Many of us are familiar with the biblical story of Noah’s Ark, the wooden boat that preserved all life in Earth in ‘pairs’. Thanks to the floating rescue of all species in ‘reproductive twos’, Noah was able to repopulate Earth. But that was a fable. Or was it?

Many scientist have come to realise that we can no longer conserve many species of plants and animals in their natural habitats at the current rate of endangerment to their survival. So scientists have begun to create their own “arks”. In this podcast we speak with Prof. Mike Bruford and Dr. Elinor Breman about their “rescue boats”; and with Prof. Gretta Pecl about the great migration of animals as they too seek an ark in which they can survive.

The Linnean Future Podcast Series is an initiative by The Linnean Society of London in response to the ongoing planetary emergency. This series brings you stories from around the world that explore the impacts of climate change on every aspect of our lives.

Through the series we will be meeting researchers, practitioners, activists, lawyers, and others who are studying these climatic changes, tracking their causes and impacts, and working on solutions.

The Linnean Society of London is committed to Net Zero (with offsets) by 2022 and reducing its carbon emissions by at least half by 2030.

Speakers: Prof. Gretta Pecl, Prof. Mike Bruford, Dr. Elinor Breman

Interviewer: Padmaparna Ghosh

Producer: Ross Ziegelmeier