The Lodge Cast

How Do We Finance Beaver Reintroduction? with Delphine Pouget, Natural England

In this episode, we hop into driver's seat behind crucial environmental decisions, and talk money.

It might not sound like a hot topic, but it’s a vitally important one. Money, as is so often the case, is the backbone of species reintroduction programmes. And this topic is also a great opportunity to sit across the table and explore the importance and role of government departments like DEFRA and their advisory organisations like Natural England, in ensuring a robust and positive future for nature in Britain.

We are joined by Delphine Pouget, Principal Adviser for the Species Reintroduction Programme and the 'beaver lead' at Natural England, the government’s advisory body for nature in England. 

Natural England issue the wildlife management licences that are required to move, capture or kill beavers, or to damage their homes and breeding sites in England. They also work with stakeholders and offer beaver management training and education .

Delphine gives an uplifting and fascinating insight into how Natural England are approaching beaver reintroduction, and how to finance a future which benefits both nature and people. 

Also coming up: another enlightening #FactOff challenge and Sophie sees how many famous beavers Eva knows in the QUIZ.

Need we say more? Dive on in! 

Would you like to discuss anything from this episode with our expert team? We want to hear from you: Beaver Trust. 

Want more beaver? Please subscribe and leave us a lovely little review, so we can bring the joy of beavers to more ears! 

Hosted by Sophie Pavelle and Eva Bishop. 

Produced and edited by Emma Brisdion.

 

The Reality of Farming Alongside Beavers - with Clinton Devon Estates

In this episode, we are joined by two key voices in the 'beavers and farming' world. 

Keen to better understand what it’s really like to have wild beavers living on your land, we’re joined by the Head of Wildlife and Conservation, Sam Bridgewater, and Head of Agriculture, Sam Briant-Evans, at Clinton Devon Estates - a major landowner stewarding 25,000 acres across East Devon's River Otter Catchment.

The estate was a core partner in the River Otter Beaver Trial, working with Devon Wildlife Trust, the University of Exeter and Derek Gow Consultancy on the game-changing five-year study. The trial, from 2015-2020, determined that beavers could provide benefits to both nature and people if allowed to live wild in the English countryside.

Three years on, and the reality of living with beavers is a daily task. The beavers themselves can need careful management, and often a big and important consideration is working with local communities and other stakeholders to ensure that everyone is aware and informed of the various impacts.

Both Sams' offer fascinating and honest insights into the highs and lows of managing beavers, and how a well-managed, supported future alongside them is something we must expect and hope for.

Also coming up: another riveting #FactOff challenge and Eva sees how beavery Sophie really is in the QUIZ.

Need we say more? Dive on in! 

Would you like to discuss anything from this episode with our expert team? We want to hear from you: Beaver Trust. 

Want more beaver? Please subscribe and leave us a lovely little review, so we can bring the joy of beavers to more ears! 

Hosted by Sophie Pavelle and Eva Bishop. 

Produced and edited by Emma Brisdion.

 

So You’re A Farmer: Do You Beaver? with Sarah Langford

Greetings fair listeners! And welcome back to a brand new, shiny series of Beaver Trust's The Lodge Cast!

We're excited to bring you an evolved format. Full disclosure: we’re going a bit more beaver. Each new series will be a deep dive into a core discussion area around beaver restoration in Britain, starting with...beavers and farming. 

To kick-start a fantastic Series 4, we are joined by Sarah Langford, London barrister-turned-regenerative farmer and author of the acclaimed book, Rooted. Through this book and her recent work, Sarah explores the current situation farmers face in the UK, and the changes to the industry over the last few generations. Her grandfather and uncle both farmed, but she headed for life in the city as a young adult, before returning to life in the countryside to run a small family farm with her husband and two young children.

Sarah is now a leading voice for regenerative agriculture, and an inspirational representative of a new generation of farmers. She tells us how British agriculture is 'electric' at the moment, and there has never been a more exciting and essential time to explore and evolve how we work with the land.

In this fantastic conversation, we explore with Sarah the process of changing to a more restorative management of the countryside - what are the basics of regenerative farming? And how on earth can beavers fit into that busy picture?! What are the key things to consider if you're beaver curious?

Also coming up: the return of the iconic #FactOff challenge and Sophie puts Eva's farming knowledge to the test in the QUIZ.

Need we say more? Dive on in! 

Would you like to discuss anything from this episode with our expert team? We want to hear from you: Beaver Trust. 

Want more beaver? Please subscribe and leave us a lovely little review, so we can bring the joy of beavers to more ears! 

Hosted by Sophie Pavelle and Eva Bishop. 

Produced and edited by Emma Brisdion.

 

Motherhood & Movie Making - with Nina Constable

*Final episode alert*! And it's a corker. We finally pin down the wonderful Nina Constable for an honest, open and (at times emotional!) chat about all things motherhood, moviemaking and courageous conservation storytelling. 

Nina is an award winning self-shooting director/filmmaker based in Cornwall, UK. Her films have screened in festivals globally and her work has featured in many national broadcasts. Nina is dedicated to capturing and exploring the world we live in, believing in the power of film and photography to educate and inspire and, ultimately, to protect. 

Nina has also directed and produced Beaver Trust's upcoming documentary about river buffers On The Edge, and offers some exclusive BTS content for you to look forward to! 

Also coming up: a FINAL (rather desperate) #FactOff challenge and a winner-takes-all in the last QUIZ.

Need we say more? Dive on in! 

Are you a beaver believer? We want to hear from you: Beaver Trust. 

Want more beaver? Please subscribe and leave us a lovely little review, so we can bring the joy of beavers to more ears! 

Thank you for listening! 

Hosted by Sophie Pavelle and Eva Bishop. 

Produced and edited by Emma Brisdion.

 

 

Can a Beaver Wetland Make You Feel Better? with Sam (wise) Gandy

Have you ever wondered what time spent in a thriving beaver wetland might do for your mental health? It turns out that this is a hugely overlooked area of science, and Sophie and Eva turn to Sam Gandy for answers.

Sam is an ecologist and researcher with Imperial College London, who has been working with Dr Ros Watts, Clinical Psychologist on a groundbreaking new piece of research demonstrating the psychological benefits of beaver reintroduction. Sam believes that nature connectedness shouldn't be looked at totally rationally, and is motivated in his work by the direct, emotional connection provoked by the story of hope that beavers bring. He argues that this psychological state is the key to shifting baselines and inspiring a change in mindsets, in nature restoration. 

Read Sam and Ros's fascinating paper here.

Also coming up: a  #FactOff challenge and Sophie confuses Eva and Emma in the QUIZ.

Need we say more? Dive on in! 

Are you a beaver believer? We want to hear from you: Beaver Trust. 

Want more beaver? Please subscribe and leave us a lovely little review, so we can bring the joy of beavers to more ears! 

Hosted by Sophie Pavelle and Eva Bishop. 

Produced and edited by Emma Brisdion.

 

Beaver Wrestling & the Power of the Pod - with Emily Knight

In the age of dual climate and biodiversity crises, endless jargon and deafening online 'noise', is science communication more important than ever to get right? You are in for a treat this week, as Sophie and Eva get down to business with 'Radio Lady-O' herself, Emily Knight.

She is responsible for incredible BBC ear food like NatureBang, Extinction Tapes for Radio 4 and the BBC Earth Podcast. She’s one of our favourite people to listen to and we are thrilled you are about to join us in chatting with her about her exploits behind the mic, and why she thinks audio is such a powerful messaging medium at the moment. 

Also coming up: a  #FactOff challenge and Emma tests Eva and Sophie's animal and literary prowess in the QUIZ.

Need we say more? Dive on in! 

Are you a beaver believer? We want to hear from you: Beaver Trust. 

Want more beaver? Please subscribe and leave us a lovely little review, so we can bring the joy of beavers to more ears! 

Hosted by Sophie Pavelle and Eva Bishop. 

Produced and edited by Emma Brisdion.

 

River Buffers & the Giant Sponge - with Arlin Rickard OBE

Were you ever aware of the long lost story of The Great British Wetland? Introducing your storyteller: Arlin Rickard OBE.  Founder of the West Country Rivers Trust and later The Rivers Trust organisation, now their Chief Policy Advisor - Arlin is a leader of freshwater in his own league - leading the movement for over 25 years. 

A key contributor in Beaver Trust's upcoming documentary about river buffers On The Edge, Arlin tells us how rivers should be highly connected, dynamic, multi-faceted systems, instead of reservoirs of pollutants. He explains how simple measures like river buffers could restore our rivers to ecological health, and crucially improve community and agricultural resilience to incidences of climate-induced flooding, drought and pollution. 

Also coming up: a  #FactOff challenge and Eva puts Emma and Sophie's global river knowledge to the test.

Need we say more? Dive on in! 

Are you a beaver believer? We want to hear from you: Beaver Trust. 

Want more beaver? Please subscribe and leave us a lovely little review, so we can bring the joy of beavers to more ears! 

Hosted by Sophie Pavelle and Eva Bishop. 

Produced and edited by Emma Brisdion.

 

Putting Nature in the Driving Seat - with Isabella Tree

Not many people have the guts to leave farming and pioneer a newer, wilder, potentially riskier approach to land management. But then farmer and conservationist, Charlie Burrell and his wife, Isabella Tree are not many people. Talking to Sophie and Eva from one of the most talked-about estates in the UK, and no doubt in a room not too far from nesting stalks, author and landowner Isabella Tree shares the inspirational story of Knepp Castle Estate - and shows us that we can dare to hope for a wilder future. 

To buy Issy's award-winning book Wilding, click here. 

To visit the glorious Knepp for yourself, click here. 

Also coming up: a  #FactOff challenge and Sophie struggles with the alphabet in her quiz.

Need we say more? Dive on in! 

Are you a beaver believer? We want to hear from you: Beaver Trust. 

Want more beaver? Please subscribe and leave us a lovely little review, so we can bring the joy of beavers to more ears! 

Hosted by Sophie Pavelle and Eva Bishop. 

Produced and edited by Emma Brisdion.

Beaver Hats & Beaver History - with Ben Goldfarb

To kick off a brand new series, Team Lodge Cast at Beaver Trust couldn't think of a more apt person to help with this than Ben Goldfarb. 

Award-winning environment writer, and author of the book, Eager; the secret life of beavers and why they matter - Ben is in a league of his own when it comes to helping us understand beavers and our surprisingly entwined history with them in the USA and UK. Ben unpacks the fascinating social and ecological nuance surrounding their reintroduction, and offers valuable lessons learned from their more established presence in the USA.

Also coming up: a brand new #FactOff challenge and producer Emma comes out of her box with a juicy QUIZ.

Need we say more? Dive on in! 

Are you a beaver believer? We want to hear from you: Beaver Trust. 

Want more beaver? Please subscribe and leave us a lovely little review, so we can bring the joy of beavers to more ears! 

Hosted by Sophie Pavelle and Eva Bishop. 

Produced and edited by Emma Brisdion.

 

 

A Taste of SERIES 3!

Well ahoy there listeners! The Lodge Cast is back with a beaver bang for a shiny SERIES THREE of brain prodding chats with you all! 

Given the um, state of things, this series focusses on the theme of HOPE - be it hope for nature, the climate, or personally. From BBC broadcasters to award-winning authors and rewilding pioneers, we couldn't be more excited with the range of incredible guests we have in store for you, or the fact that we are now going to be coming to you WEEKLY - bringing six special conversations, quizzes and (ofc) #FactOffs to your ears every Tuesday for the next six weeks! 

So - do subscribe to be the first to listen, share with your friends and join us as we welcome beavers back to our rivers and explore the state of nature in the UK.

#TheLodgeCast

Hosted by Sophie Pavelle and Eva Bishop.

Produced and edited by Emma Brisdion.

Find out more about Beaver Trust's work here.