Exploring Conservation Science with Dr. Rebecca Shaw of WWF

All Creatures Podcast

Natural Sciences, Nature, Science

4.7 • 563 Ratings

🗓️ 14 May 2025

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Angie welcomes Dr. Rebecca Shaw, Chief Scientist and Senior Vice President of Global Science at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Dr. Shaw discusses her extensive background in conservation science, including her switch from pre-med to marine biology and her work on climate and biodiversity. They delve into the WWF's mission to conserve and restore biodiversity, reduce humanity's footprint, and how local and international efforts are balanced. Dr. Shaw shares memorable wildlife encounters, the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems, and current scientific projects like tiger population recovery and bison restoration. Dr. Shaw emphasizes the interconnectedness of human actions and wildlife health, advocating for small, impactful changes in daily life to foster a healthier planet. You can learn more about Dr. Rebecca Shaw and WWF HERE Podcast Timeline 00:00 Welcome and Introduction 01:12 Dr. Rebecca Shaw's Background 02:50 Early Inspirations and Career Path 04:31 Memorable Animal Encounters 07:09 The Importance of Nature and Conservation 12:59 World Wildlife Fund's Mission and Goals 20:25 Challenges and Successes in Conservation 23:16 Current Scientific Projects and Future Outlook 28:24 Biggest Threats to Wildlife and Immediate Actions 33:03 Amplifying Voices on Social Media 33:39 The Power of Viral Content 35:59 Connecting People to Wildlife 36:48 Animal Interactions and STEM Careers 41:08 Local Conservation Efforts 43:08 Climate Change and Wildlife Conservation 47:03 Positive Changes for the Planet 50:49 Gratitude and Career Advice 55:48 Supporting World Wildlife Fund =========================================================== Another thank you to all our Patreon supporters. You too can join for one cup of "good" coffee a month. With your pledge you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With the funds we receive each month, we are have been sending money to conservation organizations monthly. We now send a check to every organization we cover, as we feel they all are deserving of our support. Thank you so much for your support and for supporting animal conservation. Please considering supporting us at Patreon HERE. We also want to thank you to all our listeners. We are giving back to every conservation organization we cover and you make that possible. We are committed to donating large portions of our revenue (at minimum 25%) to every organization we cover each week. Thank you for helping us to grow, and for helping to conserve our wildlife. Please contact us at advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast You can also visit our website HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast. The Philly Cheese Stack is back at McDonald's and it's still intensely cheesy. Imagine the cheesiest thing ever. Now cover it in cheese. Add two beef patties, cheddar cheese sauce, crispy onions and even more cheese. The Philly Cheese Stack. Did we mention it's cheesy? Available until the 16th of March, 26, from 11 a.. Fees applied to delivery orders. Price and participation may vary, subject to availability. McDonald's wraps, all flavour, no mess. No drips on your drip or grease on your shirt. No crumbs on your keyboard or sauce on your dashboard. Just all the flavour of sweet chili chicken, barbecue and bacon chicken and new Tika chicken.
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1:28.1	Fees applied to delivery orders subject to availability. Hello, everyone. This is Angie. And today on All Creatures podcast, I'm thrilled to welcome Dr. Rebecca Shaw, chief scientist and senior vice president of global science at the World Wildlife Fund. With decades of experience in advancing conservation science, Dr. Shaw leads the World Wildlife Fund's global science team in tackling some of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. A widely published researcher, her work has helped shape strategies to
1:34.8	address climate impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. So please join me today to learn more about
1:42.4	the World Wildlife Fund and to discuss some of Dr.
1:45.3	Shaw's research, the role of science and conservation, and how we can all contribute to a sustainable
1:51.4	future. Hello, Rebecca. Thank you for being here with me today. I'm so excited to talk with you.
1:57.2	Yeah, I'm so grateful that you've asked me to come on. So thank you very much.
2:02.8	Oh, yes. We're going to have a lot of fun today. I love the World Wildlife Fund.
2:06.8	I've been supporting their work for years, both on the podcast and personally at home. So I can't
2:12.6	wait to learn all the inside scoop. So before we get started, I was hoping you could give the listeners just a little background about yourself.
2:23.7	Yeah.
2:25.0	Well, how far would you like me to go back?
2:27.2	Because again, he goes pretty far back.
2:30.7	I started, you know, I first, when I first went to college, I thought I was going to cure cancer.
2:38.9	But then I discovered, if you were really interested in science and biology, you didn't have to
2:44.1	go to medical school. You could actually work on curing other parts of our world world and I got really interested in ecology.
2:54.6	So that's when I became a marine biologist and I was a research diver.
2:59.8	I went back to school to learn how science works in the real world and I got got a policy degree, and then I got a PhD
3:09.3	trying to understand how climate and biodiversity interacts. And from there I went on to work at
3:16.1	in academia and then large nonprofits. The WWF is the latest of them. And that's how I ended up as the chief scientist for
	...

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