The Biggest Obstacles in Saving Our Wildlife

Conservation biology, wildlife conservation, and biodiversity are at a breaking point.

What if the most powerful thing you can do for the planet isn’t “save a species” at all, but train the people who will?

In this conversation, I’m sitting down with Dr. Richard Reading, Vice President of Science and Conservation at the Butterfly Pavilion in Denver. Rich oversees everything from invertebrate care and horticulture to global conservation projects and real-world habitat work.

We get into the stuff that actually matters:

• The biggest challenge in conservation biology (and why it’s not a single villain)

• The truth about Half-Earth and 30x30, what’s realistic, and what’s not

• Why building local capacity beats parachuting in experts

• Mongolia, Botswana, Saudi Arabia, Peru: what he learned working across cultures

• The field stories no one forgets (AK-47 wake-up call, lions outside the tent)

• Why invertebrates are “the little things that run the world”

• What gives him hope, even when the trends are brutal

If you care about nature, climate, biodiversity, or just want a real look at how conservation work happens behind the scenes, this one will sharpen your perspective.