187: Soil, Dung Beetles, and Longhorn Beef with Elise Sutton

English Longhorn cattle in a grassy field. On the left, a cow with large curved horns stands prominently, its brown and white patched coat visible. To the right, another cow with a lighter coat and yellow ear tag looks directly at the camera. Behind them, two more cattle can be seen grazing. The background shows a clear blue sky and autumn trees, creating a pastoral countryside scene.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2AcYu75pxYHjEFOFXXr0Of Can farming and conservation coexist harmoniously? How can farmers produce high-quality food while protecting biodiversity? Elise Sutton, a passionate conservationist and livestock manager at Cherry Lodge Farm, shares her experience in balancing food production with nature conservation. Elise talks about conservation grazing using English Longhorn cattle on a 650-acre farm that includes a Site … Continue reading 187: Soil, Dung Beetles, and Longhorn Beef with Elise Sutton →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

171: Rewilding with Steve Carver

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5jy7XUjBB0uXfATqC63IHa?si=5208c8bad3084769 It has been a considerable time since the last time we spoke about rewilding on the podcast. I feel that the discussion around the practice as well as understanding of the term has moved on in the last three to four years. So, I decided to get an update on the state of rewilding. … Continue reading 171: Rewilding with Steve Carver →

170: EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 with Frank Vassen

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6vVoOt5TWDkQUxz4nHVrZ2 Currently, a lot is going on in the European Union concerning regulations that can impact nature and nature restoration. To get a better understanding of the current state of nature in the European Union and the future of nature conservation and restoration I talk with Frank Vassen. Frank works in the Nature Unit in … Continue reading 170: EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 with Frank Vassen →

163: The EU Review of Wolf Protection Status

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3TIXgTU3Rd1Lcn2moMsz0l The human-wildlife conflict with wolves has been brewing on the ground in the EU for some time. On the one hand, it has been fueled by a remarkable recovery of wolves across the continent, and on the other, by politicians trying to hijack it for their political gains. In September 2023 the European Commission … Continue reading 163: The EU Review of Wolf Protection Status →