Good news is hard to come by in the conservation world—but this week, we have some to share. A new report from WWF‑Mexico shows that the endangered migratory eastern monarch butterfly is showing promising signs of recovery, with monarchs occupying 7.24 acres of forest in their wintering grounds in Mexico—up from 4.42 acres last year. That's a 64% increase.

In this episode of Nature Breaking, we revisit conversations with two monarch experts—Eduardo Rendón‑Salinas of WWF‑Mexico and Court Whelan of Natural Habitat Adventures—to explain why this rebound matters, how monarch populations are measured, and what challenges still lie ahead. From the butterfly's amazing multi‑generational migration that spans thousands of miles to the threats posed by habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change, this episode dives into one of the most extraordinary natural phenomena on Earth.

If you're looking for a rare bit of optimism—and a reminder of why these butterflies inspire wonder across North America—this episode is for you.

Links for More Info:

Report: Monarch butterfly population increases by 64%

Monarch Milkweed Finder

Chapters:

0:00 Preview

0:23 Intro & New Report Findings

2:10 The epic migration of monarchs (spring to late summer)

3:41 The epic migration of monarchs (late summer to winter)

6:00 How do we monitor and estimate monarch populations?

7:40 Threats facing monarchs

10:42 Why should we care about monarchs?

12:07 Outro

Right now we're at the height of awards season, when artists across a variety of disciplines get awarded for the best achievements in their respective industries. In the spirit of that season, we decided to hand out some awards of our own this week. This episode features the first-ever Nature Breaking Awards. It's just like your favorite awards show, but for conservation instead of music or movies. Co-hosts Seth Larson and Hayley Lawton will run through fun categories like "Best Ecosystem Soundtrack" and "Wildest Wardrobe," discuss the nominees, and hand out some (largely arbitrary) awards. Because after all, we're all winners when it comes to saving the planet.

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Chapters:

0:00 Preview

0:19 Intro

1:33 Explaining the Nature Breaking Awards

3:05 Standout Support Species

5:03 Outstanding Wildlife Effects

6:38 Best Ecosystem Soundtrack

8:52 Wildest Wardrobe

10:08 Outstanding Ecosystem

11:37 Reactions to the winners

12:58 Outro

Finance has a critical role to play in achieving conservation goals. Simply put, saving an ecosystem, or a species, isn't free. Those efforts require lots of scientific research and analysis, tools, infrastructure, and staff. WWF has been at the forefront of a variety of innovative ways to finance those efforts – from Project Finance for Permanence initiatives, to debt for nature swaps, and more.

Today we're going to talk about another approach that's gaining steam: impact investing. Impact investing is all about making investments with the goal of advancing social or environmental outcomes – not about maximizing financial returns. Joining Nature Breaking today to explain how it works is Isabelle Foster, WWF's Senior Impact Investing Specialist. Isabelle is part of WWF Impact, our impact investing venture. And she's also a podcast host, having recently launched a limited-series show called Catalyzing Climate Conversations. Her new show is a partnership with the Aspen Institute's Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE).

Stay tuned to hear from Isabelle about how impact investing works, why WWF is investing in companies like EatCloud—whose software platform is helping grocery stores and other businesses divert food from the landfill and instead support local communities—and how these investments advance conservation outcomes on the ground.

Links for More Info:

Isabelle Foster bio

WWF Impact

PODCAST: Catalyzing Climate Conversations

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Preview

0:30 Intro

1:56 What is impact investing?

5:20 How can impact investing help the planet?

8:02 WWF's approach to impact investing

13:34 Example of success: EatCloud

21:45 Podcast plug for Catalyzing Climate Conversations

27:39 Outro

Did you know that extreme weather disasters in the U.S. are now causing more than 20 billion‑dollar events every year, leaving a growing share of those losses uninsured? As climate change accelerates—and as ecosystems like wetlands and forests are destroyed and degraded—the insurance protection gap is widening, putting households, businesses, and entire communities at rising financial risk.

In this episode of Nature Breaking, you'll hear from David Kuhn, WWF's Director for Adaptation and Resilience Partnerships and a contributor to a new WWF report on the insurance crisis. David explains what's driving the surge in uninsured losses, why premiums are skyrocketing, and how climate‑driven disasters are undermining the stability of the US insurance system. He also breaks down how nature loss is stripping communities of their "first line of defense" against floods, storms, and heat—and why restoring ecosystems may be one of the most cost‑effective ways to strengthen resilience and shore up the insurance system.

As David shares, there's reason for hope in spite of these alarming trends. With smart policies, better risk modeling, and investments that treat nature as essential infrastructure, we can reduce damages, lower costs, and build a safer, more resilient future.

Links for More Info:

David Kuhn bio

REPORT: Tackling the Insurance Protection Gap

Op-Ed: Nature is a powerful ally against fires and floods (LA Times)

Chapters:

0:00 Teaser

0:31 Intro

1:56 Explaining the insurance protection gap

6:47 Insurance becoming an unsustainable business model

10:23 Practical impacts of insurance gap on consumers

15:23 Role of nature loss in the insurance crisis

19:16 How nature can help mitigate the insurance crisis

21:32 Recommendations for policymakers, insurers, companies, etc.

25:50 Reasons for hope

30:00 Outro

Note: This episode originally aired in October 2023.

Snow leopards are among the hardest animals to find in the wild, both because of how rare they are, and because their coats are adapted to provide camouflage that makes them hard to see against the rugged mountain landscape they call home. With an estimated 4,000-6,500 snow leopards remaining in the wild, conservationists have been working in snow leopard range countries across Asia to build a more stable future for these big cats. And recently, Bhutan reported some good news: the population of snow leopards in that country has increased by nearly 40% since 2016.

In this episode, you'll hear from Dechen Dorji, Senior Director for Asia on WWF's Wildlife Conservation team. He talks about the many characteristics that make snow leopards unique (5:07), the threats that have caused snow leopard populations to decline (13:01), and what we can learn from Bhutan's recent success to help snow leopards thrive across all 12 range countries they call home (17:52).

Links for More Info:

WWF Snow Leopard page

Press Release: Bhutan National Snow Leopard Survey

Dechen Dorji bio

Did you know that 75% of the infrastructure the world will use in 2050 hasn't been built yet? That means the choices we make today—about roads, bridges, railways, ports, and power systems—will shape the future of both human development and the natural world.

In this episode of Nature Breaking, WWF's Ryan Bartlett, Director for Climate Resilience and Risk Management, explains how we can build the infrastructure we need without destroying the ecosystems we rely on for critical benefits, including resilience to worsening weather extremes. From habitat fragmentation to increased flooding, poorly planned infrastructure can unintentionally cause huge environmental and social problems. But with the right planning tools, safeguards, and nature-based solutions that treat nature as infrastructure, we can chart a very different path forward.

Links for More Info:

Ryan Bartlett bio

WWF Sustainable Infrastructure page

Sustainable Infrastructure Program in Asia

Greening Transportation Infrastructure Development (GRID)

Chapters:

0:00 Preview

0:26 Intro

1:38 Challenges and opportunities with infrastructure development

4:37 Unintended consequences from poorly planned infrastructure

8:05 Best practices to balance infrastructure with nature & climate concerns

10:58 Solutions for infrastructure bisecting wildlife habitat

15:20 Asia as a key region for sustainable infrastructure

18:30 Sustainable Infrastructure Program in Asia (SIPA)

28:53 Lessons learned from SIPA

31:07 Greening Transportation Infrastructure Development (GRID) program

34:32 What does success look like for advancing sustainable infrastructure development?

37:39 Outro

As 2025 comes to a close, we're looking back at the 10 biggest conservation wins of the 21st century (so far). We'll revisit iconic successes like the Paris Agreement on climate, the rebound of wild tigers and giant pandas, and the creation of the Amazon Region Protected Areas Program, the largest tropical forest conservation initiative on Earth. Plus, we'll celebrate grassroots efforts like Earth Hour and the return of bison to Native lands—proof that progress is happening at every level.

If you care about wildlife, climate, and sustainability, this episode will give you hope and inspiration for the future.

Links:

Donate to support WWF's conservation mission

Chapters:

0:00 Preview

0:33 Intro

1:36 Rules of the Countdown

4:31 High Seas Treaty

5:57 Global Biodiversity Framework

7:06 Bison Restoration

9:27 Giant Pandas No Longer Endangered

10:43 The Paris Agreement on Climate Change

11:32 Global Response to the Poaching Crisis

12:55 Rebound of Wild Tigers

16:06 Earth Hour Launches

17:03 Creation of the Amazon Region Protected Areas (ARPA) Program

19:55 Environmentalism Goes Mainstream

Note: This episode originally ran on October 1, 2024. If you'd like to support WWF for Giving Tuesday, visit wwf.help/tuesday.

Global food production is a key driver behind both climate change and the loss of species and ecosystems. In fact, it's responsible for roughly one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions and over two-thirds of global habitat and biodiversity losses. That's because unsustainable food production too often lead to the destruction of forests, grasslands, and other ecosystems in order to produce more food. So how do we create a more sustainable food system? Joining the show today is Dr. Jason Clay, Executive Director of WWF's Markets Institute. Jason has decades of experience working with companies to find innovative ways to make their supply chains more sustainable, and today he'll be explaining his latest initiative: Codex Planetarius. In short, Codex Planetarius aims to establish global environmental standards to limit the harm caused by the production of globally traded food. The idea draws inspiration from Codex Alimentarius, the international code of health and safety standards for food established in the mid-20th century. It makes sense: If the world can adopt standards to protect human health and safety, why can't we do the same for the health and safety of the planet? In this interview, Jason explains how his career journey evolved from human rights to conservation (with help from the Grateful Dead and Ben & Jerry's along the way), and how Codex Planetarius could establish new global norms for food production that help us feed the world without destroying it.

Links for More Info:

Jason Clay bio

Codex Planetarius homepage

WEB STORY: Codex Planetarius: Increasing Global Food Sustainability and Resilience

Chapters:

0:00 Programming note

1:22 Intro

3:10 Jason's background

5:14 Working with the Grateful Dead and Ben & Jerry's to save the rainforest

10:14 How the global food trade works

16:17 Codex Planetarius: global standards for sustainable food production

25:09 Paying for Codex Planetarius

30:57 How to implement the plan

41:52 Outro