Our Broken Planet

Bushmeat, meat from wild animals, is an important source of protein for communities across the world.

But in some parts of the globe it has become an illegal or luxury item - and that's posing a problem, threatening ecosystems and human health simultaneously.

Five million tonnes of wild meat is extracted annually from the Congo basin, including critically endangered primates. Demand for meat from this part of the world is becoming unsustainable, with protected species often caught between hunters and their prey.

In this episode of Wild Crimes, join us for a in-depth discussion on how our food systems affect human health. With thanks to Prof Ben Garrod, the Museum's Dr Natalie Cooper, Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka of Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) in Uganda and researcher Sandrella Morrison-Lanjouw.

The UK's birds of prey regularly fall victim to criminal behaviour, with dozens found poisoned, trapped and shot every single year.

There are 15 raptor species native to the UK, with varying conservation statuses. Some of them are severely threatened, so every lost bird becomes a threat to the survival of the species. That means raptor persecution is a big problem.

Killing protected birds is a crime, but it goes on across the entirety of the UK. In this episode of Wild Crimes, we're finding out why are people risking jail time to kill raptors. How can we protect our birds of prey? And why is this issue so divisive?

Find out with Museum curator Dr Joanne Cooper, RSPB Investigations Liaison Officer Jenny Shelton, Dr Roger Draycott of the GWCT, landowner Dee Ward, author Alan Stewart, and criminology graduate Ellen Burnside.

Breathe in. Breathe out. The oxygen flowing through your body is the result of photosynthesis: the natural process through which living things convert sunlight into energy. About 30% of land-based photosynthesis happens in tropical rainforests: the lungs of the earth. Rainforests are also great at sucking up excess carbon from the atmosphere- something we know we’ve got to do more of. But in recent years, these lungs have been getting constricted: shrinking in size and choked up with smoke. So grab your mosquito net and join Tori & Khalil on a trip through the tropics to find out what's going on - and how we can help rainforests breathe deeply again. Contributors: Mardi Minangsari - Campaigner with Indonesian conservation group Kaoem Telapak Dr Helena Varkey - Professor of Environmental Politics, Universiti Malaya Dr Thomas Smith - Geographer and environmental scientist, London School of Economics Dr Michael Pashkevich, Marshall Sherfield Fellow, University of Cambridge Dr Rico Fischer, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, UFZ Leipzig Have your say: Join the conversation on social media using #OurBrokenPlanet and tag us: Instagram: @natural_history_museum Twitter: @NHM_London TikTok: @its_NHM Learn more about how you can take action for nature and find additional resources at www.nhm.ac.uk/podcast

What’s brainless, heartless, eyeless and thrives in a warming ocean? Hint: it’s wobbly and it could be coming to a dinner plate near you.

Tori & Khalil investigate the effects of rising sea temperatures, from changing food sources to the perilous state of coral reefs – home to one quarter of all marine species. They’re joined by scientists and campaigners to help explain the changes we’re seeing and how we can help nature and humanity adjust. Join us and find out:

• What happens to animals living in a more acidic sea?
• How do you regrow a coral reef?
• Will we all be eating jellyfish soon?

Contributors

Sanne Tuijten, marine biologist with the Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire

Dr Sebastian Hennige from the University of Edinburgh

Dr Lucas Brotz, from the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries at the University of British Columbia

John Hourston, founder of the Blue Planet Society

Megan Randles, global political lead for Greenpeace’s Protect the Oceans campaign

Have your say

Join the conversation on social media using #OurBrokenPlanet and tag us: Instagram: @natural_history_museum Twitter: @NHM_London TikTok: @its_NHM

Learn more about how you can take action for nature and find additional resources at www.nhm.ac.uk/podcast

Wildlife crime affects us all. Illegal trade happens in every corner of the planet, and its effects can be catastrophic for some animals and plants. But the tragedy goes beyond the loss of single species. It's clear our relationship with nature needs to change.

Learn more about what you can do to protect nature at nhm.ac.uk/wildcrimes.