Monday 10 November 2025
Rethinking Extinction “Crises”:
The case of the Asian songbird trade
By Sicily Fiennes
Outline: Environmental issues are often called ‘crises’ because they’re hard to solve and involve conflicting evidence. This talk looks at the Asian Songbird Crisis (ASC) in Indonesia, where keeping birds is common. We interviewed various people, including conservation officers, to understand their views on bird extinction. Many don’t see it as a crisis, and market changes put pressure on other species, questioning the impact of species extinction on wildlife trade. We need a common understanding of what ‘crisis’ means.
This is part of my PhD thesis on the Asian Songbird Trade. It explores using technology to identify species and reduce illegal wildlife trade, considering social, cultural, political, and legal factors. While the technology works, we’re cautious about using it due to concerns about effectiveness and ethics. We suggest more sustainable and culturally sensitive trade strategies to help wild bird populations better than just increasing law enforcement or reducing demand.
Speaker: Sicily Feinnes is a third-year PhD student in the Extinction Studies Doctoral Training Program at the University of Leeds. My research, “Exploring Socio-Technological-Ecological Dimensions of Asian Songbird Trade,” addresses the complex issues of the songbird trade in Southeast Asia. I spent five months in Indonesia, visiting wildlife markets and conducting workshops with conservation law enforcement. My work spans conservation social science, political ecology, design theory, and machine learning. I explore how technology can be used as a legal intervention in wildlife trade and consider its role in the broader socio-political and ecological context. I am also interested in co-creating technology and decolonising design methods. In my spare time, I enjoy playing football and vegan baking.
Venue: The New Headingley Club, 56 St Michaels Road, LS6 3BG
Time: Room opens 7:30, talk begins promptly at 7:45pm
Entry: Donation please for room hire and expenses: £4 at the door
Café Scientifique Headingley is a programme run under the auspices of the Headingley Development Trust
– see http://headingleydevelopmenttrust.org.uk
Our next online meeting will be:Our next online meeting will be:Monday 25th January at 7.30
“The Promise of Gravitational Waves” by Sue Bowle