Ecology Podcast

In this episode of the Ecology Podcast, we sit down with ecologists and BES Fellows Dr Susan Cheyne and Professor Tim Coulson. Though they hail from different research backgrounds, both share a steadfast commitment to understanding the complex relationship between people and nature. From gibbons to lobsters and forest conservation to unpacking human influence on natural world, they share their career journey into ecology. Along the way they discuss how to better share science with wider audience and what it means to be part of the BES Fellows community. What is BES Fellow? Becoming a BES Fellow recognises the contribution of those ecologists within our international community who have achieved distinction in research, teaching, or in the application of ecology. This prestigious membership category has been awarded to 71 ecologists so far, whose work continues to shape and advance the discipline. Find out more here: https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/content/become-a-fellow/ About Susan Cheyne Susan Cheyne is the Co-Director of Borneo Nature Foundation International (BNF) and Vice Chair of IUCN Primate Specialist Group Section on Small Apes (SSA). Susan has worked in SE Asia since 1998 and Indonesia since 2002. Find out more about Borneo Nature Foundation International and support its work by donating here: https://borneonaturefoundation.org/donate/# About Tim Coulson Tim Coulson is a popular science writer, Professor of Zoology at the University of Oxford, and has headed the university’s Zoology and Biology departments. As well as having recently been made a fellow of the British Ecological Society, he was also elected a fellow of Royal Society earlier this year. You can pre-order Tim’s new book “Predators: How Nature’s Killers Shape Life on Earth", which is set to published in March 2027 here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Predators-Natures-Killers-Shape-Earth/dp/1035430681/ref=sr_1_5?

For today's episode, Ivy is joined by Nicolas Bekka, author of a recently published paper in the Journal of Animal Ecology, "paler within the city: Carotenoid-based colouration covaries negatively with the proportion of impervious surface in great tit (Parus major) territories across Europe". Nicolas tells us how he got into animal ecology, the process of writing the paper, and what's next for him and his research area. You can read the paper here: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.70355 You can read Nicolas' blog here: https://animalecologyinfocus.com/2026/09/25/paler-within-the-city-across-europe-great-tits-parus-major-are-paler-in-more-impervious-neighbourhoods/

In this episode of the Ecology Podcast, our host, Rob Booth, Senior Policy Officer at the BES, sits down with Tim Christophersen, author of Generation Restoration. We explore everything from Tim’s role in shaping the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to the role of business in nature recovery and how we turn despair into action.

For today's episode, Publishing Assistant Hannah Ugboma sat down with Dr Nevo Sagi to discuss the story behind his paper, "Carbon flow to generalist predators shifts between plant- and fungal-derived resources in highly seasonal ecosystems", recently published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. He also spoke of his experience being an ecologist. Nevo's paper is part of an upcoming Special Feature, "The Mechanisms Underpinning Zoogeochemistry". You can read his paper here: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.70362 You can read his blog post here: https://animalecologyinfocus.com/2026/10/26/arctic-generalist-predators-rely-more-on-plant-derived-carbon-as-the-tundra-greens/ You can read more about the Special Feature here: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1002/(ISSN)9999-0033.zoogeochemistry

When it comes to conservation, forests dominate the conversation — in policy, in research, and in the public imagination. But what about the ecosystems that rarely make headlines? In this episode of the Ecology Podcast, we sit down with Dr Kimberley Simpson, a plant and fire ecologist and Fellow in Nature-based Climate Solutions at the University of Sheffield. This episode is a teaser for an upcoming talk Kimberley is co-organising at the BES Annual Meeting 2026. Find out more at www.britishecologicalsociety.org/content/…ing-2026

In this episode, Associate Blog Editor Laura Hemmingham spoke with Dr Kathleen Petersen about her paper, "Understanding natal emigration in group-living carnivores", recently published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. Dispersal is a critical ecological and evolutionary process, yet the drivers of individual variation in natal emigration, particularly under human-modified conditions, remain relatively understudied. The podcast deep dives into the paper and how it investigated the determinants and patterns of emigration in a managed population of cooperative breeders using genetic samples from harvested individuals

From wildfires to flash floods and deadly earthquakes, the slow collapse of our ecological and social systems is affecting millions of lives across the world. Against all this, what roles can ecologists play to advocate for nature? In this episode of the Ecology Podcast, we’re joined by Dr Lydia Cole from the University of St Andrews to discuss what practice and pragmatism could look like among scientist activists. This episode is a teaser for an upcoming talk Lydia is co-organizing at the BES Annual Meeting. Find out more at https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/content/bes-annual-meeting-2026

As part of our 'Community' series, we’re launching the Emerging Leadership Management (ELM) Network, hosted by Rob Brooker, Thorunn Helgason, and Pen Holland. This is the podcast for people who love to lead or one day might emerge as a leader. In this episode, Professor Sue Hartley OBE talks about the necessity of being challenged, listening to others in leadership, and leading with noble intent. We talk about everything from Sue’s leadership journey to early lessons in letting go of control and the need for delegation, to the importance of recognising your own limitations and making space for rest.

In the latest Ecology Podcast, alumni committee member of the EDGE network Dr Trisha Gopalakrishna chats with Dr Robyn James about the challenges and strategies to tackle gender (in)equity in environmental conservation at the project or program level across multiple sectors. We thank Robyn for taking the time out to discuss these issues and direct everyone to her rich research that spans gender and environmental conservation: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=HL-gu8MAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao. Robyn is open to being contacted about new research, opportunities, advice and guidance on all things gender and environmental conservation! Have further thoughts? Like the episode? Engage with the EDGE network by: following their LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/bes-edge-network/posts/?feedView=all signing up to their newsletter: https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/content/join-the-edge-network/ emailing them at: [email protected]

For today's episode, Ivy is joined by Shahar Chaikin, author of "Native habitat affinities predict fish invasions with post-invasion habitat shifts". We discussed the story behind the paper and his experience as an ecologist. Read the full paper here: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.70293 Read Shahar's blog post here: https://animalecologyinfocus.com/2026/07/06/who-is-next-in-line-predicting-which-red-sea-fish-will-invade-the-mediterranean-sea/ Watch the video teaser here: https://youtu.be/_OI8w4ZsDDs