The Nature Recovery Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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This week I'm joined by Andrew Allen, the lead policy advocate on land use for the woodland trust. We will be discussing their new report out on the 3rd of December and how it attempts to encourage more debate as to how we go about recovering nature.

You can find a link to the report here:
https://www.naturerecovery.ox.ac.uk/projects/exploring-the-role-of-the-state-in-achieving-nature-recovery/

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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This month sees the publication of The Nattergal Report on Stakeholder Engagement Best Practice for Landscape-scale Nature Recovery Projects. Developed for the Boothby Wildland Landscape Recovery project, and funded via the DEFRA Landscape Recovery Development Phase, the report was led by the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) at the University of Gloucestershire and the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery and Agile Initiative projects at Oxford University, with the objective of establishing a framework for enhancing and embedding stakeholder engagement into nature restoration.

Ben Hart, Head of Operations at Nattergal said: “As part of our Landscape Recovery Phase 1 Pilot development project for Boothby Wildland, we reached out to Dr. Caitlin Hafferty at the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery (LCNR), and Josh Davis at the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) to help us to understand how to develop and deliver an exemplar best practice programme for our first Nattergal nature restoration project. Josh, Caitlin, and their colleagues did an amazing job of reviewing all available guidance and frameworks on the subject and condensed them into a digestible 10-principle approach that we could implement on site.

• Read about Nattergal’s 10-point approach: https://www.nattergal.co.uk/blog/stakeholder-engagement-best-practice-nattergals-ten-point-approach
• Nattergal’s full report: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62bdbafba41de5210660365f/t/67066c880f1d7260c5c72eee/1728474250091/Nattergal+Report+on+Stakeholder+Engagement+Best+Practice.pdf
• Executive summary of Nattergal’s report: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62bdbafba41de5210660365f/t/670910c0c1dcca2ca70e3ef0/1728647362954/Stakeholder+Engagement+Best+Practice+-+Executive+Summary.pdf
• Governance guidance that helped inform Nattergal’s report, including links to case studies and lessons learned: https://nbshub.naturebasedsolutionsinitiative.org/governance/
• Highlands Rewilding’s Engagement Roadmap: https://www.highlandsrewilding.co.uk/blog/community-engagement-in-rewilding
• Podcast with Highlands Rewilding on people and participation: https://www.naturerecovery.ox.ac.uk/news/new-nature-recovery-podcast-rewilding-people-and-participation/

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 taster episode we speak to the award -winning writer Emma Marris who offers a fresh and challenging view on some of the issues around conservation and nature recovery.

We'd really encourage you to check out more of Emma's writing. You can find links to her articles and books at:
https://www.emmamarris.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.

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In this podcast we take a look at Ghana, where landscapes are changing as mining and industrialisation affect traditional ways of managing the land. We look at the impact on cocoa and the effectiveness of global regulations on preventing deforestation and contrast these with traditional community methods.

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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We were lucky enough to have a short conversation with Sandra Diaz, where we find out more about here involvement with the COP 15 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. If you enjoy what she has to say, you can find a full lecture from her here:
https://youtu.be/oe2dKpudS4s
as well as numerous articles like this:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-04154-w
and
https://royalsociety.org/blog/2023/01/biodiversity-cop15-sandra-diaz/

We'd love to hear from you and answer any questions you habe or repsond to suggestions, so if you want to contact the show, please message us on Twitter @naturerecovery or  email us at:
naturerecovery@ouce.ox.ac.uk

You can also find us on linkedin for all the serious stuff like job postings, event news and more

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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Nature recovery isn't just about biodiversity; it has real implications for our health and wellbeing. In this episode Joseph Gent joins the podcast to talk to Emeritus Prof Michael Depledge CBE DSc FRSB FRCP who is one of the founding members of the European Centre for the Environment and Human Health. (www.ECEHH.org). The ECEHH was the first Centre of its kind in Europe and pioneered much of the early work on fostering health and wellbeing using the natural environment (from around 2008 onwards).

Michael has a distinguished background as a marine biologist and has been Visiting Professor at the Department of Zoology, Oxford University and at University College, London. He is a former Commissioner of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution and former Chief Scientist of the Environment Agency of England and Wales.

In this episode we talk more about the link between nature and human health, the importance of our oceans and rivers to our health and the complexity of understanding and prescribing nature to improve wellbeing. You can also find Michael's talk to the Centre here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YibF3k8tWX8&ab_channel=OxfordBiodiversityNetwork

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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Patrick Greenfield is a biodiversity and environment reporter for the Guardian and the Observer.  In January 2023, a joint investigation by the Guardian, Die Zeit and Source Material found that the forest carbon offsets approved by the world’s leading certifier and used by major corporations for climate claims are largely worthless.

In this podcast we discuss some of the implications and dive into the challenges and complexities of wanting to do the right thing in a world where conservation for profit now exists.
You can hear more from Patrick at his Leverhulme Talk here:
https://youtu.be/YpuFaU99mQ8

The original article referenced is here:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/18/revealed-forest-carbon-offsets-biggest-provider-worthless-verra-aoe

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 espisode we speak to Nat Duffus to find out the good and the bad about Biodiversity Net Gain which is a major driver of the UK's policy to improve the state of biodiversity whilst still allowing for development. Some of the things mentioned in this podcast include:
Kidbrooke Village: https://www.berkeleygroup.co.uk/news-and-insights/news-and-features/2020/kidbrooke-village-wins-attenborough-awards

Lye Valley
http://www.friendsoflyevalley.org.uk/about/index.html

and of course the bombadier beetle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3sxJNt8CYw&ab_channel=BBCEarth

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 have a debate between Kate Raworth, Bob Costanza and Eric Gòmez-Baggethun on Monetary Valuation of Nature: pragmatic conservation or unhelpful commodification?

This is an edited version of a debate that took place at the Oxford Martin School in February 2023. You can find the fill video of it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl7wSuAuKyQ&ab_channel=OxfordBiodiversityNetwork
    

Notes:
The valuation of nature and ecosystem services in monetary units plays a central role in many forms of environmental governance, including in carbon and biodiversity markets and offsetting schemes which are increasingly under scrutiny. The idea of using monetary units to value nature has precipitated significant debate, with proponents contending that it represents a pragmatic and realist approach to accounting for the environment in decision-making processes, unlocking substantial funding for conservation, while others argue that it can lead to a commodification of nature that ultimately proves inequitable and ineffective in addressing environmental challenges. In the spirit of developing a constructive dialogue on the issue, Kate Raworth will moderate a discussion between two ecological economists, Robert Costanza and Erik Gomez-Baggethun, who will explore the debates and tensions associated with using monetary units to value nature and ecosystem services and role such valuations play in contemporary environmental governance.

Kate Raworth
Kate is an economist focused on making economics fit for the 21st century. Her best-selling book Doughnut Economics: seven ways to think like a 21st century economist has been translated into 20 languages. She is co-founder of Doughnut Economics Action Lab, working with cities, business, communities, governments and educators to turn Doughnut Economics from a radical idea into transformative action. She teaches at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute and is Professor of Practice at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.

Robert Costanza
Robert (PhD, FASSA, FRSA) is a professor of Ecological Economics at the Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London and an Adjunct Professor at the College of Business and Economics, University of Tasmania. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, an Honorary Professor at the Australian National University, an Affiliate Fellow at the Gund Institute at the University of Vermont, and a deTao Master of Ecological Economics at the deTao Masters Academy in Shanghai, an Overseas Expert in the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and an Ambassador of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll). He is co-founder and past-president of the International Society for Ecological Economics, and founding editor of Ecological Economics. He is founding editor-in-chief of Solutions and editor in chief of The Anthropocene Review. Professor Costanza’s transdisciplinary research integrates the study of humans and the rest of nature to address research, policy and management issues at multiple time and space scales, from small watersheds to the global system.
His areas of expertise include: ecological economics, ecosystem services, landscape ecology, integrated ecological and socioeconomic modelling, energy and material flow analysis, environmental policy, soci

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. Joseph Bull, Associate Professor in Climate Change Biology at the University of Oxford and find out what is meant by the term Nature Positive. We look at reasons for pragmatic optimism in the face of biodiversity decline and find out more about his work in the Aral Sea and why deserts are not as deserted as you might think.

You can see a full version of Jo speaking at the Leverhulme Centre at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLSWXIb2ycM

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.