Latest episodes and posts
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125: Seabird Survey with Stu Bearhop and Kendrew Colhoun
This is the first of two episodes dedicated to the Seabird Monitoring work package at the MarPAMM Interreg project. Today we talk about seabird surveys on remote Scottish locations. Our guests are Stuart Bearhop, Professor of Animal Ecology at the University of Exeter’s Centre for Ecology & Conservation and Dr Kendrew Colhoun who is responsible for managing BirdWatch Ireland’s work package for MarPAMM. Regular listeners know, from previous episodes, that researchers at MarPAMM often use innovative techniques and cutting-edge technologies…
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Episode 124: African Wildlife Conservation with Lilian Mremi
Those of you who either read the excellent book “Cries of the Savanna” by Sue Tidwell or listened to the podcast episode with her are familiar with Lilian Mremi, a Game Scout and Tanzanian Wildlife Ranger. Shortly after the episode was published many of you expressed great interest in hearing directly from Lilian. I thought it would be an excellent idea and so today I am pleased to publish my conversation with her. During our conversation, we touched on all…
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Episode 123: MPA Management Plans with Amie Williams, David Stevenson and PJ Maguire
A Marine Protected Area (MPA) designation is one of the most potent tools for protecting a wide range of marine habitats. A layman interested in marine conservation might think that an MPA would be completely excluded from any activities, either commercial or recreational. The reality is much more complex and, depending on what any given MPA is set to protect, a variety of activities can take place inside its boundaries. That’s why developing MPA management plans based on scientific evidence,…
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Episode 122: Eco Defense Group with Nathan Edmondson
Once again I had the pleasure to talk with Nathan Edmondson, co-founder and President of Eco Defense Group, an organization that supports frontline wildlife rangers who face danger from direct conflict with poachers. In the episode, we get an update from Nathan about the latest situation in Africa and the state of affairs in wildlife conservation and poaching prevention. Eco Defense Group doesn’t engage poachers directly but rather acts as a support, training and consultancy organization for anti-poaching operations. Its…
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Episode 121: Cries of the Savanna with Sue Tidwell
In this episode, once again, we’re going to take on the subject of hunting in Africa. Our guest is Sue Tidwell, the author of a wonderful book titled “Cries of the Savanna” that I reviewed in last week’s blog post. And since I really liked the book I was itching for the opportunity to talk with Sue. We chat about a number of things. Why Sue decided to write and publish her first book. (Yes, as impressive as it is,…
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Cries of the Savanna by Sue Tidwell – A Book Review
Hunting in Africa is a controversial subject that I have discussed with expert guests a few times on my podcast. I also follow related social media discussions. Unfortunately, I get the impression (confirmed on many occasions) that people taking part in these discussions have very limited, or purely theoretical, experience. This often leads to ridiculous statements and ill-informed opinions. In contrast, in Cries of the Savanna, Sue Tidwell describes her own experiences and conflicting emotions related to hunting in Africa.…
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Episode 120: Seabed Habitat Mapping with Alex Callaway, Chris McGonigle, Andy Wheeler and Ger Summers
Once again I have the pleasure to host scientists from the MarPAMM project. This time we discuss the Seabed Habitat Mapping and Modelling work package. Our guests are Dr Alex Callaway from the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (who was our guest on episode 104), Dr Chris McGonigle from the School of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Professor Andy Wheeler, Chair of Geology, from the School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences at University College Cork and Ger Summers also from the…
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Episode 119: Land and Deer Management in Scotland with Megan Rowland
For many of you, Megan Rowland needs no introduction. She is a Deer Management Officer for NatureScot, Scotland’s nature agency. Before that, she worked as a surveyor for RSPB Scotland where she surveyed the entire suite of Highland bird species. She has also been a volunteer for the Scottish Wildlife Trust, a local Raptor Study Group, the Scottish Mink Initiative, and the British Red Cross. Megan is a founding member of the Scottish Crofting Federations’ Young Crofters. Moreover, she’s The…
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Episode 118: The Tick Terminator with Brian Anderson
Tick bite season is about to start both in Europe and in the US. Since we haven’t spoken about this important subject for quite a while (we discussed ticks and Lyme disease back in 2019 in episode 55), I thought it was high time to talk about ticks and tick bite prevention once again. Our guest, Brian Anderson, is a Lyme disease prevention specialist, top speaker and educator who is known as The Tick Terminator. We had a fun and…
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Episode 117: Commercial Fishing in Alaska with Sena and Rich Wheeler
This week we continue with our Alaskan theme by taking a closer look at commercial fishing practices, fisheries management and the life of fishermen in Alaska. So, today I talk with Sena and Rich Wheeler, a third-generation fishing family. Sena and Rich run a family business, Sena Sea, whose goal is to consistently deliver premium quality seafood. They also operate a fisherman-owned custom processing facility to ensure that they have complete control of the entire process, from the sea to…