191: Rewilding Myths and Misconceptions with Ian Parsons

Book cover of 'Great Misconceptions: Rewilding Myths and Misunderstandings' edited by Ian Parsons. The cover features a nature photograph of golden grass or wheat stalks backlit by sunlight, creating a warm, ethereal atmosphere. The text is overlaid on a dark navy blue panel at the bottom of the image.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3EJuOQQZYq7IDewk89lFrQ?si=2e974059d8234521 What exactly is rewilding? Does it simply mean bringing back wolves, lynx and bears, or is there more to it? Can we balance food production and rural community needs with land left to natural processes and wildlife conservation? To answer these questions, I talk with Ian Parsons, editor of "Great Misconceptions: Rewilding Myths and … Continue reading 191: Rewilding Myths and Misconceptions with Ian Parsons →

Conservation Grazing: Balancing Food Production and Biodiversity

Elise Sutton on the left, a smiling woman in outdoor attire with a colourful knit hat, standing next to a large, shaggy-coated Highland cow in a grassy field. Elise is resting her hand on the cow's back. The cow, with impressive curved horns, stands prominently in the centre. The backdrop shows bare trees and a clear sky, suggesting a crisp autumn or winter day on a farm or rural setting.

Conservation grazing is an increasingly popular approach to land management that's catching on across the UK. It's a method that uses livestock to meet conservation objectives, primarily by removing dominant vegetation to allow threatened species of plants, birds and insects to thrive. This technique is becoming more common on nature reserves throughout the country, with … Continue reading Conservation Grazing: Balancing Food Production and Biodiversity →

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 →

186: Climate-Resilient Crops – Gene Editing with BetterSeeds and Ido Margalit

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2hXjTYu2gfnt37EKLULHr3 What are the latest advancements in gene editing for crops? How can genetic engineering help plants withstand climate change? Is genetically modified food safe for consumption? To answer these questions, I talk with Ido Margalit, a co-founder and the CEO of BetterSeeds, a plant genetics company focused exclusively on using genome editing/CRISPR technology for … Continue reading 186: Climate-Resilient Crops – Gene Editing with BetterSeeds and Ido Margalit →

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 →

144: How to Cut All Chemical Nitrogen on a Farm with James Foley

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2KEERp5msXQsmC8fLqACK0?si=67224b4eeec6436e I always enjoy speaking with farmers, whether on my podcast or when I’m out in the fields hunting and fishing. Therefore, I welcomed an opportunity to not only talk with James Foley, a dairy farmer from Co. Waterford, but to visit him and spend the day on his farm. Yes, that means it’s one … Continue reading 144: How to Cut All Chemical Nitrogen on a Farm with James Foley →

143: Emergent with Miriam Kate McDonald

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1dFGDPogQaVxPMLt1BXxww?si=d2e3469535b84c7d In conversations about nature and wildlife, we often observe an ideological divide between two groups: farmers and rewilders. This divide can be seen in their different approaches to conservation and land management. Farmers tend to prioritise the production of food and other resources, while rewilders focus on restoring natural habitats and ecosystems, with a … Continue reading 143: Emergent with Miriam Kate McDonald →

127: Seabird Monitoring and Tracking with Katherine Booth Jones, Daniel Johnston, Jacob Davies and Kendrew Colhoun

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2lWDSUDRH8wVJOGJLEH5vU?si=BtnNhDuHTQ6Jn3FrPgV0nQ&utm_source=copy-link This is the second episode dedicated to the Seabird Monitoring work package at the MarPAMM Interreg project. It also concludes a six-part series in which we delved into the project’s work packages. Our guests are Katherine Booth Jones, Daniel Johnston, Jacob Davies and Kendrew Colhoun who you might remember from episode 125. https://youtu.be/0dEpkuCuEx0 Continuing … Continue reading 127: Seabird Monitoring and Tracking with Katherine Booth Jones, Daniel Johnston, Jacob Davies and Kendrew Colhoun →

125: Seabird Survey with Stu Bearhop and Kendrew Colhoun

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1IwAZR7STyvs1YOV4o9Q9k?si=RF3ogEdaQhWB4PRFZqn2wg 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 … Continue reading 125: Seabird Survey with Stu Bearhop and Kendrew Colhoun →