Holiday Break

What does the label 'protected area' actually tell you about what is being protected? How did the wolf lose its strict protection status in the EU? And what about a legal system that looks strong on paper but leaves animals exposed on the ground? Those questions sit at the heart of 'Protecting Wildlife in Europe: A Comprehensive Analysis of Legislative Frameworks and Their Shortcomings', a paper published in July this year in the Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy. Today I'm joined by both of its authors. Caroline Cox is an Associate Professor in Wildlife Crime and Policy at the University of Portsmouth. Dr Meganne Natali is a lawyer and legal consultant specialising in wildlife crime, zoonoses prevention and biodiversity conservation. She is also a Visiting Fellow at the University of Portsmouth School of Law. Europe has strong institutions, extensive legislation and considerable scientific knowledge. What it doesn't have, they argue, is a body of law that treats wild animals as individuals capable of suffering rather than as stock, functions and entries in an annex.Caroline and Meganne first met at a conference in Florence and have worked together ever since. Caroline spent years on elephant poaching and the illegal ivory trade before turning her attention to wildlife closer to home. Our conversation starts with fragmentation. EU wildlife law is not one system but several layers sitting on top of each other. The Birds Directive, the Habitats Directive, CITES and national legislation each bring their own lists of species, different listings trigger different levels of protection, and implementation is left to member states. From there we move to national parks. In England and Wales the framework dates to 1949, with two aims that regularly collide, conserving the landscape and giving everyone access to it. Caroline lives in the New Forest and describes what happens there when too many visitors arrive at once. We also get into the badger cull and its link to bovine TB.The wolf takes up a good part of the episode, as it tends to on this podcast. Meganne explains how a species whose numbers grew from around 11,000 animals in 2012 to more than 20,000 in 2023 was moved from Annex IV to Annex V, and what that does and does not change for member states and for wolves. That opens a bigger question about whether protection status should be settled by ecologists or by politicians. There is also a problem with defending wildlife on economic grounds. The same argument runs the other way the moment an animal becomes costly. We also talk about social inequality, compensation for farmers and who ends up carrying the cost of conservation.Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science NewsletterSupport the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTubeThe guest featured in this episode paid a nominal guesting fee. This fee did not directly influence the content of the episode. The guest had no editorial control, did not review the episode before publication, and did not influence the questions asked during the interview.

How do you tell solid science from something dressed up to look like it? Are we living through the sixth mass extinction? And why is the climate crisis not the worst of the planetary boundaries we have crossed? My guest today is Amy McEuen, a professor of Biology at the University of Illinois Springfield, where she has taught environmental biology, ecology and conservation biology for more than twenty years. Her book, 'How to Think Like an Ecologist: A Non-Scientist's Guide to Saving Our Planet', is written for people without a science background and is laid out like a field guide, so you can read the chapters in any order you like. What caught my attention is that Amy spends the opening chapters on what science actually is and on how misinformation works before she gets anywhere near ecology. Our conversation follows much the same path.We spend a fair bit of time on that groundwork because I think it matters a lot. Amy explains the difference between misinformation and disinformation, why fact checkers read laterally rather than arguing with an article line by line, and why prebunking works better than debunking. From there we move on to nature itself. If humans are part of nature, does the word still mean anything useful? Amy also argues that we get further by asking people what they value about a particular place than by asking them to defend nature in the abstract. We also pull apart the idea of a historical baseline, since choosing a date to restore the land to is a fairly arrogant thing to do and not much use when the whole global environment is shifting.Then we get to the numbers. To qualify as a mass extinction, 75% of taxa have to disappear from the planet, and Amy explains why the honest answer to 'are we in the sixth one?' is both yes and no. We also talk some more about planetary boundaries and why biodiversity loss and novel entities such as plastics and synthetic chemicals are worse than climate change, even though climate takes up most of the oxygen in the room. We finish with talking about policy, paradigms and eco-anxiety. Is policy change enough on its own or does something have to shift in how we see the world? And how do you talk about any of this without either frightening people into switching off or offering false comfort?Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science NewsletterSupport the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTubeThe guest featured in this episode paid a nominal guesting fee. This fee did not directly influence the content of the episode. The guest had no editorial control, did not review the episode before publication, and did not influence the questions asked during the interview.Tommy’s Outdoors is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk

Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science NewsletterSupport the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube

Why do we feel so hopeless about the future of the natural world? Is nature really collapsing everywhere we look or have we simply been told a one-sided story? And what if our lack of control over ecosystems turns out to be our greatest strength? In this episode I welcome back expert ecologist and author Simon Mustoe to talk about his new book, ‘How to Survive the Next 100 Years: Lessons from Nature’. It picks up where his previous book left off, building on the idea that we are not separate from nature but central to it. Simon explains how we sit right in the middle of the trophic pyramid and depend entirely on the animals around us to keep energy moving through the systems that sustain life. It is a perspective that quietly reframes how we think about our place on this thin, living veneer of the planet.Much of our conversation focuses on balance, both in nature and in how we talk about it. Simon points to a reanalysis of the Living Planet Index suggesting the picture is closer to fifty-fifty than the widely reported three-quarters decline, with many animals, including large ones like humpback whales, recovering on their own. We get into why bad news spreads so easily while good news gets buried and how our understanding of the world often lags decades behind reality. From novel ecosystems and so-called invasive species to the misuse of words like 'pest' and 'overabundance', Simon makes the case for caution, humility and a kind of Hippocratic oath for conservation: first, do no harm. He argues that forcing outcomes rarely works, because the forces shaping ecosystems are far more powerful than we are.We also explore why blanket solutions so often fail, using examples from Australian farming, koala conservation and a single burrowing animal that increased the profitability of a sheep farm. Simon believes communities, not top-down policy, hold the key to lasting change, and that real progress comes from enabling people to act locally rather than shouting at politicians or each other. He leaves us with simple, practical advice: get outside, pay attention to the nature on your own doorstep, support what others are doing nearby, and step back from the relentless flow of negative news. It is a refreshingly balanced, middle-of-the-road conversation that gives you something rare these days, a genuine sense of agency.Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science NewsletterSupport the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube

What if the environmental movement has badly underestimated our ability to solve the climate crisis? Could renewable energy grow so fast that we are out of fossil fuels within a decade? And once emissions fall away, how do we deal with the carbon already in the atmosphere? In this episode I'm joined by Benoit Lambert, author of the book titled ‘Biogeotherapy: nature-based climate solutions, life as a geological healing force’. Benoit has a rich and varied background, from planting four million trees by hand across five Canadian provinces to spending eighteen years in Geneva, where he completed a PhD and worked as French editor for the Worldwatch Institute. He argues that reducing emissions, while essential, is only half the task. We also need to capture and store carbon dioxide, and nature offers the tools to do exactly that.Much of our conversation focuses on the four pillars Benoit sees in nature-based solutions: regenerative agriculture with cover crops and no-till methods, carbon ranching through holistic grazing, massive reforestation, and biochar. He explains how the world's soils have lost a great deal of their carbon and why putting it back, with proper science behind it, can fix the problem faster than most people imagine. Benoit is honest about the friction within the green movement too. He describes losing friends over these ideas, and reflects on why so many who spent decades defending degrowth react with hostility when shown that solar and wind have followed a path nobody expected. It's a frank look at how worldviews get tangled up with identity.We also talk about the people, like Tony Seba, who did predict the speed of the renewable transition and why exponential change is so hard for us to grasp. Benoit shares practical steps ordinary people can take, from supporting regenerative farming to using biochar in their own gardens. Throughout, his message is one of grounded hope: the science of soils has moved on enormously since 1992, the financial levers exist, and a solar economy paired with nature could give us prosperous, healthy societies for centuries to come. Whether you lean optimistic or sceptical, this is a conversation that will challenge how you think about what's actually possible. And yes, it might involve cycling to work.Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science NewsletterSupport the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTubeThe guest featured in this episode paid a nominal guesting fee. This fee did not directly influence the content of the episode. The guest had no editorial control, did not review the episode before publication, and did not influence the questions asked during the interview.Tommy’s Outdoors is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk

Why are red deer populations in Germany growing in number and antler size yet sitting in deep genetic trouble? What is the difference between census population size and effective population size, and why does it matter? And how can a satirical award for the worst-built wildlife crossing draw attention to the issue of habitat fragmentation? In this episode, I sit down with Frank Zabel, a wildlife biologist, campaigner, and co-host of the award-winning JAGDcast podcast. Frank also runs the nonprofit RotWildes Deutschland (Non-profit Society for Wildlife Biology & Sustainable Use) and authored the 2022 deer management plan focused on corridors and mapping. Although Frank is speaking from Germany, many of the issues he raises will feel familiar to anyone interested in deer management, habitat connectivity, and how policy decisions made decades ago continue to shape what happens on the ground today.Frank takes a broader view of red deer as an umbrella species, using them as a vehicle to talk about biodiversity in general. We discuss the historic genetic bottleneck created when red deer were extirpated in much of Germany after the 1848 revolution and how that legacy still shapes populations today. Frank explains why most German red deer populations now sit dangerously close to or below the threshold where the issues with inbreeding start to appear, even though the absolute numbers look healthy on paper. Our conversation also covers the red deer management areas in southern Germany, where deer must be shot once they leave designated zones, a policy decision rooted in post-war food production priorities that has become, in Frank’s words, a far more effective form of habitat fragmentation than any motorway.We then shift gears to the lowering of the wolf’s protection status in the EU. Frank offers a perspective that may surprise some listeners, particularly those who expect hunters to take a predictable line on the wolf question. He also makes a compelling case for why looking at wolves across the whole of Europe through a single lens misses what is actually happening on the ground in different regions. We touch on what hunters need to do when wolves return to an area, and Frank shares an observation from his time in Sweden that illustrates the point well. This is a rich conversation packed with wisdom and insight.Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science NewsletterSupport the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube

What has shifted in rewilding over the past five years? Why do recovery of species like lynx, beavers and wolves trigger reactions that go far beyond the animals themselves? And what is the real obstacle to bringing lynx back to Scotland, the ecology, the bureaucracy, or something much harder to name? In this episode, our returning guest is Peter Cairns, co-founder and former Executive Director of SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, board member of Trees for Life, public voice for the Lynx to Scotland partnership, wildlife photographer, and now host of the new podcast 'At the Edge'. Peter last appeared on the show back in 2021, and many things have shifted on the ground since then. More beavers, more red kites, more sea eagles and habitat restoration that has grown significantly. Peter argues that the conversation around land use is also maturing, even when daily progress feels like wading through treacle.Our conversation moves through the long road of the Lynx to Scotland project: years of education, consultation and community engagement sessions, all building towards a licence application that will ultimately land on a politician's desk. Peter is honest about the sticking points around livestock predation and what level of impact society is prepared to support and compensate. We get into the cultural chasm between rural and urban Scotland and why a lynx or a beaver rarely represents just an animal. For many people, these species symbolise change, loss of control over the landscape and the imposition of urban values on rural communities. We also discuss the illegal release of four lynx in the Cairngorms and Peter's measured view on what that incident says about an over-bureaucratic system and what the government would be wise to learn from it.In the second half of our conversation, Peter shares why he started 'At the Edge', a podcast designed to host the difficult conversations sitting on what he calls the human-wildlife faultline. We talk about social media as an accelerator of polarisation, the impossibility of shouting people into agreement and the Finding Common Ground initiative that is quietly reshaping how deer management is discussed in Scotland. We also get into wildlife photography and the rise of what Peter calls the 'Instagram trophy hunter', along with his concerns about ecotourism becoming too central to rewilding's economic case. Towards the end, Peter offers a thoughtful, almost stoic answer to my ‘crystal ball’ question, focusing on what each of us can actually control in our own physical, community and philosophical space. It's a generous and quietly hopeful conversation, and I think you'll get a lot from it.Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science NewsletterSupport the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube

What makes farmers reluctant to talk about climate change, even though they see its effects first-hand? Can a trip to the Arctic change how you look at a small river in Kerry? And why might 'community first, environment second' be the right way round? These are some of the questions we explore in the second episode of the series following the Community Climate Adaptation and Resilience Programme in Kerry. This episode is a progress check on how the programme is unfolding, with Catríona Fallon from Transition Kerry giving an overview of the sessions run so far, covering community mapping, nature-based solutions and food. We also hear from three participants, each bringing a different background and reason for signing up. For the full context of the programme, have a listen to episode 218 where it all started.Our conversation brings in Kieran Cotter, Project Officer of the Knocknagoshel Environmental and Angling Association, who is also known for restoring his grandmother's 200-year-old cottage on RTÉ's Great House Revival. Chris Barrett, a professional photographer and PRO of the same angling association, has taken part in two Arctic expeditions and saw glacial melt, plastic pollution and dead fulmars in otherwise pristine environments. Mary Murphy, who wrote and produced a children's television series on climate and sustainability, recently joined the steering group for a Sustainable Energy Community in Kenmare that is currently tendering an energy masterplan. Each of them talks about what drew them to the programme and what they hope to bring back to their own communities. Kieran and Chris also share how the angling club is being used as a vehicle for environmental work on the River Owveg, a tributary of the Feale, where fish stocks have dropped sharply within their lifetime.A thread running through our chat is the idea of adaptation as a positive project rather than a doom-and-gloom one. The participants talk about the difficulty of communicating climate issues with farmers, the value of humour in those conversations and the Rob Hopkins idea of 'falling in love with the future' that the group can work towards. We also touch on practical ideas being shared across the programme, from community energy masterplans and shared solar installations to an anaerobic digester on Cape Clear that turns food waste into cooking gas and fertiliser. The next sessions take the group to the Maharees Conservation Association and to the Fenit Wild Mind festival, where Transition Kerry will host a skills share tent. I'll be following up with more participants once this phase of the programme wraps up in June.To sign up or find out more, contact [email protected] go to www.adaptationkerry.transitionkerry.orgSubscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science NewsletterSupport the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube

How many wolves is enough? Is that even the right question to ask? And will the recent lowering of wolf protection status in the EU actually reduce the conflict between wolves and people? These are some of the questions we tackle in this episode. After the previous wolf episode generated a lot of feedback, including detailed emails from scientists, one of those scientists is our guest today. Joachim Mergeay is a senior researcher at the Research Institute for Nature and Forest in Belgium, an associate professor of conservation genetics at Leuven University, Flanders, and a member of the IUCN Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe. He reached out after listening to the podcast and I was immediately interested in his deeper perspective on wolf coexistence in Europe.During our conversation, Joachim makes a compelling case that if we solve the conflict, the number of wolves becomes far less important. He shares practical examples from Belgium where electric fencing, supported by volunteer teams and full subsidies for farmers, has virtually eliminated livestock predation in some wolf territories. We also discuss why shooting wolves, even under the new lowered protection status, is unlikely to meaningfully reduce conflict because the requirement to maintain favourable conservation status leaves very little room for lethal management. Joachim is clear that he is not against hunting in principle but stresses that we need to be honest about the goals behind it.We also get into the broader picture of rural abandonment, shifting baselines and the urban-rural divide. Joachim challenges the assumption that rural and urban people are worlds apart in their attitudes towards wolves, pointing to research showing the differences are smaller than most of us think. He also offers an optimistic observation about shifting baselines working in the opposite direction for once, with children growing up in countries where wolves are simply part of the landscape. We finish with a look at how European-level policy can work alongside local solutions and what the future might hold for wolf populations across the continent.Further reading:Perspectives on wolves after their recolonisation in Flanders, BelgiumContinuing recovery of wolves in EuropeEstimating the Effective Size of European Wolf PopulationsSubscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science NewsletterSupport the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube

Working in conservation? Take the survey: CONLAB surveyWho are the people doing the actual work of conservation? How many of them are there and what are their working conditions? And whose labour remains invisible in the process? These are not questions that conservation science has spent much time on. Yet without understanding the people behind the work, we lack a complete picture of how conservation functions and who it affects. Today, we take on this largely neglected subject with Dr Anwesha Dutta, principal investigator and project lead of CONLAB (Conservation Labor Project), and Dr Nick Harvey Sky, postdoctoral researcher on the project. Their work sits at the intersection of political ecology and conservation science, and their work is opening up an entirely new line of inquiry.During our conversation, Anwesha and Nick explain how labour theory can offer important insights into conservation. We discuss the power dynamics between employers and workers, the role of unpaid work, and how race, class and gender shape who gets opportunities in the sector. We also talk about the global survey they are running to capture the big picture of conservation labour worldwide. Nick explains why the survey casts a wide net, seeking responses not just from rangers and biologists but also from IT staff, hotel workers, farmers and anyone whose work supports conservation in some capacity. In fact, one of the aims of the project is to challenge our assumptions about who counts as a conservationist.We also get into some difficult but necessary territory. Anwesha shares her fieldwork experiences from national parks in India, where a ranger told her that if a ranger is hurt it takes two days to get medical help, but if a rhino is hurt a helicopter arrives instantly. We discuss the militarisation of conservation, the commodification of nature, and the troubling reality that in many parts of the world conservation labour is informal, seasonal and precarious. Nick talks about the so-called 'passion tax', where love for nature is exploited to justify poor pay and conditions. Both guests leave us with a clear message: conservation must be compassionate, careful, and embedded in an ethics of care for people and for the planet.Further reading:An international scoping review of rangers’ precarious employment conditions | Environment Systems and Decisions | Springer Nature LinkAn Exceptional Strike: A Micro-history of 'People versus Park' in MadagascarThe Low-Wage Conservationist: Biodiversity and Perversities of Value in MadagascarConservation labour geographies: Subsuming regional labour into private conservation spaces in South AfricaPsychological distress and workplace risk inequalities among conservation professionalsSupporting conservationists’ mental health through better working conditionsNot Just Participation: The Rise of the Eco-Precariat in the Green EconomyLabour perspectives on frontline conservation work | Current ConservationSubscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science NewsletterSupport the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube