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 of solo episodes that I’m going to publish this year. In those I present the views that I have developed after many years of making this podcast which include not only conversations with experts but also attendance at conferences and reading countless books on these subjects. You can treat those as bonus episodes. The episodes where I interview scientists, conservationists and people with a love for nature and the outdoors are still coming on a fortnightly schedule.

If you’re interested in hearing more from me, have a suggestion for future episodes or want to leave feedback, please contact me through the contact form. If you’re an event organiser and would like me to speak at your event, go and check out the following link.

Further reading:

• Nourishment: What Animals Can Teach Us about Rediscovering Our Nutritional Wisdom
• Restoring the Wild: True Stories of Rewilding Britain’s Skies, Woods and Waterways
• Anthropogenic food subsidies hinder the ecological role of wolves: Insights for conservation of apex predators in human-modified landscapes - ScienceDirect
• Golden jackal expansion in northernmost Europe: records in Finland | Mammalian Biology

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On my podcast, we talk a lot about coexistence with large carnivores and the challenges it poses. Some of those challenges might seem insurmountable to some. To shed some light on overcoming these hurdles, I contacted Helen Arusoo, an Estonian nature journalist and the leader of the National Animal Working Group. In this conversation, we talk about how Estonia overcame these hurdles and created something that I would consider the gold standard of coexistence with large carnivores.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of our time was spent discussing wolves as they seem to be the most difficult carnivore species to coexist with, at least in the northern hemisphere. However, we did discuss other large carnivores like bears too. Our conversation focused mostly on social and cultural factors. We also touched on the European Commission's proposal to lower the protection status of wolves, something we’ve discussed extensively in one of the previous episodes.

It was a wonderful conversation and I enjoyed speaking with Helen. Her profound understanding of the challenges of coexistence is impressive. She presented a deeply thought-out perspective and I can only wish that more people who care about wolves could learn from her experience and the Estonian model of coexistence with large carnivores.

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When we talk about dogs and conservation, it is usually in the context of wildlife disturbances caused by pet dogs and their inconsiderate owners. However, a specially trained dog can be an invaluable asset in conservation projects that require searches or detection. The subjects can vary from searching and finding carcasses to detecting nests and chicks of birds nesting in burrows. That includes a dog indicating what species was found!

To explore the use of dogs in research and conservation projects I talk with Dr Caroline Finlay, the founder of Conservation Detection Dogs Northern Ireland. By listening to this episode, you will learn how it is possible to train a dog for this work. What a typical day of searching looks like. Are there any downsides to using dogs in sensitive habitats? And many more interesting facts.

You will also learn about some specific projects and common activities like searching for carcasses around wind turbines or research projects on Eurasian Curlew or Manx Shearwater. Finally, if you’re a researcher, you will learn when and how to engage with the CDDNI and see if they can be of help to your project.

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The new year has just started and I’m quick to treat you to yet another episode of the Conservation and Science podcast. Since it is this early in the year, it’s a good opportunity to give you an update about my plans for 2024 and what you can expect from the podcast. Listen to find out about changes to the episode release schedule, my writing and speaking efforts, and my future social media presence.

In the second part of this episode, I take a look back at the 2023 releases and share with you my reflections on them. It was an interesting exercise for me and by listening to it, you might find episodes you want to revisit or listen to for the first time if you missed them. And in case, you’ve joined us recently, it’s a useful review of the last year’s back catalogue.

Finally, I encourage you to subscribe to my newsletter. I will be putting more focus on it in the coming year, and the scope of its content will be expanding. My goal is to make it a primary method of communicating with you, my audience, and gradually move away from social media.

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A Flicker in the Water is a book about fishing I wish someone had written a long time ago. I gotta admit that due to its small size, I initially underestimated it. However, as I started reading it, I was immediately drawn to the series of fishing stories and captivated by original, real-life photos. In fact, reading this book was so pleasurable that I ended up reading it twice over, back to back. I’m not kidding you!

During my conversation with the author and expert angler, Bob Gonzalez, we delved into the specifics of fishing in tropical waters. For example, you will learn how to use a second rod to keep fighting a big fish when it’s about to spool you! This episode and book are a delight for all anglers. Especially,  since most of us are now in the depths of winter, so hearing fishing stories from the tropics will surely warm you up!

Get "A Flicker in the Water": https://amzn.to/3RNV0jm

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The story of Brant MacDuff, the author of the book under the title “The Shotgun Conservationist: Why Environmentalists Should Love Hunting” is in many ways similar to mine. We were both born and raised in the city without any contact or access to hunting. We overcame not insignificant obstacles to get into hunting later in life and both of us decided to share this experience with others who might want to do the same but don’t know where to start. Both Brant and I also understood how important but counterintuitive the connection between hunting and wildlife conservation is.

As you know, I’ve created a downloadable guide on how to get started with deer hunting in Ireland and the topic of the science of wildlife conservation is literally in the title of this podcast. Brant, achieved both of those goals in one go by writing his book. There are, of course, differences between us. For one, Brant lives in the USA where the connection between hunting and conservation is more direct than in Europe. He also started in his youth as an anti-hunter, something which I never was. Nevertheless, while reading Brant’s book and then chatting with him on this podcast, I undeniably felt that we have a lot in common.

The Shotgun Conservationist is one of those books that I would definitely recommend, not only to those who want to try hunting, but also to those who are open-minded enough to explore why so many counterintuitively repeat the mantra of “hunting is conservation”. Finally, despite the realities of hunting, conservation and the public perception of hunting being different in the US compared to Europe, it fascinates me how many of those themes are shared across the globe.

Enjoy our conversation and after you’ve listened to it, go ahead and buy the book using the provided link. This way you’ll not only treat yourself to a fun and thoughtful book, but you’ll also support my podcast as I will get a small commission from every sale. Of course, the price you pay won’t be affected.

The Shotgun Conservationist: Why Environmentalists Should Love Hunting

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Mentioned in this episode:

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How to Get Started in Deer Hunting in Ireland

The European Commission is deliberating on lowering the protection status of wolves in the EU. It seems like this decision has been taken after the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen’s pony was killed by wolves. Is this really the reason for what many have dubbed “a new European wolf hunt”? To unpack this issue I talked to environmentalists, farmers, top-tier scientists and last but not least, hunters.

Our guests are a wildlife biologist, Professor John Linnell, a goat breeder, Bruno Lecomte, a social scientist, ​​Professor Erica von Essen, an environmentalist, the Head of EU Policy at BirdLife International, Ariel Brunner and, last but not least, the Secretary General of the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation, Dr David Scallan. Special thanks to hunting journalist and blogger Denis Plat for his help in ensuring that opinions from rural France were voiced.

While making this episode I recorded many hours of material and understandably not all of it made it into the episode. If you would be interested in listening to the individual interviews with the guests in this podcast, please click here.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the individual participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organisation. The participants are expressing their personal opinions and perspectives.

• European Predation Map
• The Commission's Invitation
• Attitudes towards returning wolves (Canis lupus) in Germany: Exposure, information sources and trust matter - ScienceDirect
• FACE | Changes to the protection status of wolves? European Commission launches new phase

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The impact of farming on nature is one of the most contested subjects. The negative impact on biodiversity and soil health is juxtaposed with food security and benefits to certain species of wildlife. But does it have to be one or the other? Join me for the conversation with Suzanna Crampton who is one of the most recognisable figures in Irish agriculture. She graduated from Sterling College in Vermont, where she studied agricultural and environmental sciences and learned about farming that works with nature, not against it.

I was delighted to accept Suzanna’s invitation to her farm to record this episode in person rather than online like most of the episodes. We started the day with a walk around the farm where she shared her encyclopedic knowledge of nature, explaining how the lifecycles of different species of plants and animals create complex natural processes. I also had the opportunity to meet the 'girls,' as Suzanna fondly refers to her famous flock of dark brown Zwartbles sheep.

It would likely take a substantial blog post to describe all the wonderful and interesting things that Suzanna showed me on her farm before we sat down in her office to record the podcast. It would take another blog post to talk about Suzanna’s many other talents, as she’s also an accomplished writer, photographer and woollen blanket designer, among other things. After listening to this episode I encourage you to visit the Zwartbles Ireland website where you can learn more about Suzanna’s farm and her work.

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This episode is a real treat for all those who are interested in bowhunting, bowhunting culture and the ethics of bowhunting compared to rifle hunting. Everything sprinkled with a healthy dose of hunting stories.

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It feels like I’m one of the only very few who talks about bowhunting with European listeners in mind. Indeed, I would like to see hunting with archery tackle being legalised and popularised on the old continent. In my view, the notions that it’s inhumane or somehow unethical are ill-advised and plain wrong. It is especially disturbing when such unwise opinions are expressed with confidence by hunters or veterinary practitioners who have no experience or previous exposure to bowhunting.

To talk about these matters I’m joined by expert bowhunter Jim Clark. In our conversation, Jim shares a wealth of knowledge about bowhunting as well as some of his personal stories. As always I didn’t shy away from asking him hard questions to tease out the potential downsides of using archery tackle over firearms.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable conversation and it only made me want to try my hand at bowhunting even more. I will keep talking about hunting with archery tackle to at least provoke a constructive discussion among European hunters and hunting organisations alike. If you would like to see bowhunting legalised, please leave a comment. What are your thoughts?

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Mentioned in this episode:

The Hunter Conservationist Podcast brings you nuanced content about conservation, science and responsible hunting in Canada, so you can stay topped up on issues concerning your outdoor, hunting and fishing lifestyle, stay current on the latest in wildlife conservation, science and responsible hunting and be entertained by conversations with intellectual thinkers.

The Hunter Conservationist Podcast

DOWNLOAD:

How to Get Started in Deer Hunting in Ireland

Today, we continue the exploration of the public perception of hunting, the issue of social license to hunt and some current topics related to hunting. Certain issues such as the use of lead in hunting ammunition or the attempts to ban the import of certain animal parts, aka trophy import ban, often hit the headlines. And there is no better person to talk about it than Ben Cassidy who is the Executive Vice President for International Government and Public Affairs at Safari Club International.

This episode also serves as a great introduction to the SCI for those who might not be that familiar with this organisation. That could be particularly relevant to my European listeners who might have heard about SCI but don’t know much about the organisation and their work. One thing is for sure, whether it’s North America, Europe or anywhere else in the world, hunting is facing the same challenges and learning how hunters in different parts of the world are dealing with them is beneficial to all.

Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter

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Mentioned in this episode:

DOWNLOAD:

How to Get Started in Deer Hunting in Ireland

The Hunter Conservationist Podcast brings you nuanced content about conservation, science and responsible hunting in Canada, so you can stay topped up on issues concerning your outdoor, hunting and fishing lifestyle, stay current on the latest in wildlife conservation, science and responsible hunting and be entertained by conversations with intellectual thinkers.

The Hunter Conservationist Podcast