A review of rewilding podcasts
EDWARD GRIERSON
Podcasts are an unlikely media success story. At a time when there are more screens than ever, nobody would have expected a purely audio medium to find a niche. But since the launch of Open Source two decades ago, podcasts have become not just a part of our media landscape, but a driving force. If you can think of something, chances are that several podcasts have covered it.
Rewilding is no exception. It’s a broad concept, tying into many subjects beyond just ecology. Naturally, there’s a lot of podcasts exploring what it means and how to implement it. The ideas they explore and the conclusions they come to are what this essay is about. The podcasts mentioned here approach the subject from a variety of angles, but altogether they give a comprehensive overview of the topic.
Rewilding, at home and afar
Prominent amongst the cast of these productions are Rewilding the World and The Rewild Podcast. These two include coverage of projects outside of Britain. But even with a whole world of rewilding to choose from, their subject matter often overlaps: Knepp, the Affric Highlands, and the Iberian Highlands feature in both. What sets them apart is the format.

Rewilding the World has a more formal approach, with Ben Goldsmith in a studio setting, interviewing people behind the projects. As formats go, it’s arguably the simplest possible structure. Similarly, the actual script is good, even if it doesn’t stand out. It conveys its message, and there aren’t any jarring segments. But these podcasts aren’t about reinventing the wheel with formats or language. What’s important is the actual content, and Rewilding the World delivers on this. The movements and organisations its covers show a wide variety of ideas about the scope of rewilding. We hear about familiar concepts such as large mammal reintroductions, alongside more niche or radical movements. These include Dam Removal Europe campaigning to unblock rivers, or The Weather Makers who want to regreen the Sinai Peninsula. The podcast goes into a good level of detail, covering the environmental and social challenges these projects face. Episodes are around half an hour long, meaning it can be easily listened to on a car journey or before going to bed.
But it isn’t quite as global as it could be. There are episodes covering projects on all continents, but these are still very Western-centric. The episodes about the Sinai Peninsula, and the Tompkins family’s restoration work in Argentina, are still about the work of white Europeans intervening in other countries. A good way to balance this out would be to highlight the work of indigenous communities. The first episode acknowledges the involvement of the Fort Belknap Indian Community in reintroducing swift foxes and black-footed ferrets, as part of the wider initiative to restore the American prairies. Outside of this, indigenous conservation efforts are barely mentioned, despite being invaluable to conservation in many countries. This makes Rewilding the World a good introductory podcast, but one you can research beyond.

In contrast to Goldsmith’s studio format, The Rewild Podcast takes an en-plein-air approach. James Shooter records himself outside in nature, and at the site of the projects discussed. His tone is more conversational. There are anecdotes about his journey, the setbacks he’s experienced, and comments like a black vulture conservationist who looks like the ex-footballer Carlos Tevez. Goldsmith’s format feels like a discussion about a summative with your university professor, while Shooter feels like taking a walk in the woods with a friend. Shooter does use cliches a bit too frequently; examples in the first three episodes include a seal’s “puppy-dog eyes”, making ecological restoration a “win-win-win”, and remind us that “everything is connected”. However, references such as the Tevez comparison feel distinctly his own, giving The Rewild Podcast a distinct voice.
This podcast is one I would recommend for people fresh into rewilding, whereas rewilding enthusiasts can probably predict the agenda of several episodes. Still, this probably says more about the niche nature of rewilding than it does about this particular podcast. Like Goldsmith, Shooter’s focus is very Western-centric, though he is upfront about this. The Rewild podcast is, after all, a collaboration with Rewilding Europe. As such, it can sometimes feel like a business presentation for their shareholders. Where Shooter has the advantage is his highlighting of community-led projects, such as the Community of Arran Seabed Trust and the Greater Coa Valley, showing that rewilding doesn’t have to be a pursuit of the very rich.

In a similar vein to these two podcasts is What if you just Leave It. It focuses on Britain but is just as broad in its subject matter. Host Sam Rose emphasises that he’s on this journey with us, to understand rewilding’s potential. Like Shooter, he interviews his guests at the site of their work, letting the listener take in Britain’s soundscapes. Also like Shooter, he has an artistic bent: he’s a photographer, and helps us feel the vibes of the setting, hence the soundscapes and his extremely vivid evocations of the places he’s visiting.
This podcast’s greatest strength is in confronting issues that other podcasts overlook. The very first episode challenges rewilding as a middle-class pursuit. Further episodes show us community-led projects, in both rural and urban areas, that challenge this preconception. Out of all the podcasts, this one has the best variety of case studies. A lot of smaller, more recent rewilding schemes are given exposure, and we learn how broadly rewilding can be interpreted. At the same time, the breadth of subject matter is probably Rose’s biggest undoing. In his willingness to be as open-minded as possible about what rewilding is, he arguably stretches the definition too much. In one episode, his guests might criticise British conservation for arresting ecological succession, citing heathland as an example. Then in another, they might focus on projects that purposefully maintain heathland. The episode about the Black Down stands out for these reasons. It isn’t just the heavy use of grazing animals, but their need to purposefully maintain a habitat – the very antithesis of what rewilding is meant to be. Rewilding is now being applied to a lot of conservation efforts, but this case suggests that it may sometimes help to be more selective for what qualifies. The sound recording could also do with some improvement and rendering. While I love hearing each landscape that’s featured, this can sometimes drown out the narration.
Rewilding your local patch

One way to be more selective in your approach is to narrow your scope, perhaps by focusing on one area. The Knepp Wildland podcast concentrates on the titular estate, and the scientific and conservation work it supports. Knepp is a household name by now, but this podcast shows that there’s still a lot more to it than what the media has shown. These include Rewilding Later Prehistory’s work to uncover more evidence of Britain’s lost grazers, and what the orange-legged furrow bee can teach us about climate change. Even episodes about familiar subjects, such as purple emperors and white stork reintroduction, always bring something unique and interesting. This is complemented by the variety of staff interviewed, including gardeners, stockmen, tree surveyors, and scientists in many different fields. It’s a real testament to how much scope a single site can provide. The landscape of Knepp is also beautifully evoked. Isabella Tree’s book Wilding had some excellent prose, which gave distinct personalities to a Winter flood, a Spring dawn, and a Summer afternoon. Knepp Wildland pulls off the same trick in an audio medium. Penny Green, narrator and resident ecologist at Knepp, records on site, with cleaner audio than Sam Rose and more focus on the sounds of nature than James Shooter. The result is a calm but lively soundscape, which complements the narration while also being a soothing listen on its own. Of all these podcasts, this is the most pleasant to listen to.
How transferable are Knepp’s lessons to the rest of the country? Not everyone has a spare 3,500 acres to put aside to nature. On smaller sites, doing some rewilding projects could have various consequences, both to nature and to farmer’s livelihoods. Obviously, this particular matter shouldn’t be what Knepp Wildland is all about. That would make it a different podcast altogether. But without addressing the issue of Knepp’s applicability at all, the podcast could seem out of touch.

This issue may well have been what Wilder was created to address. Tom and Chloe Constable are pursuing a similar program to Knepp at their farm in Monmouthshire. The difference is theirs is only 80 acres. As such, rewilding enthusiasts may find it useful as an example of the process works on a limited scale and budget. In the first episode, they mention having to engage their neighbours in the practice. It only began this July, and there are only twelve episodes at the time of writing. So far, Wilder has been less about the rewilding itself, and more about wider contemporary issues, such as the path to net zero, and the future of the military under climate change.
These are its greatest weakness and its greatest strength. It’s a weakness because the subjects covered can feel disconnected from the focus and stated aim of the podcast. Even the episodes on environmental issues feel disconnected from the Grange Project itself. But it’s a strength in how it expands the scope of discussion. Rewilding has been presented as one tool for helping us survive the next century. The hosts explore their interest in climate issues, and discuss how will an ice-free Arctic affect trade and geopolitics? How exactly will we cope with the predicted one billion climate refugees? These questions are explored in depth by an excellent selection of interviewees, from a variety of backgrounds. But they also avoid any easy answers. Whether this enhances or detracts from the podcast will depend on every listener’s preference.
This podcast is still in its early days, but there are signs it’s finding its footing. A recent stand-out interview was with Lyn Cassell from Lynbreck Croft, where they explored Cassell’s rewilding work at their croft in the Cairngorms and compared it to the Grange Project to see what lessons could be applied. This is a simple yet effective formula that could really elevate Wilder going forward. At any rate, it’s worth following now, to see exactly how it will evolve.

Yet another approach is for a podcast to focus on a specific habitat. This is demonstrated by The Lodgecast, the official podcast of The Beaver Trust. If The Rewild Podcast is a walk in the woods with a friend, Lodgecast is a night out in the city with cocktails and drunk karaoke. Hosts Sophie Pavell and Eva Bishop quiz each other and have ‘fact-offs’ in each episode, with personal stories, puns, and innuendo scattered all over the podcast like frogspawn in a beaver dam. Once again, how much this appeals to listeners will depend on personal taste. It doesn’t bother me.
Beavers and their dams provide a lot of scope for discussions about ecology and land management. Some of the other rewilding podcasts can be overly optimistic about the benefits of rewilding. Optimism is needed, of course, but it can sometimes leave criticisms unanswered. Lodgecast is the best at averting this. It doesn’t just interview beaver supporters, but also land managers who feel saddled with beavers. This gives the listener a better understanding of people’s issues with them, and how the management practices can help resolve things. This is the podcast at its strongest. When it’s at its weakest is when it broaches subjects outside of beaver dams, such as eco-anxiety or prescribing nature. As with Wilder, these topics are interesting subjects on their own. But in this context, they often feel disconnected from everything else, with only a tenuous link back to how “beavers can help with this”.
Root questions
Listening to these podcasts, it’s clear that rewilding has expanded beyond the bounds of its standard meaning. Here in these podcasts it encompasses big predator reintroductions in the Scottish Highlands, growing oyster reefs on the coast, access rights in England, and reforms to agricultural support regimes. All this is just staying within Britain. There is the risk of rewilding losing purpose and meaning if used so loosely. But for now, perhaps it is gratifying to see so many different movements happily using the phrase to promote pioneering wildlife projects.
But there are some recurring points which show the challenges rewilding still faces. Knepp as a case study features in every one of these podcasts. This is understandable, given its high profile in the rewilding movement. But it raises issues in representing rewilding as a pastime for the well-off. It isn’t helped by some of the other hosts of these podcasts: former London financier Ben Goldsmith and tech businessman Tom Constable. There is a perception that rewilding is for the rich, the well-connected, and the middle-class urban hobbyists. And some of the contents of these podcasts reinforce that image. Grassroots projects, from Lamlash Bay to Green Minds Plymouth, are discussed. But these projects need more coverage if rewilding wants to be seen as being for everyone. It’s also clear that rewilding at present is a very Western movement, and in the case of these podcasts a very British one. This remains true even for rewilding projects in the rest of the world. But the movement is expanding. As it establishes itself more in developing countries, it may find itself confronting its core principles, to avoid repeating environmentalism’s long history of racism. These podcasts show just how much diverse thought is within rewilding, even in one country. It will be needed even more in the developing world.
In fossil terms, rewilding has evolved gradually over decades, before experiencing its Cambrian explosion in the last few years. These podcasts show how it has evolved many different methods. Some of these will persist unchanged, many will adapt with the circumstances, and some might die out completely. It’s impossible to say what shape rewilding will take as the years go by. That will be down to what listeners take from these podcasts, how they are influenced and are prepared to act.
Very informative overview. Also recently brought to my attention: https://www.treeradicals.org/podcast