Category: Podcast
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138: Marine Mammals and Aquatic Soundscapes with Denise Risch
There is an entire world hidden under the surface of the ocean and, as the common saying goes, we know more about space than we do about the deep ocean. We are even less aware that there is a rich and diverse underwater landscape of sounds. With modern technology and data analysis methods we can now record those sounds and use them to learn about the creatures living in the ocean. To introduce this topic, in this episode I am…
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137: Salmonid Studies with Richard Kennedy
Salmonids are fascinating fish and that’s not only because of their life history strategy. They also have huge importance for the health of ecosystems. And, albeit to their detriment, they are also important for the economy. Of course, I cannot omit the fact that they are prized by anglers as sport fish. Even though we already had a general discussion about salmon in episode 63 and a talk with men facing the dangers of fighting with salmon poachers in episode…
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136: The Politics of Nature Restoration with Ariel Brunner
Successful nature restoration, species conservation and even access to hunting grounds depends on land management policies. They are the foundation of everything we do in nature and to nature. Unfortunately, this means politics. No matter how much time conservationists spend in the field, planting trees, rewetting bogs or rewiggling rivers and streams, without solid backing from policymakers the effects of these efforts will not be long-lasting. In this episode, our guest is Ariel Brunner, Head of EU Policy at the…
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135: Wilder Bison with Paul Whitfield
The Wilder Bleen project is a cooperation between Wildwood Trust and Kent Wildlife Trust. It received an immense amount of coverage in the press worldwide, not only in nature magazines like National Geographic and Mongabay but also in the mainstream media. The goal of the project is to promote natural habitat recovery by restoring the natural processes that sustain it. The crown jewel of the project is the introduction of European bison in the UK in place of the now-extinct…
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134: Ocean Science with Adam Mellor
Oceans have a profound impact on weather patterns and the planetary climate. Therefore it is essential to understand the processes that drive the ocean climate and the behaviour patterns of ocean creatures. To discuss these topics our guest today is Dr Adam Mellor who is the Principal Scientific Officer at Agri Food and Bioscience Institute and the Science Lead on the COMPASS project. This is also the first of a series of episodes where I talk with scientists from COMPASS.…
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133: Blanket Bog with Roisin Grimes and Paul Sherlock
Welcome to the final CANN project episode. Today I’m going to talk with Roisin Grimes, a Peatlands Senior Technical Officer at Ulster Wildlife and Paul Sherlock, a Conservation Officer with the CANN project. As you might infer from the title we discuss restoration and conservation work on upland blanket bogs by the CANN project. As usual, we start with an introductory discussion about upland blanket bogs, explaining what they are and what differentiates them from other types of bogs. Then…
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132: Freshwater Lakes with Frances Lucy and Joerg Arnscheidt
This is the third episode in our series dedicated to the CANN project. Our guests are Professor Frances Lucy who is Head of Department of Environmental Science and a long-term researcher at the Atlantic Technological University in Sligo and Dr Joerg Arnscheidt from the School of Geography & Environmental Sciences at Ulster University. During our conversation, we talk about the importance of biodiversity and ecology of the freshwater sites that are part of the CANN project. They include Lough Arrow…
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131: Lowland Raised Bogs with Simon Gray
Today we talk all things lowland raised bog! Our guest is Simon Gray, Senior Technical Officer at Ulster Wildlife, who works on the CANN project. Simon is also a regular listener of the podcast so it was my pleasure to welcome him to the other side of the production set. At the beginning of the show, we discuss the differences between various types of bogs and how they are formed. Then we move on to bog ecology and explain why…
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130: The CANN Project with Abby McSherry
It is my pleasure to present another series of podcasts discussing yet another cross-border environmental project. In this series, we’re going to talk with scientists and leaders from the CANN project. CANN stands for Collaborative Action for the Natura Network. It is supported by the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme and managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). CANN aims to produce 27 Conservation Action Plans (CAPs) for a range of sites across the Special Areas of Conservation (SACs)…
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129: In Search of One Last Song with Patrick Galbraith
Anyone who has any level of interest in wildlife is aware of the massive biodiversity crisis we are facing right now. Sometimes it is called a sixth mass extinction. Its symptoms can be seen not only in world-famous ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef or the Amazon rainforest but also in our woods and gardens. As sad as it sounds, we should not only help protect species in decline but also enjoy them while they are still around. And with…