Tag: wildlife conservation
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Let’s Talk About Europe’s Wolf Protection Laws
As you may have heard, the Standing Committee of the Berne Convention (an international legal instrument for nature conservation) decided to lower the protection status of wolves. This opens the way to lower their protection status across the EU through the Habitats Directive. The move had been on the cards for over a year, and I covered it extensively on my podcast in episode 163 last November. Back then, I spoke to five experts: scientists working in the fields of…
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191: Rewilding Myths and Misconceptions with Ian Parsons
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 Misunderstandings”, a new book that explores common assumptions and misconceptions about rewilding. In our discussion, we address aspects of rewilding that are often misunderstood or misinterpreted,…
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Conservation Grazing: Balancing Food Production and Biodiversity
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 cattle, sheep, ponies and other animals being employed as four-legged conservationists. I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Elise Sutton, a conservationist and livestock…
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187: Soil, Dung Beetles, and Longhorn Beef with Elise Sutton
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 of Special Scientific Interest. She explains how this method maintains biodiversity and produces top-quality, grass-fed beef. We talk about the intricacies of managing a nature-friendly farm,…
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174: Not A Conservationist
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 or some occasional gusts of wind. If you’re interested in hearing more from me, have a suggestion for future episodes or want to leave feedback, please…
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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 than I could possibly fit into one episode. So, I decided to release the full interviews with all the guests in the form of five…
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170: EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 with Frank Vassen
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 the General Directorate for the Environment at the European Commission. That might sound a little dry but worry not. The conversation was joyful and funny at…
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169: Species Reintroductions
Species reintroductions, often in the context of rewilding, is a topic that we frequently discuss on this podcast. It is also fiercely debated on social media. I have been asked more than once about my views and opinions on this topic. Do I support species reintroductions? Well, it depends. In this episode, I’m going to break down my take on species reintroductions, the good, the bad and the ugly – as the saying goes. It is another in the series…
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163: The EU Review of Wolf Protection Status
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 invited “local communities, scientists and all interested parties” to submit the latest data in order to review the conservation status of wolves and decide whether to…
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158: Wildlife In The Balance with Simon Mustoe
This is one of the most thought-provoking books I have read. Although I don’t agree with everything in the book, I can overlook my disagreements because of how brilliant some parts that I do agree with are. So I couldn’t wait to sit down with the author, expert ecologist, Simon Mustoe for a chat about his views and, of course, about the book. In his book, “Wildlife in The Balance”, Simon lays out the case for animals being the most…