Victoria Gill: What a nun can teach a scientist about ecology

What a nun can teach a scientist about ecology

To save the achoque -- an exotic (and adorable) salamander found in a lake in northern Mexico -- scientists teamed up with an unexpected research partner: a group of nuns called the Sisters of the Immaculate Health. In this delightful talk, science journalist Victoria Gill shares the story of how this unusual collaboration saved the achoque from extinction -- and demonstrates how local and indigenous people could hold the secret to saving our planet's weird, wonderful and most threatened species.

Saving a critically endangered salamander in Mexico required an extraordinary partnership between scientists and a group of devoted nuns. The Sisters of the Immaculate Health, who have cared for the achoque for generations and brewed medicines from it, created the world’s first captive breeding program for the species. This collaboration succeeded because scientists listened deeply to local knowledge, not just academic expertise. Across the world, neglected community insights often hold the key to protecting biodiversity.