Paul is  the Director of Fundraising and Communications for Buglife:

Buglife is the only organisation in Europe devoted to the conservation of all invertebrates, and we are actively working to save Britain’s rarest little animals, everything from bees to beetles, worms to woodlice and jumping spiders to jellyfish. There are more than 40,000 invertebrate species in the UK, and many of these are under threat as never before.

Invertebrates are vitally important to a healthy planet – humans and other life forms could not survive without them. The food we eat, the fish we catch, the birds we see, the flowers we smell and the hum of life we hear, simply would not exist without bugs. Invertebrates underpin life on earth and without them the world’s ecosystems would collapse.

Please support the SSSI designation for Swanscombe ( the link is also in the comment section below.

https://lnkd.in/dX8RSps

Swanscombe Marshes natures jewel of the Thames Gateway is under threat as developers look to create a theme park on this haven for over 250 endangers species. They promise dinosaurs they will bring extinctions .

A site that in the words of Natural England is probably the best site in the whole UK has managed to bypass local planners by going under the guise of a National Infrastructure Project so planning enquiry and ministerial decision. We need your help to stop this now. The site is a SSSI designate that boards a Marine Conservation Zone if they can build here where can ever be safe.

Heal is raising money to buy land in the English lowlands and rewild it.

We're giving land back to nature, forever.

Hannah is an experienced biological scientist taking practical action to help nature’s recovery. She brings to Heal experience of habitat management, river restoration, community engagement and advocacy. She believes that rewilding is the most sustainable and logical route to ecosystem recovery, and defines it as helping nature to heal itself by giving it back the tools it needs to do so.

Hannah leads Heal Future, our network for young rewilders aged 14-30, and works closely with Jan as a Strategic Advisor. Last year, Hannah founded a vibrant volunteer group, Wild About Datchet, to help her local community reconnect with nature. Hannah loves working with the Heal team because, like her, they understand that the fastest and most sustainable route to ecological recovery is to make nature relevant and accessible to everyone in society.

Cllr James Mallinder is spearheading the "Pardon the Weeds, We are Feeding The Bees" campaign" for East Suffolk District council.

Links relevant to the podcast;

PARDON THE WEEDS, WE ARE FEEDNG THE BESS- www.eastsuffolkconservatives.org.uk/news/new-conservation-initiative-launched-east-suffolk

GREEN PRINT FORUM- www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/environment/east-suffolk-greenprint-forum/

PLASTIC ACTION CHAMPIONS- www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/environment/east-suffolk-greenprint-forum/plastic-action/plastic-action-champions-and-volunteering/

NATURE FIRST POLICY- www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/news/upcoming-event-puts-nature-first/

Bio on James Mallinder:

James is the   Deben ward member at East Suffolk and hold the role of Cabinet Member for the Environment.

It is important to link East Suffolk into other interested parties, so I am board member for the Suffolk Waste Partnership, The Suffolk Local Access Forum, Green Print Forum steering committee and Coastal Partnership East. As personal interest and synergy I also put my name forward to be vice chair of the joint advisory committee for Suffolk Coast Heaths and Dedham Vale AONB which I was duly elected.

James is also the Chairman of the Council’s Environmental Task Group which was established in July 2019 when we declared a climate emergency. The Task Group meets quarterly to consider and action what can be done to meet the Council’s challenging target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030 and making sure environment considerations are threaded throughout our policy and decision processes.

James is also a member of the CEN (Conservative Environment Network), a wider forum that supports conservation and decarbonisation.

Dusty has worked in green roofs for over 15 years. He is currently the President of the European Federation of Green Roof Associations. He founded Livingroofs.org in 2004 to provide the first independent green roof organization in the UK. Livingroofs.org provides advice, information and advocacy for the green roof industry in the UK.

Bridgeman and Bridgeman bio;

Bridgman & Bridgman LLP are a living roof services provider, established in Milton Keynes. The team has worked on many prestigious national projects, both creating commercial landscape schemes on the ground and building award-winning gardens in the sky.

Donald's Bio and useful links:

Emorsgate Seeds was established in 1980 by Donald MacIntyre who was inspired to pioneer and promote the use of wild plant seeds to put into practice the knowledge he had gained academically. Donald has a degree in botany at Royal Holloway College, an MSc in plant genetics at Glasgow University, and has undertaken research in genetics, ecology and plant breeding.

Some videos of Emorsgate seeds King's College project, in Cambridge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BZ2MvCtZQw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFb3Zygio_Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNn31SJH6Xo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOGnrXHsCiQ&feature=youtu.be

In this wide ranging podcast we explore Bats in the built environment,  native Bat species, how artificial light is detrimental to bats and   Jo dispels the myth that the BCT is only here to protect Bats. Joe clearly explains how each project can be a win-win for both humans , Bats and the wider environment.

Jo's Bio:

Jo has worked for the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) for the last 5.5 years, first as the Built Environment Officer before becoming the Built Environment Manager in early 2019. Prior to starting at BCT she had been involved with bat conservation in a voluntary and professional capacity for over 15 years. Jo’s more recent professional experience is as an ecological consultant and licensed bat worker specialising in urban bat ecology; providing surveys, mitigation and enhancement advice covering a range of development projects, including residential, commercial and transport. She also has extensive experience in scientific research, working for the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology and Earthwatch in Melbourne and currently running trapping surveys for the National Nathusius Pipistrelle Project in south London. Jo is a Full Member of CIEEM, a Volunteer Bat Roost Visitor and a member London Bat Group.

Helpful links relating to the podcast:

Advice for developers inc. link to bats and the law: https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work/buildings-planning-and-development/building-or-development-works

In this podcast we  focus on SUDS ( Sustainable Urban Drainage systems) and how, a well designed SUDS scheme can increase the  biodiversity within a scheme.

Useful links relating to the podcast:

Bob's Bio.

Bob has practiced as a landscape architect for over 40 years specialising in biodiverse and sustainable landscapes. A life-long interest in aquatic environments, wildlife and botany led naturally to Bob becoming a pioneer of Creative Rainwater Management - also known as Sustainable Drainage Systems or SuDS - in the UK.

In the episode we discuss the importance of planting native species, the variety of bee species and the devastating use pesticide on the environment.

Dave has an informative Youtube channel :https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbnBys2Hl1T26dzO_nbgbiw and is also very active on Twitter. @DaveGoulson

Dave new book "The Garden Jungle" is out now.

Dave's extended  bio is below:

I study the ecology, behaviour and conservation of bumblebees. I'm also interested in pollinators and pollination more generally, and particularly in the sustainable management of pollinators in agro-ecosystems. My group uses a broad range of approaches, from genetic studies (of inbreeding, population structure, and as a means of estimating nest density) to behavioural assays to large-scale field trials. In recent years we have become heavily involved in studies of the impacts of pesticides on bumblebees. We are also involved in various “Citizen Science” projects as a mechanism to involve large numbers of people in conservation and in science more generally, and also as a means for gathering large data sets. In 2003 I bought a farm in France on which to carry out large-scale habitat manipulation experiments.

My popular science book about bumblebees, A Sting in the Tale, has proved to be a great way to build popular interest in bees and their conservation. The sequel, A Buzz in the Meadow, was released in 2014 to lovely reviews - it describes my attempts to create a wildlife sanctuary in a corner of France.

In this podcast I speak with the trailblazer John Little of The Grass Roof company. In this wide ranging and informative podcast we discuss how "Brownfield landscape" can be the most Biodiverse spaces for flora and fauna. We also discuss  solitary Bees, and the need to include an entomologist in the design process

Lastly, we touch on the fabulous work John undertook over 18 years at the Clapton Park  social Housing estate, in London (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/oct/11/clapton-park-estate-john-little)

https://www.instagram.com/grassroofco/?hl=en

grassroofcompany.co.uk

The following link  is for a webinar entitled: "How to save money and green the highways", in which John participated. Its a high quality, informative webinar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr2-_OQWmRo&feature=youtu.be

This webinar outlined how we can apply a more whole life-cycle approach to linear infrastructure schemes using low-nutrient soil to reduce maintenance and waste, save money and carbon, and enhance nature.  

Chaired by Kat Evans, Associate Director, RSK Habitat Management and ADAS Environment.  Phil Sterling, from Butterfly Conservation, will demonstrate how he created a nature-rich embankment on the Weymouth relief road and saved more than £270,000 for Dorset County Council.   Sarah Wynn, Technical Director in ADAS, will examine the carbon implications by comparing the standard and alternative low-nutrient-topsoil approaches.  

John Little, from Grass Roof Company and a CIRIA BIG Biodiversity Challenge award winner, will show how he incorporates habitats into structures and uses recycled materials to create beautiful, low-maintenance, biodiverse environments.