Conservation and Science

Conservation of the marine environment is prominently featured in many episodes of my podcast. Regular listeners have heard on many occasions the opinion that marine protected areas, or MPAs for short, is where it’s at. But as always in these cases, if you start digging and asking questions everything is more difficult than it looks at first glance.

To start the discussion about MPAs, today I bring you an introduction to an environmental project called MarPAMM. Our guests are Dr Naomi Wilson from Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Dr Anuschka Miller from the Scottish Association of Marine Science, and Dr Alex Callaway from Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute.  The goal of MarPAMM is to develop tools for monitoring and managing a number of protected coastal marine environments in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Western Scotland.

Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter

Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.

Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube

The term hunter-gatherers is often understood as a description of primitive people who live in an idyllic state of harmony with nature. In reality however, the lifestyle of hunter-gatherers is way more complex than most of us think.

To shed some light on this fascinating subject and to clarify some misconceptions I bring you my conversation with prof. Graeme Warren of the University College Dublin, School of Archaeology. Graeme is a specialist in the Archaeology of Hunter-Gatherers, the leader of the UCD Hunter-Gatherer Research Group and a Vice-President of the International Society for Hunter-Gatherer Research.

During our conversation, we touched on many interesting topics. The impact of hunter-gatherers on their environment, modern-day hunter-gatherers, political implications of archaeology and many more. We also touched on the often discussed topic of wild boar in Ireland. Finally, if you want to delve deeper into the topic of hunter-gatherers, you should check the website for the upcoming Conference on Hunting and Gathering Societies (CHAGS13) by going to www.ucd.ie/chags13

Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter

Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.

Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube

You often hear hunters and anglers boasting about humane animal treatment. Whether it is a “quick humane kill” in the case of hunters or “fish welfare” in the case of anglers practising catch and release, this subject is mentioned a lot. Also, environmentalists frequently bring up humane treatment and animal welfare in their conversations. But what does it actually mean to do something in a humane way?

In this episode, we try to shed some light on these issues with my guest Alick Simmons, a veterinarian, naturalist and photographer. Alick is the chair for The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare - The International Animal Welfare Science Society and also, the chair for The Humane Slaughter Association. I don’t know about you but, to me, that sounds like pretty good credentials for today’s topic!

Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter

Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.

Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube

Last month, I wrote a review of an excellent book titled “Beak, Tooth and Claw: Living with Predators in Britain” by Mary Colwell. At the end of that blog, I said that I would really love to have an opportunity to talk with Mary on my podcast. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait too long! After a brief exchange of messages, Mary and I agreed to get together and record an episode.

Mary Colwell is an environmentalist, campaigner, freelance producer and author. She is also well known for her work protecting an endangered wader, the Eurasian Curlew.

During the podcast, we talked about her motivations for writing the book and its reception. We also discussed how Mary approached the research required to write her book, along with various facets of living with predators and the complexity of issues this creates. From there we went on to the ever-interesting subjects of conservation and rewilding.

Obviously, this podcast wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t mention the curlew, our largest wader. Mary explains why the curlew population is declining so rapidly, what is being done to stop this trend, and what can you do to help out!

Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter

Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.

Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube

There are no two ways about it. It’s a milestone episode. Episode 100. To mark the occasion we get together with environmentalist, hunter and axe thrower, Ashley Glover to discuss some of the most interesting subjects from the past three years. And while the title says “Deer, Sheep and Fires,” in reality it should have said, “Deer, Sheep, Boar, Wolves, Mink, Trout, Seals, Woodland, Rhododendron and Fires.” You get the picture!

In our conversation, you will be able to identify episodes from Tommy’s Outdoors back catalogue that you might want to listen to. For your convenience, I have compiled below a full list of episodes discussed in our conversation. It is by no means a list of “best” episodes but just a list of those we mentioned. 

Episode 20: Irish Wildlife Trust with Pádraic Fogarty

Episode 29: Forestry and Native Woodlands with Ciaran Nugent

Episode 51: Fighting Illegal Salmon Netting with Bertie Brosnan

Episode 54: The National Biodiversity Data Centre with Dave Wall

Episode 61: African Swine Fever Awareness and Prevention with Shane McAuliffe

Episode 68: Rewilding, Wolves and Biodiversity with Pádraic Fogarty

Episode 71: The European Federation for Hunting and Conservation with David Scallan

Episode 72: Seal Rescue Ireland with Mel Robinson

Episode 73: Quantitative Ecology with Kilian Murphy

Episode 77: Sweden is Hunting with Andreas Michalik

Episode 78: Human-Seal Conflict with Liam Flannery and Dan Brosnan

Episode 81: Skates and Marine Rewilding with Patrick Collins

Episode 88: Rewilding Scotland with Peter Cairns

Episode 89: Camera Trapping and Large Mammal Monitoring with Adam Francis Smith

Episode 92: Upland Ecology with Cathy Mayne

Episode 95: Białowieża Forest with Marta Klimkiewicz

Episode 97: Human-Wildlife Conflict with Amy Dickman

You will also receive hints of possible future episodes! I don’t usually give that information away, but hey! There is only one episode 100 for every podcast!

Finally, I would like to say a big “thank you!” to all my guests from previous episodes, for donating their time and sharing their views, experiences and knowledge. It is greatly appreciated. I would also like to give a very special thanks to all of you, my listeners! Thank you for your messages, your feedback and your support. You make this podcast worth doing.

Onwards and upwards! To episode 200 and beyond!

Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter

Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.

Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube

Mentioned in this episode:

DOWNLOAD:

How to Get Started in Deer Hunting in Ireland

Bertie Brosnan is known to regular listeners from episode 51. It was an immensely interesting conversation about the fight against salmon poaching in the rivers of the Irish South-West. In this episode, Bertie is back to talk about his other passions: hunting and dog training. During our conversation, Bertie gives a fascinating account of how things were in the Irish countryside many decades ago. I just love to record episodes like this because first-hand stories and experiences from bygone times create a historical record. While listening to Bertie, I couldn’t resist the thought that we should talk more to our elderly folks, while they are still around. They not only remember the old times but their knowledge can give us an insight into how we can avoid repeating past mistakes. I look forward to other projects with Bertie that are on the horizon. His knowledge and wisdom are definitely worth listening to and preserving for future generations.

Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter

Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.

Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube

Mentioned in this episode:

DOWNLOAD:

How to Get Started in Deer Hunting in Ireland

Wildlife trafficking and poaching are huge problems for the conservation of the world’s most endangered species. They also present significant social and economic challenges. On one hand, big green organizations like WWF are criticised for “militarization of conservation” in their attempt to counteract the increasingly sophisticated and militarized wildlife trafficking cartels. On the other hand, members of local communities often find themselves caught in a conflict between those groups. That in turn leads to injustice and human rights abuse. In this episode, we start a conversation on this difficult topic. Our guest is Nathan Edmondson, co-founder and President of Eco Defense Group. They primarily work with local African communities to empower and provide necessary training, consultation and equipment to the frontline rangers who face danger and direct conflict. The Eco Defense Group’s background is in military special ops and, given the nature of their work, a lot of what they do has to remain secret. Wildlife trafficking is an incredibly complex and difficult topic and I hope to bring you more episodes about it. If you have any comments, as always, I encourage you to put them down below.

Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter

Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.

Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube

Mentioned in this episode:

DOWNLOAD:

How to Get Started in Deer Hunting in Ireland

Dr Amy Dickman needs no introduction. She is well known and hugely respected in both academic and conservation communities. She’s a conservation biologist and works on resolving human-wildlife conflict on human-dominated landscapes. Amy is a Kaplan Senior Research Fellow in Wild Cat Conservation under Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit. She is also the founder of The Ruaha Carnivore Project where she works closely with local communities to mitigate the conflict. During our chat, we explore the difficult topic of human-wildlife conflict and some of the related ethical and scientific issues. As it turns out, not everything is clear-cut and some questions are difficult to answer. If you are interested in wildlife conservation you will find this fast-paced episode fascinating. And as a result, you might find yourself questioning your own opinions. https://www.ruahacarnivoreproject.com/

Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter

Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.

Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube

My podcast listeners have heard, more than once, that there was a time when I was absolutely crazy about shark fishing. Among the many species of sharks present in my local waters, blue sharks (prionace glauca) have a special place in the hearts of sea anglers. These sharks are still relatively abundant and provide an opportunity to get a taste of true Big Game fishing without having to go on an expensive fishing holiday. We already touched briefly on shark fishing during podcast number 41 with my friend, and a man with whom I did most of my shark fishing, Luke Aston. Today, however, we’re going all-in on blue shark fishing. Our guest is Dr Simon Thomas who is not only an expert angler but also works tirelessly on analysing scientific data related to blue sharks. If you’re interested in marine biology or sharks or you’re just an angler who wants to learn more about shark-catching techniques, you will find this episode mighty interesting. No doubt!

Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter

Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.

Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube

Białowieża Forest is well known among environmentalists and wildlife enthusiasts around Europe and the world. It is the largest remaining part of the primaeval forest that once stretched across the European Plain. This region, spanning Poland and Belarus, steaming with biodiversity, is designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

But the situation on the ground is rather worrying with continued logging and complex land management issues. To explain the current state of affairs and what can be done to further protect this living gem of natural history, I talk with Marta Klimkiewicz from the environmental charity ClientEarth.

During our conversation, we often go on tangents to discuss other wildlife management issues in Poland like the human-wolf conflict and how to transition local economies to more sustainable practices. https://www.clientearth.org/

Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter

Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.

Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube