The Lodge Cast

Fighting Megafires with Beavers: the return of Dr Emily Fairfax

Following the news that 2023 was officially Earth's hottest year on record, Eva and Sophie want answers.

This week, we return to ecohydrologist, assistant professor and science communicator, Dr Emily Fairfax  - world-renowned beaver researcher and Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota, and our go-to for all things beaver and wildfire.

Emily is leading groundbreaking research in the States into how beaver wetlands can act as natural firebreaks, and mitigate against extreme climate-induced megafires.

Since she came on The Lodge Cast back in Series 2, it's time for an update. What lessons can Britain learn from the States in enlisting beavers to help strengthen landscape resilience against the climate? How can beavers restore areas of habitat that were destroyed? And why does this matter?

Also coming up: the #FactOff challenge and Sophie tests Eva's spark 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! 

This episode is a mixture of fact and opinion. It was hosted by Eva Bishop and Sophie Pavelle, produced and edited by Emma Brisdion, and mixed by Mark Skinner, for Beaver Trust.

Why Beavers Can Help Us In The Climate and Biodiversity Crisis: with Bob Ward

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

In our sixth series join us on an international journey of discovery, where, with the help of leading experts we navigate the global crisis of climate change, how it is playing out locally here in Britain and where beavers fit into the conversation. It’s a highly complex subject, so in this series we hope to illuminate why that is.

To start us off, we welcome none other than Bob Ward  - Policy and Communications Director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics.

As the Deputy Chair of the London Climate Change Partnership, and he’s spoken out on beavers being brought back to Britain, saying that there is a clear need for them to help manage the impacts of climate change, such as flooding, drought and wildfire.

Also coming up: the return of the iconic #FactOff challenge and Eva puts Sophie's climate change 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! 

This episode is a mixture of fact and opinion. It was hosted by Eva Bishop and Sophie Pavelle, produced and edited by Emma Brisdion, and mixed by Mark Skinner, for Beaver Trust.

Better The Beaver You Know: ’diggering around’ the landscape - with Gerhard Schwab

Who better to close the fifth series of #TheLodgeCast than the man, the myth, the legend - Gerhard Schwab?!

Regarded by many as the ‘Beaver Godfather’ of Europe, with a lifetime of dedication to beaver reintroduction and human/wildlife coexistence gaining him major prominence in the beaver restoration movement across Europe. 

In 1988 Gerhard began what started as a four-year review of Bavarian beavers. And ever since then he has been involved in reintroduction programmes across Europe. He’s designed and implemented a beaver management system for Bavaria, and a training system attended by over 700 local beaver consultants.

Safe to say - Gehard has enormous respect across the reintroduction sector - and without further ado, we invite you to sit comfortably and tune into this frank, pragmatic and provoking conversation!

Also coming up: the FINAL #FactOff of the series, a QUIZ, and a special visit from marvellous Producer Emma, who will give the final scores of the series! Hold onto your (non-beaver) hats! 

Would you like to discuss anything from this episode or the rest of Series 5 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.

Managing Beavers within Britain’s Licensing Landscape - with Dr Jenny Bryce and Dr Roisin Campbell-Palmer

In this episode, we are joined by two key voices in the beaver management world.

To help us better understand the Scottish lived experience with beavers, and to unpack the opportunities presented by the landmark Scottish Beaver Strategy, we speak to Dr Jenny Bryce a Wildlife Ecologist for NatureScot.

We then pull on our boots, and hit the ground running in a conversation with Dr Roisin Campbell-Palmer - Beaver Trust’s Head of Restoration and the Lodge Cast’s debut returning guest! Roisin offers a reality check on the management of beavers on the field, and reminds us of the hierarchy of mitigation techniques. No situation is the same - it’s catchment dependent - and coexistence often calls for a complex blend of the human and the ecological. 

Both women deliver a fascinating conversation into where Britain is at with beaver reintroduction, and what lessons one nation can learn from another - and how a well-managed, supported future alongside beavers is something we must expect and hope for.

Also coming up: the #FactOff challenge gets hot and Eva tests Sophie to the limits 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

Balancing Ecological & Cultural Capacities for Beavers in the Czech Republic - with Dr Jitka Uhlíková

We were thrilled to be able to speak with Dr Jitka Uhlíková, - a zoologist who works for the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic - the expert body of their Ministry of Environment Agency. Based at the headquarters in Prague in the division where action plans for endangered animal species and management plans for conflict species are implemented, Jitka is the coordinator of the Beaver Management Plan.

Jitka tells us, 'beavers taught me humility.' This conversation is an invaluable exploration of the scenario-led approach to beaver management, and Jitka’s experience provides much-needed insight and reassurance for us in Britain. We learn about the ‘5 Pillars’ of beaver management Jitka and her team operate within, and how mitigation decisions can make or break coexistence, and the importance of being proactive - not reactive. 

Also coming up: the #FactOff challenge continues and Eva sits in the hot seat during Sophie’s 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.

Playing Chess with Beavers: Lessons in Management from Across the Pond - with Mike Callahan

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

In our fifth series, join us on an international journey of discovery, where, with the help of leading experts we navigate the complexities of beaver mitigation and management - among the most topical discussions surrounding beaver restoration in Britain today. 

To kick-off Series 5 with a bang, we are joined by Mike Callahan. Based on the east coast of the United States, Mike’s career and experience is as varied as a thriving beaver wetland. A background in human medicine equipped him with the insight and bedside manner to tackle healing of a greener kind. Fast-forward several years and he is the founder of an organisation called ‘Beaver Solutions’, which specialises in effective beaver management and resolving human-beaver conflicts. He also founded the non-profit The Beaver Institute - of which he is now President.

Beavers are a native, keystone species. So what are we mitigating for? Mike’s organisations have created flow devices, learning resources, and delivered training to help professionals or communities interested in dealing with beavers when they present problems, across North America and Europe. Safe to say, speaking with Mike was a joy, and from it we have many pertinent lessons to consider when it comes to human/beaver coexistence.

Also coming up: the return of the iconic #FactOff challenge and Sophie puts Eva's crime scene 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.

 

Notes from Oakes: beavers, otters and Loch Lomond

Hello, Lodge Casters!

We interrupt our series break with a lovely little audio surprise for you.

We sent our friend, the actor, environmentalist and Trees A Crowd podcast host, David Oakes, up to RSPB Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve. Meeting RSPB Site Manager, Paula Baker, David finds out how the beavers are doing six months after arrival, exploring how the landscape has changed, and what’s next for this unique beaver project in Scotland.

Tune in for the next 15 minutes to find out more! 

Would you like to discuss anything from this short-but-sweet 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!

[Keep your eyes and ears peeled...some Series 5 news on the horizon!]

This episode of The Lodge Cast was hosted by Sophie Pavelle and featured David Oakes. 

Produced and edited by Emma Brisdion.

Beavers, Farming & Beyond! with Lee Schofield

Well, listeners, that's nearly it for Series 4!

We have one treat left for you to round-off our debut foray into the essential topic of 'beavers and farming.' We are joined by Lee Schofield, acclaimed author of Wild Fell and Senior Site Manager atRSPB Haweswater in Cumbria. 

Lee is a master at managing vast areas of intensively worked land in a way which favours both people and nature, finding it a test of patience, economics and bravery to embrace change. Wild Fell explores the fragility of the British countryside and discusses the many impacts that humans and farming, particularly in Cumbria, have had on nature and wildlife, and reflects on the things that are being done, and could potentially, be done, to create a landscape that works for everyone. 

With Lee we reflect on the lessons learnt from the previous three discussions in Series 4, and look ahead to the all-important: 'what's next?' in Britain's journey with beavers, and regenerative agriculture. 

Also coming up: the final #FactOff of the series and a special visit from marvellous Producer Emma, who will give the final scores of the series!

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.

 

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.