Solutions to Food System Drivers of Biodiversity Loss: Dr. Helen Harwatt of Chatham House

This 26-minute interview features Dr. Helen Harwatt, one of the researchers of the 2021 report "Food System Impacts on Biodiversity Loss" by Chatham House, a research and policy institute in the UK. We explore what aspects of global agriculture and dietary practices, namely animal ag, are causing species extinctions at such high rates and discuss the three solutions/levers the report proposes: 1) shifting toward plant-based diets, 2) preserving existing habitats and rewilding some farmland, and 3) enacting sustainable farming practices -- all of which need to happen together, hinging on the reduction of animal ag (consumers demanding less animal meat and dairy). We end by discussing some policy implications to enact needed food system changes, especially as leaders meet at global summits on public health, climate, and biodiversity.

The interview is hosted by Carrie Freeman, for In Tune to Nature radio show on WRFG (Radio Free Georgia), and aired Wed. March 10, 2021 on WRFG- Atlanta radio.  In Tune to Nature airs every Wednesday from 6:30-7pm EST on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streams on wrfg.org. 

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Photo Credit: Farmer standing in his field in the agricultural landscape of Cotabato Province, Mindanao Island, the Philippines. By Tessa Bunney/Contributor/Getty Images. (cover image for Chatham House biodiversity report)