The Nature Recovery Podcast

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What is the biggest misunderstanding people have about urban planning? How do we design cities for extreme climate events when nature is acting unpredictably?

In this episode of the Nature Recovery Podcast, hosts Dr. Wendee Zhang and Ada Grabowska-Zhang sit down with Professor Iain White from the University of Waikato. They explore the delicate politics of climate adaptation, the necessity of designing "safe to fail" infrastructure, and how we can better translate academic research into real-world impact. Professor White also shares fascinating insights into New Zealand’s role as a "living laboratory" for multi-hazard resilience and how Indigenous Māori perspectives (Mātauranga Māori) are reshaping long-term environmental governance.

The Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is interested in promoting a wide variety of views and opinions on nature recovery from researchers and practitioners.

The views, opinions and positions expressed within this podcast are those of the speakers alone, they do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, or its researchers.

The work of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is made possible thanks to the support of the Leverhulme Trust.

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In this episode of the Nature Recovery Podcast, Vittorio Anah speaks with Camilla Burrow, the Chief Executive of the local environmental charity Wild Oxfordshire. Camilla explains the work Wild Oxfordshire has done and is planning do.

Wild Oxfordshire are supporting The Nature Festival which happens in Oxford 21-27 June 2026.
https://thenaturefestival.org/
 

They explore:

• Camilla’s experience running Wild Oxfordshire
• What the charity is involved with currently
• How Wild Oxfordshire chooses its projects 
• How success is measured for an environmental charity 
• The current state of Oxfordshire’s environmental organisation landscape 
• The biggest challenges facing Wild Oxfordshire and organisations like it
• The importance of coordination and collaboration between environmental charities in Oxfordshire
• The long term vision for Wild Oxfordshire

Find out more about Camilla and Wild Oxfordshire’s work here:

The Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is interested in promoting a wide variety of views and opinions on nature recovery from researchers and practitioners.

The views, opinions and positions expressed within this podcast are those of the speakers alone, they do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, or its researchers.

The work of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is made possible thanks to the support of the Leverhulme Trust.

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In this episode of the Nature Recovery Podcast, Stephen Thomas is joined by Nat Duffus and Harrison Carter to unpack the often confusing world of biodiversity finance. Harrison introduces his new paper, Demystifying Biodiversity Finance, and explains why conservationists, ecologists and investors need a shared language to make sense of bonds, loans, equity, credits and risk.

The conversation explores:

•  what biodiversity finance actually means in practice 
•  how bonds can support nature recovery, and where they fall short 
•  why project-level, social and ecological risks matter for investors 
•  the importance of monitoring, reporting and verification 
•  why scepticism is not the same as negativity when trying to finance nature 

The episode makes a strong case for honest, practical collaboration between conservation and finance, with the long-term goal of creating more effective and more durable support for nature recovery.

You can find the paper here:

https://naturerecovery.ox.ac.uk/outputs/demystifying-biodiversity-finance/

The Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is interested in promoting a wide variety of views and opinions on nature recovery from researchers and practitioners.

The views, opinions and positions expressed within this podcast are those of the speakers alone, they do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, or its researchers.

The work of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is made possible thanks to the support of the Leverhulme Trust.

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For a long time, freshwater experts thought of estuaries as just "the end of the river," while marine biologists dismissed them as "the bit where the sea comes in." But today, scientists realize that estuaries are incredibly complex, dynamic ecosystems in their own right. 

In this episode of the Nature Recovery Podcast, Stephen is joined by world-renowned estuarine and coastal science expert, Professor Mike Elliott. They explore the fascinating, constantly fluctuating world of estuaries, the vital "ecotones" where rivers meet the sea.

Professor Elliott explains the "triple whammy" of pressures facing global coastlines, the difference between contamination and pollution, and introduces the concept of the "Emerald Economy." He also breaks down the DAPSI(W)R(M) framework for solving complex environmental challenges, proving that when we relieve the pressures on these dynamic systems, nature can, and does, bounce back.

Key Topics Covered:

• What actually makes an estuary an ecosystem in its own right?
• The "Estuarine Quality Paradox" and how organisms survive extreme environmental stress.
• Understanding the "Emerald Economy": Ecosystem services vs. Societal goods and benefits.
• The "Triple Whammy" threatening our coasts: industrialization, resource depletion, and climate change.
• Incredible recovery stories: How the dead Thames and Clyde estuaries were brought back to life.
• The DAPSI(W)R(M) framework: A roadmap for balancing human needs with natural systems.

Resources:

• Learn more about Professor Mike Elliott's work at the University of Hull and IECS Limited.

The Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is interested in promoting a wide variety of views and opinions on nature recovery from researchers and practitioners.

The views, opinions and positions expressed within this podcast are those of the speakers alone, they do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, or its researchers.

The work of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is made possible thanks to the support of the Leverhulme Trust.

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In this episode of the Nature Recovery Podcast, Stephen Thomas speaks with Lee White about a remarkable life working across science, conservation, and government in central Africa. Lee reflects on growing up in Uganda, studying rainforest ecosystems in West Africa and Gabon, and how his scientific work led him into national park creation, forest policy, and international climate negotiations.

The conversation explores why the gap between scientific evidence and political action remains so wide, and why forests need to be understood not only as ecosystems but as economic and geopolitical systems. Lee explains how Gabon tried to make standing forests economically valuable through protected areas, sustainable forestry, and REDD+, and why that model faced both successes and setbacks.

They also discuss the Congo Basin as a global climate system, the importance of local and international science capacity, and the role of nature in human health, resilience, and wellbeing. The episode ends with a broader reflection on what nature recovery really means, from restoring cities and farmland to thinking at a planetary scale.

The Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is interested in promoting a wide variety of views and opinions on nature recovery from researchers and practitioners.

The views, opinions and positions expressed within this podcast are those of the speakers alone, they do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, or its researchers.

The work of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is made possible thanks to the support of the Leverhulme Trust.

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Hosted by Wallerand Bazin, a DPhil researcher in Geography and the Environment at Oxford whose work focuses on the political ecologies of climate and conservation in heritage landscapes. 

In this episode of the Nature Recovery Podcast, Stephen Thomas and Wallerand Bazin speak with Guy Shrubsole about land ownership, stewardship, and the politics of nature recovery in Britain. Shrubsole traces the ideas behind Who Owns England?, The Lost Rainforest of Britain, and The Lie of the Land, and explains how his thinking developed through environmental campaigning, archival research, and fieldwork.

The conversation explores why land ownership remains so concentrated in England, why “stewardship” is often more rhetoric than reality, and why public funding for nature should be tied to stronger accountability. Shrubsole also discusses community land ownership in Scotland, the case for more transparency in land registry data, and how nature recovery needs to be understood through history, justice, and power as well as ecology.

The Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is interested in promoting a wide variety of views and opinions on nature recovery from researchers and practitioners.

The views, opinions and positions expressed within this podcast are those of the speakers alone, they do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, or its researchers.

The work of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is made possible thanks to the support of the Leverhulme Trust.

Send us Fan Mail

Professor Ian Mell discusses how green infrastructure has moved from the margins of planning into mainstream conversation. He explains the political, economic and cultural barriers to delivery in the UK, cautions about uncritical reliance on markets and offsets, and highlights lessons from Asian cities where ambitious, large-scale projects and data-driven delivery have driven visible change. The episode explores equity, climate adaptation, placemaking and how to combine technical valuation with everyday lived experience to make green infrastructure work for communities.

Guest
Ian Mell, Professor of Environmental and Landscape Planning, University of Manchester. Author of The Growing Green Infrastructure in Contemporary Asian Cities.

Host
Wendee Zhang, Postdoctoral researcher at Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery working on projects investigating the health/wellbeing benefits of urban green and blue spaces.

Key takeaways

• Green infrastructure is now part of national conversation but delivery and funding remain inconsistent across the UK.
• Economic valuation helps enter conversations with funders but cannot capture all environmental value. Markets and offsets need careful scrutiny.
• Asian cities provide rapid, large-scale experiments in GI that the UK can learn from, particularly on urban regeneration and converting failing infrastructure into green space.
• Lived experience matters. Simple design elements: shade, seating, lighting, bins, playgrounds; often determine whether green space is used and benefits well-being.
• Political will and long-term funding are essential. Short political cycles and fear of failure limit bold local investment.
• Climate adaptation and social justice must be addressed together to ensure equitable access to benefits.

You can also see Ian's lecture that he gave to the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery here.

The Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is interested in promoting a wide variety of views and opinions on nature recovery from researchers and practitioners.

The views, opinions and positions expressed within this podcast are those of the speakers alone, they do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, or its researchers.

The work of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is made possible thanks to the support of the Leverhulme Trust.

Send us Fan Mail

Nature finance is often presented as a solution to biodiversity loss but what does it actually mean?

In this episode of the Nature Recovery Podcast, David Goodman speaks with Dr. Alice Stuart, a postdoctoral researcher at Oxford’s School of Geography and the Environment. Alice’s research maps and analyses public, private, and philanthropic finance flows into conservation across the UK.

They explore:

• Why most conservation funding still comes from public sources
• The role of philanthropy and corporate funding
• Why private investors are hesitant to fund nature
• How Biodiversity Net Gain and habitat banking work
• The risks of reducing biodiversity to a metric
• Goodhart’s Law and “gaming” environmental targets
• Why democratising nature finance requires local empowerment

Alice argues that the key issue isn’t how much money flows into nature but whether it goes to the right places, empowers the right people, and delivers meaningful ecological outcomes.

Find out more about Alice's work and view their outputs on mapping financial flows here:
https://naturerecovery.ox.ac.uk/people/alice-stuart/

The Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is interested in promoting a wide variety of views and opinions on nature recovery from researchers and practitioners.

The views, opinions and positions expressed within this podcast are those of the speakers alone, they do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, or its researchers.

The work of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is made possible thanks to the support of the Leverhulme Trust.

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In this episode we talk to Dr Keith Kirby MBE about Wytham Woods, a Thames Valley hill of limestone, ancient woodland and one of the most intensively studied woodland sites in the world. Keith traces the site’s deep history (a coral reef 150 million years ago), the human influence on the landscape over centuries, and the key decisions that shaped the wood we see today: enclosure and planting by estate owners, the university bequest in the 1940s, and the later tussles between foresters and ecologists over management.

Keith shares highlights from decades of scientific monitoring: the bird-box programme started in 1947 (now over 1,000 boxes), permanent 10×10 m vegetation plots set up in the 1970s and remeasured repeatedly, badger and small-mammal studies, and how changing deer numbers and later ash dieback altered forest dynamics. He reflects on the practical lessons — how deer control enabled ground flora recovery, how some management mistakes left long legacies, and the rare moments of continuity (including recent tree plantings by the family of Charles Elton). Keith also points out the small, poignant human stories inside the woods: WWI practice trenches under a spring carpet of bluebells, and the rediscovery of rare plants.

The Wytham Woods Book is here:
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/wytham-woods-9780197610602?cc=gb&lang=en&

And you can find more information about visiting the wood here:
https://www.wythamwoods.ox.ac.uk/visit
and you can find the guidebook here:
https://www.wythamwoods.ox.ac.uk/shop

To here more from Keith you can watch his lecture here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICD4B3d28b8

or read his popular blog here:
https://theoldmanofwytham.com/

The Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is interested in promoting a wide variety of views and opinions on nature recovery from researchers and practitioners.

The views, opinions and positions expressed within this podcast are those of the speakers alone, they do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, or its researchers.

The work of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is made possible thanks to the support of the Leverhulme Trust.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode Elizabeth Bock speaks with Dr Molly Grace (University of Oxford), co-chair of the IUCN Green Status of Species working group. The conversation explains how the Green Status complements the Red List by measuring species recovery, not just extinction risk. Molly unpacks the three components of recovery (distribution, viability, functionality), explains how the assessment quantifies the impact of conservation actions, and outlines how the Green Status can be used for national reporting under the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Key takeaways

• The Green Status answers a question the Red List does not: what does recovery look like, and how much has conservation achieved so far.
• Recovery is measured using three components: distribution (pre-impact vs current range), viability (extinction risk), and functionality (ability to perform ecological roles).
• The assessment includes a counterfactual element: it estimates what recovery would look like without past conservation, making conservation impact visible.
• Baselines matter and are contested; the Green Status uses a pre-impact baseline within the past 500 years to allow standardised comparison.
• Early priorities include improving taxonomic coverage (beyond charismatic vertebrates) and piloting national reporting with countries such as Indonesia and South Africa.

The Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is interested in promoting a wide variety of views and opinions on nature recovery from researchers and practitioners.

The views, opinions and positions expressed within this podcast are those of the speakers alone, they do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, or its researchers.

The work of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is made possible thanks to the support of the Leverhulme Trust.