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 →

175: SOTKA Wetlands with Veli-Matti Pekkarinen and Heikki Helle

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5HmxkYJTJHmC3Jj5bjWBrO Finnish SOTKA is a large-scale habitat restoration project and a part of a larger Helmi Habitats Programme aimed at restoring Finland’s biodiversity. It is run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of the Environment. SOTKA’s objective is large-scale habitat restoration through wetlands rehabilitation, restoration of mires and catchments, non-native (i.e. … Continue reading 175: SOTKA Wetlands with Veli-Matti Pekkarinen and Heikki Helle →

174: Not A Conservationist

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0lxXEgNPDaAcFB5TEPC8nw Many people claim they are conservationists. But are they really? Inspired by your comments and some discussions that I had in the past, I decided to talk about this subject. This episode was recorded outdoors, on the beautiful Irish coast of county Kerry. So, don’t be surprised to hear chough calling in the background … Continue reading 174: Not A Conservationist →

173: The Last Keeper with Tom Opre

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0N8epa2TaWtSa7vTf5h1nB I have been waiting for Tom Opre’s new film “The Last Keeper” since I learned in July 2022 that he and his team are working on it. Well, the wait was over for me at the beginning of February 2023, as I was the only person in Ireland to screen the film. The wait … Continue reading 173: The Last Keeper with Tom Opre →

The EU Review of Wolf Protection Status – A Five-Episode Exclusive

An exclusive series of podcast episodes dedicated to the European Commission’s proposal to reduce the conservation status of wolves is here. Late in 2023, I published an episode titled The EU Review of Wolf Protection Status where I discussed this proposal with five guests from different backgrounds. While making it, I recorded far more material … Continue reading The EU Review of Wolf Protection Status – A Five-Episode Exclusive →