Wildlife conservation; past, present and future

This pack hopes to inspire you to think more deeply about wildlife conservation by delving into real-world themes and issues. By comparing two case studies, one based in the UK and one based in Southeast Asia, readers will witness how the past can inform the present using museum collections. The resource also hopes to get you thinking about the practicalities of wildlife conservation and explore the highs and lows of a career in this field.

Explore further with our video case studies:

Matt Hayes, research assistant at the Museum of Zoology, explains how there is much more to the Museum than the public galleries. Behind the scenes, millions of historical specimens help us to travel back in time and study long term changes. Matt discusses the collections of one particular naturalist, Leonard Jenyns, and how his specimens can help us study local habitat change impacting fenlands 200 years ago.

Dr Ed Turner, Curator of Insects at the Museum of Zoology, explains the impacts of one particular tropical crop found across the tropics; oil palm. While it is found on many continents, researchers from the Museum of Zoology focus on plantations in South East Asia.

Discover more about the importance of biodiversity in wildlife conservation and more on the Our Solutions are in Nature resource.

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