WATCH THE EVENT HERE

In 2021, it cannot be denied that our planet is at an ecological tipping point. Whether we’re discussing the climate crisis or extreme declines in biodiversity, taking appropriate action to remedy these problems is still not a priority for many of those with power. In the past year especially, nature has proven its worth 100 times over, with millions of us finding comfort and solace within it. At Birds of Poole Harbour, we are not content with letting the opportunity to restore and conserve our natural heritage slip through our fingers, and we’re not alone. We are a small part of a mighty network of people and organisations striving to make positive change for nature, exploring novel ways of doing so and educating the public as we go.

As a charity, with our involvement in the Poole Harbour Osprey Translocation Project, we’re particularly inspired by the uptake of wildlife restoration projects through reintroductions and rewilding, and we know that many other people are just as engaged and enthused as we are. We therefore decided to launch a new event, bringing these projects together to showcase them to the public: The Reintroduction & Rewilding Summit.

The R & R Summit is a virtual event which you will be able to stream live from home on Saturday 10th April 2021. The day will be hosted by the brilliant Self-Isolating Bird Club, with presenters Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin, and will be jam-packed full of content from different projects, conservationists and science communicators talking all about reintroductions and nature restoration. The event will raise the discussion of a multitude of questions, from whether reintroductions are the best way to re-establish native species,  to how beavers can shape our landscape, and whether rewilding has become an overused buzzword or is it actually the answer to reverse biodiversity decline? But most importantly, we hope the day will fill you with much-needed hope and excitement for the future of wildlife restoration and will inspire you to discover more about these projects. Speakers will include the likes of conservation hero Roy Dennis, Beaver expert Derek Gow, ‘Rebirding’ author Benedict Macdonald and The White Stork Project. The event will be livestreamed on 10th April through the Self-Isolating Bird Club and Birds of Poole Harbour’s YouTube Channels, and you can sign-up to register your interest and be sent the link to the event here.

In the meantime…

The R&R Summit Insight Podcasts

Over the next 10-weeks leading up to the event, guest podcaster Charlie Moores will be interviewing a series of reintroduction and rewilding project leaders, discussing the details, aims and inspiration behind each scheme. With many of these topics or ideas sometimes being considered controversial, these open discussions aim to lay all cards on the table, allowing listeners to hear about the processes, practicalities and outcomes of each of the projects and how they fit into a wider context of conservation.

Podcast 1 – Poole Harbour Osprey Translocation Project

In 2017, Dorset-based charity Birds of Poole Harbour began a 5-year Osprey translocation project in an effort to restore a south coast breeding population having been absent for nearly 200 years. In this first podcast, Charlie discusses with some of the Osprey project team the reasoning behind the reintroduction, their aspirations moving forward and the project’s place within a wider nature restoration framework.

Podcast 2 – The White Stork Project

Join Charlie as he chats with Lucy Groves, a project officer for The White Stork Project. Discover the motivations behind the project, the progress already made and what we can hope to see by 2030, as well as the impacts they have already had in engaging the public with the wildlife…

Find out more about The White Stork Project here: https://www.whitestorkproject.org/

Podcast 3 – Celtic Reptile & Amphibian

Charlie chats with Harvey Tweats and Tom Whitehurst of Celtic Reptile & Amphibian to dive deeper into understanding their ambitions, how they see themselves fitting into the bigger conservation picture, and what they’ve taken on board since attracting national attention.

Find out more about Celtic Reptile & Amphibian here: http://celticreptileamphibian.co.uk/

Podcast 4 – Rewilding Britain

In this episode, Charlie talks to Sara King from Rewilding Britain, who is the Rewilding Network Lead. They delve into the world of rewilding on a larger landscape scale, discuss the possibilities of marine rewilding, and the benefits of having a network of rewilding projects.

To find out more about Rewilding Britain and their Network, explore their website: https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/

Podcast 5 – Vulture Conservation Foundation

This week, Charlie got to grips with the scale of the efforts made to conserve vultures across Europe. Talking with José Tavares, the Director of Vulture Conservation Foundation, they discuss what’s needed to make reintroductions successful, how they go hand in hand with other conservation techniques, and the important role that vultures play in their landscape.

To find out more about Vulture Conservation Foundation, head to their website: https://www.4vultures.org/

Podcast 6 – Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation

This episode Charlie chats with Roy Dennis MBE and Dr Tim Mackrill of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation. They discuss the recent updates from the White-tailed Eagle translocation on the Isle of Wight, the hurdles to overcome when planning a reintroduction project, and how translocations will continue to be a key player in conservation in the future.

To find out more about the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, you can go to their website: https://www.roydennis.org/

Podcast 7 – Isabella Tree (Knepp Wildland)

In this episode, Charlie talks with Isabella Tree, who has been largely responsible for bringing rewilding to public attention through her brilliant book “Wilding”. They discuss the progress and influence of the Knepp Estate, the fantastic array of people who have been through its doors, and how to find balance between managing land and letting nature take the reigns…

If you want to learn more about Knepp Wildland, you can find their website here: https://knepp.co.uk/home

You can also find all the episodes on Spotify: HERE

We hope you enjoy the podcast!