An innovative partnership for groundbreaking global biodiversity research and conservation
Jonathan Losos
WashU
Co-director, Living Earth Collaborative
Crickette Sanz
WashU
Co-director, Living Earth Collaborative
Lisa Kelley
Saint Louis Zoo
Executive Director, WildCare Institute
Gunter Fischer
Missouri Botanical Garden
Senior Vice President, Science & Conservation
There’s never been a more important time to study, understand, and protect biodiversity worldwide.
Thanks to the St. Louis region’s deeply rooted commitment to life sciences, there’s also never been a better place for the area’s leading researchers to join forces for a global impact.
Launched in 2018, the Living Earth Collaborative brings together three of the region’s premier institutions to create an ecosystem of research and scholarship that can lead to real conservation results in St. Louis and beyond.
The Missouri Botanical Garden, the Saint Louis Zoo, and WashU are proud to bring you the Living Earth Collaborative.
The Living Earth Collaborative combines the discovery power of three premier St. Louis institutions to help protect global biodiversity.
Jonathan Losos
Co-director
of the Living Earth Collaborative
The Living Earth Collaborative brings together the expertise and resources of the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Saint Louis Zoo, and WashU to develop best-in-class approaches to addressing the world’s most pressing biodiversity challenges. It comprises scientists and conservationists committed to local biodiversity and supports ambitious projects making positive impacts in climate-vulnerable communities around the world.
We will become the premier science-driven consortium engaged in leading-edge biodiversity research and education. Through research and training, the LEC will develop new approaches to biodiversity and conservation science that foster the next generation of scientists and provide tangible benefits on both a local and global scale.
The LEC is unparalleled in its potential to advance research and conservation action to sustain biodiversity in an era of global environmental change. It leverages:
• Strong public support for its three leading institutions
• An academic partnership that is poised to shape the future of biodiversity conservation
• New research methods and proprietary insights to develop novel strategies that can bend the curve of biodiversity loss
• A strong emphasis on the role of biodiversity and advancing human well-being
In its first phase, the LEC succeeded in creating a community of biodiversity scholars and conservation practitioners that worked together to develop a series of interdisciplinary research projects.
A vibrant seminar series, grants program, and opportunities for undergraduate and postdoctoral research have allowed the LEC to increase its profile locally, nationally, and internationally.
We are now in a position to be a world leader in research, conservation, and education about the biological world and its interrelationship with human welfare, environmental justice, and public health.
To maximize its impact, the LEC has identified three focus areas.
1 URBAN BIODIVERSITY
(p. 7-9)
2 GLOBAL CONSERVATION FUTURES
(p. 10-13)
• Leverage the strengths of our partner institutions and the St. Louis area
• Expand on the genomic and digital strengths of WashU and its partners
• Build on prior investments from the LEC
• Be fundable through grants and philanthropy
3 BIODIVERSITY AND HUMAN WELL-BEING (p. 15-17)
• Recruit scholars for targeted research networks
• Facilitate collaborative fundraising and grant writing
• Coordinate joint faculty appointments
• Encourage shared mentorship of students and postdoctoral researchers
• Promote leadership, transdisciplinary knowledge sharing, and education for stakeholders and partners
• Incorporate a focus on human health into each pillar, collectively amplifying our overall impact
We are implementing our bold vision to make St. Louis the “Nature City of the 21st Century,” showcasing our city as a model for harnessing nature-based solutions for the betterment of people and the environment. St. Louis is uniquely positioned for studying urban biodiversity in the context of diverse communities. The LEC will not only advance scientific inquiry, but will also intentionally link to human communities across St. Louis to better address issues of environmental justice.
St. Louis’s environmental and socioeconomic challenges also represent an opportunity to reimagine the city with equitable innovations that benefit both people and nature.
Forest Park, a 1,300-acre refuge in the heart of St. Louis, showcases the possibilities of urban biodiversity. Supported by the LEC, researchers with the Forest Park Living Lab use camera traps, radio collars, and on-the-ground observations to study the animals that share our city. Tracking devices, like the one pictured on this red-tailed hawk, are helping scientists learn where and when animals can be found in the park. Scientists are also taking a deeper look at DNA to better understand the biology of the park’s animals. A recent study identified possible genetic mutations that may help coyotes evolve and adapt to life in the city. This work could inform future efforts to encourage and protect other species as America’s cities continue to grow.
To understand and promote urban biodiversity, the LEC plans to:
• Convene experts from local communities and institutions to develop a framework that makes St. Louis “The Nature City of the 21st Century.”
• Assess the state of biodiversity in St. Louis and use the city as a living laboratory to study urban ecosystems, ecology, and evolution. This work will complement numerous ongoing projects led by Tyson Research Center, the St. Louis Wildlife Project, and WashU’s biology department.
• Examine how access to nature and biodiversity resources are affected by socioeconomic inequality. We will map and explore the relationships between economics and biodiversity disparities, assessing their impact on the health and well-being of disadvantaged communities.
• Identify ecosystem services that could be provided by urban biodiversity and devise plans to implement equitable solutions. Working with stakeholders across the city, we will research solutions and develop community-based ways to bring them to life.
In 2025, two internationally recognized botanists joined the LEC with joint appointments at WashU and the Missouri Botanical Garden. Toby Pennington, a distinguished evolutionary biologist, is the inaugural David and Dorothy Kemper Professor and the first shared position between LEC partner institutions. A worldrenowned tropical forest biologist, Lúcia Lohmann is president and director of the Missouri Botanical Garden — a role that includes an appointment as the George Engelmann Professor of Botany at WashU. Philanthropic support will help the LEC achieve its goal of growing the number of joint positions in the coming years.
A collaboration with WashU’s McDonnell Genome Institute (MGI) will provide support for LEC partners to deploy cutting-edge genomic techniques to support biodiversity research and conservation. The partnership includes co-supporting and mentoring a postdoctoral fellow who will advance the use of genomic and computational tools for conservation. The LEC also plans to collaborate with other digital pioneers, including WashU’s McKelvey School of Engineering and the region’s geospatial experts.
We propose the creation of a Center for Global Conservation Futures, a world-leading research and conservation program that embodies academic distinction. The center will seek scholars with a demonstrated commitment to using cutting-edge research to forecast trends and develop innovative strategies to advance conservation and restoration.
Our aim is to recruit a diverse group of scholars who bring expertise not only in life science, but also in engineering, computer science, spatial analysis, artificial intelligence, environmental justice, economics, and public health.
The LEC has identified three key regions where it can build on existing research and conservation investments from its network of partners.
WashU and the Saint Louis Zoo have partnered on conservation policies and the creation of the Sangha Trinational conservation area to promote the long-term survival of tropical flora and fauna, including chimpanzees, gorillas, and other endangered species.
The LEC is building on research and education initiatives from the three partner institutions to understand the impact of environmental change on biodiversity in this speciesrich hotspot, including a study of the effectiveness of restoration interventions for rare or endangered species in Ecuador.
Africa
Using a combination of private foundation grants and extensive research and conservation infrastructure built by the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Saint Louis Zoo, the LEC has launched easy-to-replicate, scalable projects to help protect the country’s unique animal and plant species, including endangered lemurs.
The Center for Global Conservation Futures will support efforts to:
- Preserve global biodiversity hotspots by leveraging partner institutions’ expertise to develop innovative, sciencebased programs in Madagascar, the Congo, and the Andes, with the goal of formulating and implementing international conservation policy.
- Work to understand tropical species and ecosystem responses to global change. The LEC is uniquely positioned to assemble long-term datasets to examine how flora and fauna respond to environmental conditions.
- Engage with sustainable development, alternative livelihoods, and agroforestry to address the critical challenge of conserving biodiversity while improving human livelihoods.
- Advance the science of community-based conservation and participatory research by making innovative, communitybased monitoring applications more accessible in the center’s three focus areas.
- Understand the dynamics of social and environmental systems. The interdisciplinary makeup of the Center for Global Conservation Futures will foster collaborative studies on resilience in complex ecosystems.
All three LEC partners work to protect the abundant but fragile biodiversity of Madagascar. WashU anthropologists surveyed populations and conducted DNA analyses of endangered black-and-white ruffed lemurs and diademed sifakas. The Missouri Botanical Garden leads a dozen projects on the island, including efforts to protect and restore the Ankarabolava-Agnakatrika Forest, a roughly 16-square-kilometer area that’s home to two endangered lemur species. Through its Center for Conservation in Madagascar, the Saint Louis Zoo collaborates with communities and local researchers to revitalize threatened species, including ongoing attempts to enrich the genetic diversity of diademed sifakas by relocating carefully selected animals. The impact of this work is significantly enhanced through local collaborations, including a longterm partnership with the Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group, which has been conducting conservation, research, education, and capacity building in Madagascar for more than three decades.
The health and well-being of humans and the environment are inextricably linked. Exploring this connection requires a transdisciplinary approach. Due to the unique strengths of each partner institution, the LEC has the potential to become a leader in developing novel and cutting-edge approaches to advancing biodiversity and human wellbeing.
The Saint Louis Zoo’s Institute of Conservation Medicine (ICM) is a global leader in programs that take a holistic approach to wildlife conservation, public health, and sustainable ecosystems to ensure healthy animals and people.
At the Missouri Botanical Garden, science and conservation efforts include an emphasis on issues related to food security, climate change, and other plant-related issues that affect human well-being.
WashU’s new School of Public Health also offers an exciting opportunity to fuel new collaborations.
This robust infrastructure allows us to develop a unique, field-leading program.
Biodiversity research led by Living Earth Collaborative co-director Crickette Sanz helped inform a decision by the Republic of Congo to protect a 36-square-mile area called the Djéké Triangle, making it part of the adjacent NouabaléNdoki National Park — the only habitat in the world home to habituated groups of both gorillas and chimpanzees. A seed grant from the LEC enabled WashU, the Saint Louis Zoo, and others to screen thousands of video clips recorded at camera traps to document biodiversity in the Djéké Triangle, information used to elevate the area’s protected status. Improved surveillance is also important for global health because the area is considered an epicenter of emerging infectious diseases.
In the area of biodiversity and human well-being, the LEC plans to:
• Harness additional expertise to create a Biodiversity and Human Wellbeing working group that will define initiatives on topics such as disease, habitat degradation from pollution, food security and nutrition, and the effect of biodiverse spaces on mental health.
• Implement a field-leading program encompassing multiple research areas to capitalize on the strengths of our partner institutions. We will develop cutting-edge concepts and methods that will advance the health of humans and our biosphere.
• Strengthen collaborations among partners in education and outreach. The LEC will collaborate with the Saint Louis Zoo’s ICM at the annual One Health Fair, giving students the opportunity to work in transdisciplinary teams to devise solutions to important conservation and public health challenges. Students will also have a chance to connect with Zoo guests and offer tips for minimizing environmental problems.
In the coming years, the LEC will further establish itself as a meaningful force for biodiversity research by harnessing new technologies, new faculty, and student insights on the intersection of biodiversity and human well-being. This vision depends on a focused approach and generous funding to help maintain a world where plants, animals, and humans all thrive.
This includes advancing top-tier research and policies that increase visibility and distinction for the LEC and its partner organizations.
Across our partner institutions, we will grow a larger and more engaged LEC community that works on solutions to biodiversity-related environmental, health, and social issues in the city and surrounding areas.
We will develop world-class educational opportunities for WashU students, such as an undergraduate degree in biodiversity and conservation science; a multi-year, interdisciplinary, cohort-based undergraduate program combining classwork and field studies; a revenue-positive master’s degree program; and/or a high school internship program for St. Louis students.
Saving plants from extinction with groundbreaking technology
A landmark project led by the Missouri Botanical Garden will set the stage for integrative field studies involving all three LEC partner institutions that will help conserve the forests and their animal and plant inhabitants. Using visual scanning, hyperspectral imaging, and artificial intelligence, the Revolutionizing Species Identification project will create an unmatched biodiversity dataset of over 8 million specimens. Soon, scientists, conservationists, and policymakers anywhere in the world will be able to consult the online database to quickly identify and classify rare species found in the field. Drones soaring over forests will automatically identify trees. The work is supported by the LEC, with partners providing additional resources, including WashU computer and data scientists.
Support this critical conservation initiative livingearthcollaborative.wustl.edu/donate