New podcast by renowned conservationist and financier, Ben Goldsmith has urged Europeans to embrace the prospect of living amongst predators such as wolves.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM , May 17, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- NEW PODCAST by renowned conservationist and financier, Ben Goldsmith has urged Europeans to embrace the prospect of living amongst apex predators such as bears and wolves.

In his new podcast Rewilding the World, which launches today, Goldsmith discusses the benefits that large carnivores such as bears and wolves can have on ecosystems, as well as the minimal threat they pose to humans.

The series launched this week with three episodes speaking to the leaders of three major rewilding projects across the globe.

The first episode features Alison Fox, CEO of American Prairie Reserve. The reserve is the largest public reserve in the contiguous United States and is looking to reintroduce a number of native species, including wild Bison, to the Great Plains.

Rewilding projects will look to restore entire ecosystems to their natural state, including the reintroduction of carnivores like bears and wolves.

Goldsmith emphasises the benefits this can bring to natural ecosystems, as well as the minimal risk that these animals actually pose to humans.

The second episode features Deli Saavedra, Head of Landscapes at Rewilding Europe. Deli’s work focuses on the Iberian Highlands in North-Eastern Spain. To him, rewilding is not only an environmental solution, but also a solution to ‘Espana Vaciada’, which has seen much of rural Spain deserted as young people relocate to cities looking for work.

These less populated areas provide a great opportunity for rewilding projects, which Deli argues will make the countryside an attractive prospect for Spanish young people again.

Deli shared his experience of successful reintroductions of wolves and bears to Spain and the role they play in managing grazing herbivore populations. Goldsmith and Deli also discuss the animals’ contribution to attracting tourism to new parts of the country.

The pair discuss challenging negative public perception around living in close proximity to large predators. Speaking about the possibility of reintroducing Bears to the Iberian Highlands Deli Saavedra said: “I think it could be a good idea to reintroduce the brown bear. […] Definitely, there’s an ecological place for brown bears in the Iberian Highlands, but of course first we need to work on the social feasibility.”

The final episode launched this week features Christoph Promberger, Executive Director of Foundation Conservation Carpathia, a project seeking to build a ‘European Yellowstone’ in the Carpathian mountains.

Christoph shares stories of the successful reintroduction of Bison and Beavers, as well as their successful engagement with local people and tussles with the Romanian ‘timber mafia’.

The limited series features six episodes in total, with the final three episodes dropping each week. Each episode features leaders from other significant rewilding projects around the world. The podcast was produced by The Podcast Coach, you can listen on Spotify, Apple and on the web.

The podcast immediately follows the launch of Goldsmith’s new book, God is an Octopus. The book reflects on Ben’s grief after losing his teenage daughter, Iris, in a tragic accident and the solace nature offered him.

Talking about why he launched the podcast, Ben Goldsmith said: “I wanted a platform to discuss key rewilding issues, as well as to address some common misconceptions around the practice.

Throughout the series we hear from those at the forefront of the boldest global rewilding missions on what a rewilding project work and – most importantly – why we should learn to embrace predators like bears and wolves. I was fascinated to hear how these creatures are an important part of ecosystems and pose little threat to humans.”

Ben has also recently launched The Iris Prize, named after his late daughter, which is seeking to reward outstanding young people who are working on projects to restore nature around the world.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS
• Ben Goldsmith is a British environmentalist and financier. Ben is a leading light in the rewilding movement in Britain and Europe, as well as a pioneer of green investment. Ben and his wife, Jemima, are rewilding their farm in Somerset, and Ben has helped to establish a number of environmental initiatives, including the Environmental Funders’ Network, the Conservative Environment Network, Rewilding Britain, Beaver Trust, and the Conservation Collective, a global network of locally focused environmental foundations. Ben was a Director at DEFRA for five years, successfully advocating for a series of ground-breaking environmental restoration policies during his tenure, including the new Environmental Land Management scheme, the Nature for Climate Fund and the Species Reintroductions task force.

• Rewilding the World launches on 17th May with it’s first three episodes. You can find it on Apple, Spotify and other podcast platforms of your choice.

• The podcast was produced by The Podcast Coach. The Podcast Coach is an independent podcast production agency helping companies and individuals benefit from the power of podcasting.

• God Is An Octopus tells Ben’s story of losing his teenage daughter, Iris, and the meaning he found in the dramatic rebounding of nature on their farm where the accident happened. It was published on 11th May 2023 by Bloomsbury and is available in hardback, ebook and audiobook.

• The Iris Project was established by Ben Goldsmith and Kate Rothschild in partnership with the Global Greengrants Fund in loving memory of their daughter, Iris Goldsmith, a young environmentalist who loved the natural world. It provides grant funding, peer-to-peer mentorship and bespoke capacity building to young people working to deliver locally-led, nature-focused solutions to the climate crisis. It also operates the Iris Prize which recognises three outstanding individuals who best embody the spirit of the Iris Project by providing them with funding to pursue a project which benefits the natural world.

Polly de Burgh Marsh
Higginson Strategy
+44 7966 268902
polly@higginsonstrategy.com

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.