both wildlife conservation and zoos. We then reflect on a recent trip to East Africa that Dolf and I took part in with some colleagues and unpack some of the ethical and ecological complexities of ecotourism in developing nations. In the wildlife conservation world, Zoos are sometimes portrayed as relics of an outdated conservation ethos. But we hope our conversation with Dolf works to dispel that view, highlighting the vibrant science happening at the zoo, and the deep connection to applied conservation biology.

Jaksot(51)

#34 From persuasion to connection: better communication of environmental science with Anne Toomey

#34 From persuasion to connection: better communication of environmental science with Anne Toomey

On this episode we connected with Dr. Anne Toomey. Anne is an interdisciplinary conservation scientist with interests in how people connect to their natural environment and the role of scientific rese...

6 Heinä 20231h 1min

#33 What do massive bushfires mean for stratospheric ozone levels? A conversation with Kane Stone.

#33 What do massive bushfires mean for stratospheric ozone levels? A conversation with Kane Stone.

Joining us on the podcast today is Dr. Kane Stone, a research scientist in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Kane completed his ...

26 Kesä 202350min

#32 Computing the climate with Steve Easterbrook

#32 Computing the climate with Steve Easterbrook

We are delighted to share our interview with Dr. Steve Easterbrook, Professor of Computer Science and Director of the School for the Environment at the University of Toronto. Before coming to U of T, ...

5 Kesä 20231h 7min

#31 The climate change media landscape with Hanna Morris

#31 The climate change media landscape with Hanna Morris

Today we welcome Dr. Hanna Morris. Hanna is an Assistant Professor at the School of the Environment at the University of Toronto with research interests in climate change media and communication, cult...

25 Touko 202357min

#30 Forging alliances for the recovery of species at risk in Canada with Christie Whelan

#30 Forging alliances for the recovery of species at risk in Canada with Christie Whelan

Christie Whelan is the National Manager of Species at Risk Recovery with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). She completed her Bachelor of Science in Biology at Queen’s University, and her M...

13 Touko 202352min

#29 Quicksilver and the black kite with David McLagan

#29 Quicksilver and the black kite with David McLagan

Today on the podcast we welcome Dr. David McLagan.  David is an Assistant Professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. He specializes in environmental geochemistry with a focus on mercury dyn...

3 Touko 20231h

#28 The department of wild salmon with Alexandra Morton

#28 The department of wild salmon with Alexandra Morton

For this 1st episode of season 3, we welcomed author, scientist and activist, Alexandra Morton. In 2021, Alexandra published her book entitled Not on my watch: how a renegade whale biologist took on g...

22 Huhti 20231h 35min

#27 Cultivating leadership for transformative change with Eliane Ubalijoro

#27 Cultivating leadership for transformative change with Eliane Ubalijoro

Éliane Ubalijoro is the Executive Director of Sustainability in the Digital Age, the Global Hub Director Future Earth in Canada and a Professor of Practice for Public-Private Sector Partnerships at Mc...

2 Syys 202249min

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