Mongabay Newscast29 Jul 2020

Mongabay Explores the Great Salamander Pandemic, Part 6: Hellbenders and super spreaders

Hellbenders are North America's largest salamanders, living in rivers and growing to an incredible length of over two feet. Eastern newts are tiny and terrestrial, but both are susceptible to a fungal pathogen called Bsal. While Bsal has yet to make an appearance in the global hotspot of salamander diversity that is North America, it has wreaked havoc on populations in Europe, so biologists worry its impact could be even worse if it does.

Eastern newts' susceptibility to Bsal coupled with their notable mobility mean they could act as "super-spreaders" of Bsal if the fungus ever gets to North America. For hellbenders, which are already listed as endangered and suffer from habitat degradation, a new pathogen is hardly good news.

On this episode we speak with Dr. Becky Hardman from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and Dr. Anna Longo of the University of Florida about these fascinating and unique species, and discuss what is being done to prepare for a Bsal invasion that experts say is inevitable.

Episoder(378)

The exotic pet trade fuels biodiversity and disease risks. Here's how to curb it

The global pet trade, particularly in exotic reptiles and amphibians, poses significant biodiversity and potential human health risks, scientists say; yet compared to other pressing crises like climat...

13 Okt 35min

Kynan Tegar wants 'a future that exists' for Indonesia's Indigenous communities

Indigenous activist and filmmaker Kynan Tegar joins the Mongabay Newscast this week to discuss the impacts of the fires devastating Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. Some 48,...

6 Okt 39min

Iwi and communities bring kiwi back to Wellington after 150 years

For the first time in 150 years, kiwi once again live in the hills surrounding Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. More than 250 manu ("birds" in the Māori language) were successfully translocated back ...

29 Sep 57min

Home Planet Fund succeeds in conservation by investing in local knowledge

This week on the Newscast, we're joined by Dilafruz Khonikboyeva, the founder of the Home Planet Fund, an independent, Indigenous-led nonprofit that provides funding for local and Indigenous communiti...

22 Sep 51min

'Big Cats' highlights the remarkable power of photojournalism

Jeff Sikich, the biologist for the National Park Service in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, thought that Steve Winter "was crazy" for wanting to capture a photograph of a mountain lion in front of the Hol...

15 Sep 47min

A health crisis for Peru's recently contacted people brings planetary health to the fore

Mongabay staff writer Aimee Gabay joins the Newscast this week to discuss her reporting trip to the Peruvian Amazon, where she spoke with the Indigenous Matsés community. She made the trip initially ...

8 Sep 38min

Christiana Figueres and Garik Israelian on Jane Goodall's legacy and the search for truth

A new award has been created in honor of late conservation icon Jane Goodall by the board of the Starmus Festival, an international gathering of scientists and artists to be held from Oct. 17-22 in Te...

1 Sep 51min

In Bhutan, the pursuit of happiness extends to the food system

Bhutan is a Himalayan kingdom sandwiched between China and India. Forty percent of its 800,000 citizens work in the agriculture sector. The mountainous country is famous for its breathtaking landscape...

25 Aug 33min