194: Pink Salmon Invasion on Norwegian Rivers with Jude Isabella

A rocky river with small waterfalls flowing through an autumn landscape in Finnmark, Norway. The scene is framed by birch trees with golden-yellow leaves, whilst rugged mountains form the backdrop. The river cascades over dark bedrock, creating white rapids. Photo by Arvid Høidahl on Unsplash.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/42CLzA0rIjVKUvpE27eTPf What happens when Pacific salmon invade Atlantic waters? How does a Soviet-era experiment from the 1950s continue to impact Norwegian rivers today? We’re answering these questions in conversation with Jude Isabella, founder and editor-in-chief of Hakai Magazine, and author of multiple books including Salmon: A Scientific Memoir. This episode was inspired by her three-week … Continue reading 194: Pink Salmon Invasion on Norwegian Rivers with Jude Isabella →

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 →

189: Climate Anxiety and Presence Activism with Lynne Sedgmore

https://open.spotify.com/episode/31zMPFPcPwU8M7xEonLpHm Do you feel climate anxiety? Is it overwhelming you? How do we find peace while being bombarded with dire environmental predictions? In an attempt to answer these questions, I talk with Lynne Sedgmore, a well-known educator, leadership coach, activist and the author of the book "Presence Activism: A Profound Antidote to Climate Anxiety". https://youtu.be/FAKnYJU0ziQ … Continue reading 189: Climate Anxiety and Presence Activism with Lynne Sedgmore →

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 →

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 →

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 →