New podcast series on Urban Rewilding
Ep. 1: Species reintroductions in urban parks
Hello and happy Monday!
I’m obsessed with rewilding - the return of natural processes, lost biodiversity and self-willed landscapes. It’s an idea that offers a hopeful response to climate change, biodiversity loss and nature disconnection.
But rewilding isn’t just about wolves and huge landscapes. The concept has come to our towns and cities and there are local councils, community groups and ecologists doing amazing work.
Today I’m launching a new podcast series titled WILD, featuring 6 interviews with urban rewilding practitioners in England. It’s part of a wider research project about how urban rewilding could be scaled up and become mainstream, and all the benefits that would bring.
I’ll share more on the research findings as the project unfolds. For now, let’s dive into the first episode.
In Britain and Europe, our landscapes are deprived of important species that were hunted to extinction or driven out by habitat loss over centuries. Nowhere is this more true than in cities.
When animals have been missing for so long, one option remains: reintroduction.
My guest for the first episode of this series is Sean McCormack, Chair of Ealing Wildlife Group. He joined me to discuss the reintroduction of beavers and harvest mice to urban parks in London, and the knock-on benefits for biodiversity and flood resilience
Long-time listeners might remember Sean from episodes 72 and 73. If you’re interested in the ecological aspects of these rewilding projects, those episodes are a great place to start.
In this episode, we discuss:
What is 'Urban rewilding' and why we should do it.
What made these projects successful.
Getting support from the community.
What needs to change to make rewilding in cities mainstream.
Listen to the episode on the links below:
Do you know of any urban rewilding projects? Tell me about them by replying to this email or commenting below! I’d love to know more, especially if they are outside the UK.