The Biodiversity Podcast by Teasels

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.Episode 26- Benny Hawksbee

In this podcast I sit down with the boys from Wild City Studio, Jon Davies and Steve Williams.

Nigel's bio

A background in both art and zoology has led me to working with our own species as well as a bunch of others. I like group or collective working, collaboration and mixed discipline problem solving. I’m interested in the nurturing of social capital & natural capital and the impacts they have, to a lesser degree, on economic capital and to a greater degree on the functionality of commnuities. Note: I think ‘capital’ is an unfortunate term, for me, in this case, social and natural capitals are more about healthy stocks of informal community value and less about how cash rich a place is.

Footnotes:

Paul Farley; As mentioned at 1 hour 19 minutes

https://www.leadinglanguageandliteraturepodcast.com/episodes/paul-farley-poet-and-professor-of-creative-writing-lancaster

Soil Inversion case study;

https://cieem.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/1.-Philip-Putwain.pdf

Tony Bradshaw- Restoration ecologist-  As mentioned at 1 hour 42 minutes

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/sep/11/evolution

Halewood Triangle- As mentioned at 1 hour 42 minutes

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/halewood-park-triangle/

Gunnersbury Triangle- As mentioned at 1 hour 42 minutes

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/halewood-park-triangle/

Wheeldon Copse Cheshire-  As mentioned at 1 hour 47 minutes

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/wheeldon-copse/

National Vegetation Classification (NVC) with John Rodwell - As mentioned at 1 hour 49 minutes

https://englandscommunityforests.org.uk/ecf-news/national-vegetation-classification-with-john-rodwell

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Footnotes:

Paul Farley; As mentioned at 1 hour 19 minutes

https://www.leadinglanguageandliteraturepodcast.com/episodes/paul-farley-poet-and-professor-of-creative-writing-lancaster

Soil Inversion case study;

https://cieem.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/1.-Philip-Putwain.pdf

Tony Bradshaw- Restoration ecologist-  As mentioned at 1 hour 42 minutes

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/sep/11/evolution

Halewood Triangle- As mentioned at 1 hour 42 minutes

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/halewood-park-triangle/

Gunnersbury Triangle- As mentioned at 1 hour 42 minutes

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/halewood-park-triangle/

Wheeldon Copse Cheshire-  As mentioned at 1 hour 47 minutes

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/wheeldon-copse/

National Vegetation Classification (NVC) with John Rodwell - As mentioned at 1 hour 49 minutes

https://englandscommunityforests.org.uk/ecf-news/national-vegetation-classification-with-john-rodwell

Useful resource;

The Ecological Restoration and Habitat Creation Special Interest Group: Practical Restoration and Creation: Lowland and Upland Grasslands

https://cieem.net/resource/cieem-erhc-sig-east-midlands-section-committee-2019-conference-dr-phil-sterling/

Jane Jacobs- The Death and Life of Great American Cities - As mentioned at  11 minutes

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Great-American-Cities-Vintage/dp/067974195X

National Vegetation Classification:As mentioned at  13 minutes

https://hub.jncc.gov.uk/assets/a407ebfc-2859-49cf-9710-1bde9c8e28c7

St Vincent School- As mentioned at  21:30 minutes

https://www.stvin.com

Useful resource;

The Ecological Restoration and Habitat Creation Special Interest Group: Practical Restoration and Creation: Lowland and Upland Grasslands

https://cieem.net/resource/cieem-erhc-sig-east-midlands-section-committee-2019-conference-dr-phil-sterling/

Jane Jacobs- The Death and Life of Great American Cities - As mentioned at  11 minutes

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Great-American-Cities-Vintage/dp/067974195X

National Vegetation Classification:As mentioned at  13 minutes

https://hub.jncc.gov.uk/assets/a407ebfc-2859-49cf-9710-1bde9c8e28c7

St Vincent School- As mentioned at  21:30 minutes

https://www.stvin.com

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In this podcast, I chat with a kindred spirit, Sam Taylor Hunt. This podcast is a no-holds barred podcast on biodiverse gardening.  We slay (and savagely discredit) a few sacred canards of the  (biodiverse) gardening world.

Fancy hearing some free-range conversation instead of the usual battery-thinking around horticulture?

Sam Taylor Hunt is  the owner of Modica Gardens-. Check them out at https://www.modicagardens.com. They undertake some fabulous projects in the Cheltenham /Cotswold area.  Please subscribe to follow clips of this podcast and the other podcasts I have recorded, discussing the subject of biodiversity.

In this podcast, I chat with a kindred spirit, Sam Taylor Hunt. This podcast is a no-holds barred podcast on biodiverse gardening.  We slay (and savagely discredit) a few sacred canards of the  (biodiverse) gardening world.

Fancy hearing some free-range conversation instead of the usual battery-thinking around horticulture?

Sam Taylor Hunt is  the owner of Modica Gardens-. Check them out at https://www.modicagardens.com. They undertake some fabulous projects in the Cheltenham /Cotswold area.  Please subscribe to follow clips of this podcast and the other podcasts I have recorded, discussing the subject of biodiversity.

In this podcast, I chat with a kindred spirit, Sam Taylor Hunt. This podcast is a no-holds barred podcast on biodiverse gardening.  We slay (and savagely discredit) a few sacred canards of the  (biodiverse) gardening world.

Fancy hearing some free-range conversation instead of the usual battery-thinking around horticulture?

Sam Taylor Hunt is  the owner of Modica Gardens-. Check them out at https://www.modicagardens.com. They undertake some fabulous projects in the Cheltenham /Cotswold area.  Please subscribe to follow clips of this podcast and the other podcasts I have recorded, discussing the subject of biodiversity.

Dick is a lifetime birdwatcher. He has applied his experience as an engineer and software designer to the problem of halting the decline of Swifts with the  team at Action for Swifts.

The team, headed by Dick Newell, has an extensive knowledge of the needs of Swifts and the requirements of the construction industry.

The S Brick is the culmination of many years of research and experience aimed at providing a simple, long-lasting and sustainable solution to reversing the decline of the endangered Swift.

Action for Swifts mission

Our mission is to reverse the decline of Swifts.

Swifts in the UK are on the Birds of Conservation Concern (BoCC) Red List and are classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List assessment of extinction risk for Great Britain. Swifts declined by 58% between 1995 and 2018. They declined by 41% in just 10 years up to 2018, that is over 5% per annum!

One of the reasons, perhaps the main reason, is loss of nest sites.

Provision of new housing provides a big opportunity to install Swift bricks for Swifts, and other small cavity-nesting birds. We regard the S Brick as a ”Universal” nesting brick as it can accommodate Swifts, House Sparrows, Tree Sparrows, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Starlings and even House Martins.

It is our goal to find the optimum compromise between the requirements of the birds and the constraints of the building, making it as easy as possible for the builder on site, as well as resulting in something aesthetically pleasing, and at a low cost.

In this podcast, I chat with a kindred spirit, Sam Taylor Hunt. This podcast is a no-holds barred podcast on biodiverse gardening.  We slay (and savagely discredit) a few sacred canards of the  (biodiverse) gardening world.   

Fancy hearing some free-range conversation instead of the usual battery-thinking around horticulture?   

Sam Taylor Hunt is  the owner of Modica Gardens-. Check them out at https://www.modicagardens.com. They undertake some fabulous projects in the Cheltenham /Cotswold area.  Please subscribe to follow clips of this podcast and the other podcasts I have recorded, discussing the subject of biodiversity.

Is this episode I sit down with John and Joanne and we discuss Biodiversity Net Gain, both strategically and how it will be implamented on the ground. Furthermore we discuss how the importance of establishing the baseline calculations.

Nicholsons Lockhart Garratt is the result of a union between Nicholsons, who provide high quality landscaping, forestry and arboriculture services and Lockhart Garratt, who are industry leaders in environmental planning, forestry, ecology, arboriculture, soils and landscape architecture. 

Bio's;

John is the  Principal Consultant at Nicholsons Lockhart Garratt.

Over 30 years experience as a Rural Chartered Surveyor, specialising in forestry and environmental planning. Fellow of the British Agricultural Consultants since 2014 and participates in numerous government-led forums on forestry, tree health, carbon, biodiversity net gain and natural capital. In 2020 I was appointed as Non-Exec Director to the Forestry Services Board and sit on the Conservation Committee of the Queen's Green Canopy. More recently I have been taking a lead in green infrastructure planning for large developments and supporting Defra in promoting woodland creation on vacant and derelict land.

Joanne is an Ecological Consultant and Head of Ecology at Lockhart Garratt

Experienced ecological consultant with a demonstrated history of working in the law practice industry. Skilled in faunal surveying techniques, report writing, and development mitigation practices for wildlife. Strong administrative professional with a Bachelor of Science honours degree in Land Management from the University of Northampton.

Daniel's Bio

Daniel’s career in conservation and forestry began with an Honours degree in Environmental Biology from Napier University where his thesis focused on the freshwater fishes of Sulawesi. This was followed by a Masters in Conservation Biology with a focus on the use of riparian habitats by large mammals. Since then he has worked on a wide variety of research projects including a year supporting ecologists in the Ecuadorian Amazon and a year spent monitoring the behavior and activity patterns of Pine Martens in the Highlands of Scotland. Daniel has also worked on the front line of habitat restoration for many years, having planted close to one million native trees across the Highland area and removed acres of invasive species. Daniel has a strong interest in regenerative agriculture and in particular, agroforestry practices. He has established his own 2 acres food forest in the Highlands experimenting with over 200 species of edible and useful plants and trees suitable for this climate. He is also a keen wood carver and sculptor crafting unique pieces of art and bespoke yurts.

In this podcast with Molly Biddell we discuss the  business of Rewilding and Regenerative Agriculture  and how land owners/land managers will be financially incentivised and supported to undertake  Rewilding projects and transition to an regen farming system

Molly's bio.

My areas of interest include understanding how farming systems and supply chains can better integrate environmental outcomes, the potential of the private market and public sector to enable investment into natural capital, and restructuring of food production systems. I come from a rural background and obtained a BA in Geography from the University of Cambridge.

Links to the podcast

• UK partnership launched to tackle agricultural challenges

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-partnership-launched-to-tackle-agricultural-challenges

• Landscape Enterprise Networks 

https://landscapeenterprisenetworks.com

• Sustainable Farming Incentive: how the scheme will work in 2022

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainable-farming-incentive-how-the-scheme-will-work-in-2022/sustainable-farming-incentive-how-the-scheme-will-work-in-2022

• Local Nature Recovery: more information on how the scheme will work

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-nature-recovery-more-information-on-how-the-scheme-will-work/local-nature-recovery-more-information-on-how-the-scheme-will-work

• Landscape Recovery (Relevant to Rewilding)

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-land-management-schemes-overview/environmental-land-management-scheme-overview

Keywords: Regen Agriculture, biodiversity net gain, natural capital, biodiversity,  Rewilding, wilding, Rewildng Great Britain.

In this podcast I chat with the wonderful Wendy Allen and Charlotte Hitchmough of Rain Garden Uk. In this interactive, visual podcast ( accompanied by slides), we discuss SUDS, Rain planters and rain gardens.

• Resources and Further Reading discussed in the podcast are below;

• UK Rain Garden Guide free download: www.raingardens.info
  RHS Sustainability Strategy: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/gardening-for-the-environment/planet-f riendly-gardening-tips Slow The Flow 
• Calderdale: https://slowtheflow.net/you-can-slow-the-flow-at-home/Guides from other countries are useful references: especially the US, 
• Denmark and Melbourne - rain gardens originated in the 1990s in Portland, Oregon.
• Search terms for inspiration: Artful Rainwater, Environmental art/Environmental artist, Stormwater.UK Industry SuDS Guidance:
• CIRIA - industry guidance and best practice including C753 SuDS Manual, and training for industry professionals.
  susdrain - www.susdrain.org An excellent blog post here about how to best navigate the minefield of information on the website: https://www.susdrain.org/community/blog/new-to-suds/
  SuDS: https://robertbrayassociates.co.uk has excellent portfolio examples.
  GLA SuDS by Sector Overview Guidance: Schools, Social Housing, Parks, Hospital, Commercial, Retail
• https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/climate-change/surface-water/suds-sector-guidance

Dominic is projector manager at the  Wild Ken Hill Estate.

Wild Ken Hill is returning land to nature and farming sustainably in coastal west Norfolk. They use rewilding, regenerative farming, and traditional conservation practices side-by-side in a unique, innovative approach.

Fergus Garrett trained in horticulture at Wye College, London University. He worked in Kent for Rosemary Alexander of the English Gardening School, for Beth Chatto at the Unusual Plants Nursery in Essex and then for the Sackler family at Cap d’Antibes and Gstaad. In 1992 he became head gardener at Great Dixter, working closely with Christopher Lloyd until Christopher’s death in 2006. Since then he has become Chief Executive of the Great Dixter Charitable Trust. Fergus works full-time, hands-on in the garden, as well as writing and lecturing extensively across the world.

Here is the link to the Great Dixter  Biodiversity audit-https://www.greatdixter.co.uk/house-and-estate/biodiversity/biodiversity-audit/

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.

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.

Bridgman & Bridgman Living Roof Services are a team of horticulturalists and green/living roof specialists working with the roofing and waterproofing industry. We deliver the green elements on flat, pitched and curved roofs.They have installed living roofs from 2m2 to 16,000m2, laid the largest turf roof in Europe, and constructed the first fully removable green roof in the UK.

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:

• https://www.robertbrayassociates.co.uk
• As mentioned at the end of the podcast, Bob recommend the book by Gary Grant ( Episode 1). "Landscape and Urban Design for Bats and Biodiversity"
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Landscape-Urban-Design-Bats-Biodiversity/dp/1872745970.
• The bible for the SUDS industry, The SUDS Manual, can be downloaded here:https://www.ciria.org/ItemDetail?iProductCode=C753F&Category=FREEPUBS
• Also a helpful and informative SUDS design guide created by Robert Bray Assciates https://www.wyreforestdc.gov.uk/media/3586200/Redditch-SuDS-DESIGN-EVALUATION.PDF

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.

Episode 1- Gary Grant- The Green Infrastructure Consultancy