Author: Tommy Serafinski

Hello everybody! I’m Tommy, an outdoorsman, podcaster and speaker. On Tommy’s Outdoors, I talk and write about the natural environment, biodiversity, conservation, hunting and fishing, rewilding and more. Subscribe to the Tommy’s Outdoors podcast and YouTube channel, and follow me on social media. See you in the outdoors!

185: Farmers’ Perspective on Carnivore Reintroductions with Jonny Hanson

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4zglYTuVc3e21c943KDYu0 Can large carnivore conservation coexist with livestock farming? In this episode, environmental social scientist Jonny Hanson and I discuss the complex issue of large carnivore reintroductions in Britain and Ireland. What are farmers' perspectives on sharing landscapes with predators like wolves and lynx? How can we balance conservation goals with the realities of modern … Continue reading 185: Farmers’ Perspective on Carnivore Reintroductions with Jonny Hanson →

184: Novel Ecosystems and Nature-Based Solutions with Marcus Collier

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2pIE8ImVDkkEbfMUJSNeqX Are humans part of nature or separate from it? How do we define native species, and should we always strive to eradicate invasive ones? Can urban green spaces play a role in addressing climate change and biodiversity loss? And what is the Anthropocene anyway? These are only some of the questions I discussed with … Continue reading 184: Novel Ecosystems and Nature-Based Solutions with Marcus Collier →

183: Nature Restoration Law – an Irish Farmer’s Perspective with Bill O’Keeffe

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2P5wRUKaApPzbHjB0EmVlO Why was the farming community so opposed to the EU’s Nature Restoration Law? Doesn’t a healthy ecosystem benefit agriculture? Isn’t the availability of additional payments for alternative use of unproductive land a good thing? Aren’t the measures built into the law sufficient to protect the actively used agricultural land? To find answers to those … Continue reading 183: Nature Restoration Law – an Irish Farmer’s Perspective with Bill O’Keeffe →

182: Lead Ammunition and Health with Fredrik Widemo

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6T9ljtrCTS0BmVXBZ6E2vV Should we worry about consuming venison from an animal harvested with lead ammunition? Will cutting out and discarding meat around the impact area solve the problem? And what are the best practices to keep us safe? https://youtu.be/g5IbLZtIAm4 Most of us have heard about the negative effects of lead on health. Not only on our … Continue reading 182: Lead Ammunition and Health with Fredrik Widemo →

181: Farming and Soil Biodiversity with Stuart Meikle

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3u0iFOeVuZ4sY9XK3sDAwa What is sustainable agriculture? Does regenerative farming mean focusing primarily on the soil biome? Is farming a leading cause of biodiversity loss? …and do we really have only 60 harvests left? To get the answers to those and other questions about farming and biodiversity, join me for a conversation with an agricultural management and … Continue reading 181: Farming and Soil Biodiversity with Stuart Meikle →

180: Hunters Just Are

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3GunVbl2ODGJ5FlO5hRH4Q Not long ago I posted a tweet: “Hunters are not good or bad, they just are. Therefore, they must be managed just like, and as a part of, the wildlife they hunt.” It was an attempt to condense my thoughts about our relationship with wildlife and nature. I purposefully used the word “our” because … Continue reading 180: Hunters Just Are →

179: Sika Deer: Pest or Precious?

A young male Sika deer with antlers stands in a field of tall, brown and green grasses. The deer is looking to the left of the frame. The background is a blurry green field.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4cWzbBrUaEnbe6yNFv2crZ Sika (cervus nippon) is a mid-sized deer that was introduced to Ireland in the 1860s to the Powerscourt Estate. Soon after that, it started spreading across Ireland. Today, the main concentrations of sika are in Kerry, Wicklow, Tyrone and Fermanagh. More recently, it has also been found in Waterford, Galway, Limerick, and Wexford. The … Continue reading 179: Sika Deer: Pest or Precious? →

178: Why Biodiversity Matters with Nigel Dudley

https://open.spotify.com/episode/39hBdOCLxfi9JS8FB2QfWX “Why Biodiversity Matters” is fundamentally a philosophy book. However, the author and our guest, Nigel Dudley, is not a philosopher but an accomplished conservation biologist who has accumulated an incredible wealth of knowledge and experience working on conservation projects across the world. He has worked as a consultant ecologist with international organisations like WWF … Continue reading 178: Why Biodiversity Matters with Nigel Dudley →

177: Nature, Farming and Politics with Saoirse McHugh

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3gIrzcaKjqTNMXMVqWaBN1 Politics is a topic that is often avoided by many nature and science communicators. They don’t want emotions, controversy and often abuse related to expressing their political views or even commenting on such. I was one of them, but I’m gradually coming to the conclusion that it is the wrong tactic. As one of … Continue reading 177: Nature, Farming and Politics with Saoirse McHugh →

176: Invasive Ants Impact Lion Predation on Zebras, with Adam T. Ford

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3mbU23q3H125O4N6d8i51b?si=308ecea0530f4d16 If you are a regular listener to the podcast or you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I read a fair number of scientific papers on subjects of conservation and ecology. Some of them are related to topics I’m investigating for the podcast and some others are just interesting for me. … Continue reading 176: Invasive Ants Impact Lion Predation on Zebras, with Adam T. Ford →