Conservation and Science

What does it take to bring wild nature back to a country that has forgotten what it looks like? Can rewilding truly benefit local communities and rural economies or does it come at their expense? And is Scotland really thirty years behind the rest of Europe when it comes to restoring its landscapes? This is a Podcasthon episode and this year I've chosen SCOTLAND: The Big Picture as my featured charity. Founded by nature photographers and filmmakers it has grown from a single employee to a team of twenty-four in just a few years. Today I'm joined by Lisa Chilton, CEO, and Stef Lauer, Rewilding Training Lead.
Lisa and Stef walk us through the extraordinary scope of what SCOTLAND: The Big Picture has built. At the heart of it all is the Northwoods Rewilding Network, a string of over a hundred land partners spanning the country from the Solway Firth to Shetland. The research backing this work is striking. Rewilded sites within the network have recorded more than 250% more bird species and a tenfold increase in pollinator abundance compared to control sites that weren’t rewilded. Beyond the network, the Loch Abar Mòrr poject brings together fourteen landowners across 120,000 acres, working to a fifty-year vision that stretches from the summit of Ben Nevis right down to seagrass beds and native oysters on the seafloor.
Our conversation also covers the long and careful effort to bring lynx back to Scotland. Lisa explains how Lynx to Scotland, a partnership involving SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, Trees for Life, and the Lifescape Project, has spent years engaging over fifty national stakeholder organisations and is now conducting one-to-one consultations in the communities most likely to be affected by any future release. The process is slow and deliberate. But as Stef puts it, the question is really about what kind of ecosystem we want to leave for the next generation. On that front, the ambition and the optimism coming from Lisa and Stef are genuinely infectious.
Further reading:
Working to return lynx to northern Scotland | Lynx to Scotland
Rewilding training | SCOTLAND: The Big Picture
The Big Picture Conference | SCOTLAND: The Big Picture
Donate | SCOTLAND: The Big Picture
Our Big Picture Community | SCOTLAND: The Big Picture

Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter
Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.
Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube

What happens when a farming family decides to become the first private landowner in Britain to legally relocate beavers onto their farm? How do you navigate the bureaucracy, the opposition from farming neighbours and the politics of wildlife management? And can beavers actually help a farm deal with the effects of climate change? To find answers to those questions I sat down with Tom Bowser, author of “Waters of Life: Fighting for Scotland's Beavers”, a book that tells the story of his journey from a self-described placid pacifist to a self-proclaimed radical fighting for beaver restoration.
Tom's family has farmed at Argaty in central Scotland since 1916, running the farm with two aims: producing food sustainably and making it as good a home as possible for nature. From the 2000s, beaver escapes or unlicensed releases led to a wild beaver population in Tayside, much of it on prime arable farmland where they were often unpopular with farmers. The Scottish government gave them protected status in 2019 but also handed out lethal control licences with alarming ease. In the first year alone, one in five beavers of Scotland's tiny population was killed under licence. When Tom was approached about rehoming beavers that would otherwise be shot, he stepped into a process that tested his patience, his relationships with farming neighbours and his faith in the system.
During our conversation, Tom shares hard-won lessons about bridging the divide between farmers and conservationists. We talk about the tribal dynamics that make these discussions so difficult and the importance of speaking to people like normal human beings rather than talking down to them. Tom also describes the real, measurable benefits beavers have brought to his farm, from reduced flood damage to water retention during heatwave summers. Tom's story is a reminder that restoring nature and producing food don't have to be an either-or proposition. Do yourself a favour and buy 'Waters of Life: Fighting for Scotland's Beavers' using the link below.
Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter
Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.
Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube
Tommy’s Outdoors is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk
The guest featured in this episode paid a nominal guesting fee. This fee did not directly influence the content of the episode. The guest had no editorial control, did not review the episode before publication, and did not influence the questions asked during the interview.

How did little over ten grey squirrels, brought to an Aberdeen zoo in 1971 to keep a tame squirrel called Jack company, turn into a population of over ten thousand? What does it take to eradicate an invasive species from a city? And could this project become the first urban grey squirrel eradication anywhere in the world? To discuss all of this I'm joined by James Kennedy, the Eradication Operations Lead for Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels (SSRS), a partnership project run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. James has been on the ground since 2009, starting as a Grey Squirrel Control Officer on what was supposed to be an eighteen-month contract. Here he is, seventeen years later, closer than ever to achieving something many thought impossible.
During our conversation, James explains why grey squirrels are such a serious problem for native red squirrels and for the wider environment. It's not just about competition for food and habitat. Grey squirrels carry squirrelpox virus, which is lethal to red squirrels, usually killing them within a fortnight. They also cause millions of pounds of damage through bark stripping of trees, threatening both ancient woodlands and commercial forestry. We also discuss the role of pine martens in suppressing grey squirrel populations, a topic that is surprisingly emotive in conservation circles, and how the situation in Ireland offers some encouraging signs for red squirrel recovery.
James takes us through the practical realities of running an urban trapping operation, from getting the backing of Aberdeen City Council to managing a trap loan scheme with local residents. He shares stories of public encounters, both positive and hostile, and explains why education and patience matter when dealing with a controversial subject. We also look at alternative approaches such as fertility control and gene drive technology. But as James puts it, nothing currently replaces boots on the ground. With grey squirrel captures down to just two in 2025 and detection dogs now being deployed, the project is entering its confirmation phase. If you care about invasive species management and what is possible with long-term commitment, this is an episode you don't want to miss.
Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter
Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.
Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube

What does it take to track wildlife across 250 square kilometres of Irish woodland? How do you position cameras to capture elusive species like otters and pine martens without introducing bias into your data? What happens when floodwaters threaten your carefully placed equipment? Join us as we follow a camera trap survey through the Clara Vale in central County Wicklow, where systematic monitoring reveals the lives of Ireland's mammals.
Throughout the episode, we've included footage from the field showing the actual process of retrieving cameras from flooded mixed woodlands. So, if you're watching the video version, you'll see the camera trap images of otters and deer, the moment we discover whether the equipment survived the floods, and the landscapes where these surveys take place.
We also discuss the importance of systematic camera placement, why all cameras point north, and how spacing them kilometres apart provides better population sampling. The approach demonstrates how proper methodology reduces bias and creates representative data about wildlife distribution across diverse landscapes.
Beyond the technical aspects, we explore what it means to survey wildlife across private and public lands, from forests to plantations. The work covers 60 cameras across County Wicklow and extends to other project sites around Ireland, including national parks where grid-based designs become possible. It's a glimpse into the patient, systematic work that builds our understanding of Irish wildlife populations and their response to different habitat types and land management practices.
Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter
Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.
Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube
Mentioned in this episode:
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the individual participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organisation. The participants are expressing their personal opinions and perspectives.

This episode features one of the most important conversations about hunting and impacts on nature that I can remember in 10 years of making the podcast. It's not surprising though as our guest today is a long-time supporter and friend of the podcast, Tony Bynum. Tony is an accomplished wildlife photographer who spent 15 years travelling the world photographing people hunting. He is a geographer by training with a master's degree in science and has managed scientific projects across the United States. He also worked in two presidential administrations at the Environmental Protection Agency. On top of all that, Tony is a lifelong hunter and angler with Native American heritage that deeply influences his approach to conservation and land ethics.
Our conversation starts with a famous quote from José Ortega y Gasset suggesting that photography can never replace hunting because one is mere observation and the other is participation. Tony challenges this view with a perspective I hadn't considered before. Are photographers really just observers? What personal decisions has Tony made about his own photography as a result of his views? And how do traditional stories shape our connection to the land and the animals we pursue? You'll have to listen to find out.
We also discuss the difference between transactional and value-based approaches to hunting, the role of visual art in conservation and the problematic influence of social media on outdoor pursuits. Tony's message about doing something for what you love, rather than just loving it, runs through everything we discuss. His thoughts on raising his three daughters with outdoor experiences, without pushing them to become environmentalists, offer valuable insights for anyone who cares about passing on a connection to nature.
Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter
Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.
Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Instagram or YouTube