Dear EDGE Family, 

Welcome to “Stories from the EDGE of Existence!” In this issue, we’re excited to share reflections on the origins of EDGE and share our latest call for applications to the EDGE Fellowship. Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or just joined our community, we hope this newsletter inspires you to take action for EDGE species and the people working to protect them.

Thank you for your continued support and dedication to conservation.

Paul Barnes, EDGE of Existence Programme Manager

The Origins of EDGE: A Conversation with Prof Sam Turvey

Have you ever wondered where EDGE came from? We spoke to one of its founders to find out.

👤 What’s your name, and what do you do?

My name is Sam Turvey, and I’m a Professor at ZSL’s Institute of Zoology. My work involves trying to understand the main threats impacting some of the world’s rarest animal species, such as EDGE mammals in the Caribbean (Hutias and Solenodons), and Chinese species such as Giant Salamanders and Hainan Gibbons. I use the results of this research to guide conservation actions that try to mitigate these threats. I also work on understanding how historical archives and Indigenous knowledge can both provide new insights for conserving threatened species and rewilding landscapes.

Sam with a Solenodon

🧬 You were one of the founders of EDGE. Can you tell us a bit about the original idea and how it came about?

I’ve always been fascinated by ‘weird’ species, and as a child, I was captivated by a picture of a Cuban solenodon in a book I had about ‘Animals in Peril’. I was probably the only child in Bristol in the 1980s to have even heard of a Solenodon! This interest shaped how I thought about conservation as I developed my career – I felt that it was clearly important to conserve these more ‘unusual’ types of threatened species, which didn’t seem to get the same level of attention as well-known animals such as elephants and big cats. Through discussions at ZSL when I started working here in 2004, we formalised this concept by quantifying species’ unique contribution to evolutionary history, which turned out to be a nice scientific way to legitimise my conservation priorities!

EDGE Mammal and World’s rarest primate: Hainan Gibbon (Nomascus hainanus)

📆 Why is EDGE important in 2025?

Having been involved with helping to set up EDGE almost 20 years ago, it’s so exciting to see how it’s grown and gained such momentum – being embraced by conservation organisations and practitioners around the world, and providing crucial training opportunities for early-career conservationists who live in the same countries as top-priority EDGE species. EDGE really helps to fill a key gap that existed in the conservation sector – without it, little attention would be paid to some of the world’s most unusual, fascinating, and ecologically important species, which are sadly also on the edge of extinction. Unfortunately the global conservation crisis isn’t going away, and EDGE plays an increasingly important role in our combined efforts to save biodiversity. I’m so happy that I helped to play a part in this essential initiative, and I continue to give it all of my support.

EDGE Amphibian: Chinese Giant Salamander (Andrias sp.) | Photo (C) On The Edge

💬 Any final message for the EDGE Family?

Thank you for caring about EDGE species! Since we launched EDGE, we have lost the original Number 1 EDGE mammal, the Yangtze River Dolphin or Baiji. This extinction, the first loss of a large mammal species in over 50 years, was a tragic wake-up call and a reminder that we don’t have time to be complacent about conserving other EDGE species – we need to continue doing our very best right now to help these amazing species.

Now Open: 2026 EDGE Fellowship Applications!

Do you know an early-career conservationist working to protect unique and threatened species?

Applications are now open for the 2026 EDGE Fellowship — a fully funded, 28-month programme supporting emerging conservation leaders around the world.

Find out more here.

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