New podcast tackles the big questions in biodiversity
image: The first guest of Inside Biodiversity is Maria Dornelas, a professor at the University of St Andrews and the University of Lisbon
Credit: Gabriele Rada
Inside Biodiversity, a new podcast hosted by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) will premiere on 3 April 2025 at 13:00.
Each episode of Inside Biodiversity is approximately 30 minutes long and features Dr Volker Hahn, iDiv’s Head of Communications, in conversation with renowned researchers, journalists, or conservation practitioners. They will shed light on the complexities of biodiversity change, conservation challenges, and the surprising realities behind common assumptions.
“I am proud to talk to leading experts from all over the world – not only from iDiv but also from our international partners,” says Hahn. “We don’t shy away from controversial issues and aim to show the full complexity of biodiversity science. This is what makes our podcast so special.”
The first episode, “Is biodiversity declining everywhere?”, features Maria Dornelas, a professor at the University of St Andrews and the University of Lisbon, who challenges the prevailing, but overly simplistic narrative of ubiquitous biodiversity loss. In conversation with Hahn, she dives into her research and reveals a more complex story – one in which biodiversity change is characterised by both declines and gains, including recoveries due to conservation action.
Inside Biodiversity episodes will be released on the first Thursday of every month. To start, episodes will look closely at one of the most central and debated topics in the field — biodiversity change — before expanding to topics such as ecosystem resilience, biodiversity monitoring, policy, and conservation.
“Inside Biodiversity is a great example of how iDiv hosts the world’s leading biodiversity researchers and facilitates the conversations that matter,” says iDiv Speaker Prof Henrique Pereira. “It shows we are not only advancing cutting-edge research but also bringing scientific insights to society and decision-makers through biodiversity communication.”
The podcast is available on all major streaming platforms and on the iDiv website: https://www.idiv.de/podcast/