Editor’s Note

Everyone coming out of 2020 in reasonable shape deserves a pat on the back. I have lately been making the case to not differentiate mental health from a physical one. When I’m mentally sick, I just say I’m unwell. The need to have inclusive environments, developing emotional intelligence not just in the workspace but also in our work, and redefining our language of health is now more urgent than ever. At CC, we’ve had quite a year to reflect on these, and hopefully, build and bloom from here into 2021.
As the last issue of the year, Current Conservation 14.4 is a crescendo of efforts from an ever-growing team and diverse initiatives. This made us strengthen our resolve to be an equal opportunities newsroom and include more women as columnists. We kick this off with Caitlin Kight’s column in 14.4 on the intricacies of language, culture, and dialect in our understanding of conservation. The Founder and Director of WILD Foundation, Vance Martin, makes a case for diversity strengthening conservation success. Mischael Hardre talks sabre-tooths while Harry Dittrich discusses otters’ role in water conservation. Paloma Bhattacharjee reviews Jacob Shell’s book on elephants in captivity in Myanmar. We also bring two Research in Translation pieces that discuss mammal control, and road fencing projects respectively. Alyssa Sargent talks owl conservation (with plenty of room to pause for owlet cuteness) and Kartel Shockington ends the year on a note of laughter, as we hope you did too.