Today we talk all things lowland raised bog! Our guest is Simon Gray, Senior Technical Officer at Ulster Wildlife, who works on the CANN project. Simon is also a regular listener of the podcast so it was my pleasure to welcome him to the other side of the production set.

At the beginning of the show, we discuss the differences between various types of bogs and how they are formed. Then we move on to bog ecology and explain why they are so important for the environment. We discuss present threats to bogs and what can be done, and indeed what is being done, to preserve and protect them for the future.

During our conversation we talk about many related issues such as predator control, trampling of ground-nesting bird’s nests by livestock, rewetting of bogs and the impacts of invasive rhododendron. You will also learn how not to drown a massive digger in a bog. It was a hugely educational and fun conversation.

Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter

Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.

Recommended Books: tommysoutdoors.com/books

Merch: tommysoutdoors.com/shop

Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook