The Nature Recovery Podcast

The Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery
  • 5.0 (1)
  • EARTH SCIENCES

The Nature Recovery Podcast looks at some of the major challenges we face to global biodiversity. It takes a look at the various ways we are trying to halt the decline in biodiversity and the challenges inherent in these approaches. We also talk to a number of leading figures in the field of Nature Recovery and find out more about their work.

  1. 20H AGO

    Lee White: Befriending Chimpanzees, Saving Forests, Surviving a Coup

    Send us Fan Mail 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.

    1h 4m

  2. APR 1

    Guy Shrubsole: The Lie of the Land. Is Stewardship a Myth?

    Send us Fan Mail 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.

    34 min

  3. MAR 25

    Green Infrastructure: Why It Matters and Why It’s Hard to Deliver with Professor Ian Mell

    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.

    47 min

  4. MAR 18

    Reimagining Nature Finance with Alice Stuart and David Goodman

    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 sourcesThe role of philanthropy and corporate fundingWhy private investors are hesitant to fund natureHow Biodiversity Net Gain and habitat banking workThe risks of reducing biodiversity to a metricGoodhart’s Law and “gaming” environmental targetsWhy democratising nature finance requires local empowermentAlice 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.

    32 min

  5. MAR 4

    Wytham Woods: Tales from the a long-studied woodland with Dr Keith Kirby

    Send us Fan Mail 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.

    43 min

  6. 12/17/2025

    From Surviving to Thriving: Inside the IUCN Green Status of Species

    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.

    26 min

  7. 12/10/2025

    Wasps! What are they good for? Absolutely Everything, (Say it again) with Seirian Sumner

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Nature Recovery Podcast, Stephen Thomas speaks with Professor Seirian Sumner, one of the world’s leading experts on social insects and a passionate advocate for rethinking our relationship with wasps. Seirian reveals how a reluctant PhD choice turned into a 25-year research career uncovering the remarkable societies, behaviours and ecological roles of these misunderstood insects. Together, they explore how social evolution unfolds inside a wasp colony, why wasps are essential apex predators, and how their potential in pollination and pest control has been overlooked. Seirian explains the cultural and scientific biases that favour bees over wasps, describes global efforts to understand their ecological value, and offers simple ways to coexist with the wasps at your picnic. The conversation ranges from Malaysian rainforests to Brazilian drone-released parasitoids, and from the evolution of altruism to the future of nature recovery. This episode will change the way you see wasps — perhaps even help you appreciate them. About Seirian Sumner  Professor Seirian Sumner is a behavioural ecologist at University College London whose research combines field biology, behavioural experiments and genomics to understand how animal societies evolve. She is co-founder of the Big Wasp Survey and Soapbox Science, championing public engagement and women in STEM. Her award-winning book, Endless Forms, invites readers to rethink wasps entirely — from feared picnic pests to extraordinary, essential, and ecologically vital creatures. Endless Forms by Seirian Sumner: https://www.williamcollinsbooks.co.uk/products/endless-forms-the-secret-world-of-wasps-seirian-sumner-9780008394479/ 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.

    41 min

  8. 12/03/2025

    Living in 'The What Ought to Be' with David Farrier

    Send us Fan Mail Professor David Farrier (University of Edinburgh) discusses his 2025 book Nature’s Genius: Evolution’s Lessons for a Changing Planet and explores how rapid, human-driven evolutionary pressures reveal both the fragility and inventive resilience of life. We cover urban evolution (birds and snails), domestication and self-domestication, collective and distributed forms of intelligence across living systems, and how rethinking time can help us reconnect with the natural world. The conversation balances urgency with hope: we can change behaviour and systems  - not by waiting for nature to “fix” things, but by learning from nature’s adaptive strategies. Key takeaways: Human activities are now major selection pressures shaping evolution — sometimes rapidly.Plasticity (the ability of organisms to change gene expression and behaviour) offers insights for human adaptation — e.g., city design, economies, conservation strategies.Intelligence in nature is often collective and co-evolved; viewing ecosystems as forms of distributed intelligence could reshape politics and policy.Time matters: reframing our relationship with temporal scales (wild clocks vs. clock time) supports long-term thinking and reconnection.Nature recovery begins with “nature reconnection” — shifting how we see ourselves (embedded, not separate).Guest bio (brief): David Farrier is Professor of Literature and the Environment at the University of Edinburgh. His first book, Footprints: In Search of Future Fossils, examined the marks we are leaving on the planet and how they might appear in the deep-future fossil record; it was named a book of the year by both The Times and The Telegraph and has been translated into multiple languages. His new book Nature’s Genius (2025) examines how life adapts under human-caused change and what lessons that offers for our own future and has been shortlisted for major awards. Buy the book / further reading: Nature’s Genius: Evolution’s Lessons for a Changing Planet — Canongate Books. Available as hardback, e-book and audio; shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Conservation Writing (and other 2025 recognitions). More details / purchase: https://canongate.co.uk/books/4911-natures-genius-evolution-039-s-lessons-for-a-changing-planet/   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.

    36 min
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About

The Nature Recovery Podcast looks at some of the major challenges we face to global biodiversity. It takes a look at the various ways we are trying to halt the decline in biodiversity and the challenges inherent in these approaches. We also talk to a number of leading figures in the field of Nature Recovery and find out more about their work.

Information

  • Creator
    The Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    34
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Nature Recovery Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Nature Recovery Podcast

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