The Sustainable Catchment Podcast

Who is behind the farms that produce our food, and what does their morning look like?

Wake up alongside farmers from across the Leven Catchment. Find out what really happens before sunrise (the “all farmers wake up at 5am” myth does not quite hold up), and hear why they farm and how they care for the land and the water that runs through it.

Dawn Voices: Of Land, Water and Belonging is a sound piece produced by Rory Hamilton, released at 6am on 17 October to open the Catchment Festival. It is a chance to meet the people who grow and produce the food of the catchment, in their own words.

With: Fiona from Bankhead, Mark from Tillyrie, Robin Nevin from Loch Leven’s Larder, Johnnie Balfour and Laura from Balbirnie Home Farms, and David, Barbara, Peter, Robert and John.

Interviews by Clara Schade-Poulsen and Laura Frood. Produced by Rory Hamilton.

Part of the Catchment Festival. Full programme: https://lnkd.in/eSbprxsv

Donald leads the development of the institutional and governance frameworks for LENs, to provide the foundations that will allow LENs to grow and expand, with new partners and in new geographies. With a background in Ecology and Sustainable Agriculture, Donald started his career in research, before working in International Development for 20 years. Amelia is the Co-Director of Forth Rivers Trust. She has led climate resilience work in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park and also heads upthe Trust’s nature finance portfolio, including its flagship project, Leven LENs.

In this episode, Donald and Amelia explore how Landscape Enterprise Networks came to life, how it’s evolved, and where it’s heading. Hear about the power of sharing learnings across the LENs network—and how it connects with other emerging landscape finance efforts across the UK.

Amelia joined the Trust in 2017 and has led climate resilience work in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park since 2021. She also heads up the Trust’s nature finance portfolio, including its flagship project, Leven LENs. Clara Schade-Poulsen joined in 2024 to support the development of Leven LENs and also works across other projects focused on sustainable agriculture and holistic landscape restoration.

Tune into this episode as Amelia and Clara explore how and why Forth Rivers Trust initially embarked on the journey to create the nature commerce mechanism, Landscape Enterprise Network, in the Leven Catchment. Learn more about the Trust's close collaboration with LENs Co. in establishing this mechanism, their main learnings from the process and what they find particularly inspiring about Landscape Enterprise Networks.

Amelia joined the Trust in 2017 and has led climate resilience initiatives in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park since 2021. She also drives the Trust’s work on nature finance, including its flagship pilot project, Leven LENs. Jonathan has been with the Forth Rivers Trust since 2013, playing a key role in its growth and leading landscape-scale restoration projects to conserve rivers across the Forth.

Join us for this introductory episode as we explore the Trust’s work across the Forth Catchment and our approach to river restoration. Hear from Jonathan and Amelia as they discuss the evolution of the Trust, the importance of partnership, and why keeping boots on the ground remains at the heart of what we do.