Ecology Academy Podcast

Career exploitation refers to situations in which an employer or work environment takes advantage of an employee for their own benefit, often at the expense of the employee's well-being and long-term career prospects. This can take many forms, such as paying employees less than they deserve, not providing adequate opportunities for growth and development, or assigning them work that is outside of...

We all need to make plans, but more importantly take action in implementing them! This episode is not aimed to help you set goals, but instead it is focused on how to be a better manager. Whether you are a first line manager or a senior executive, we all need the tools to help us support ourselves and others. If you're just starting out, you can download a copy of our Skills Wheel and Guidance Not...

During this episode, host Richard Dodd interviews Dr Nicholas White, Principal Adviser on Net Gain for Natural England, and discusses what skills we need as ecologists to help deliver Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). We get to hear Nick's insights into the Environment Act and the delivery of BNG, the newly updated biodiversity metric, standards, and guidance, as well as marine net gain! Our Guest Nick...

This month’s episode is from a discussion which was recorded as part of a live Q&A session for students at Nottingham Trent University during the delivery of our six-week Career Accelerator for Aspiring Ecological Consultants course for 2nd and final year students studying for a BSc in Wildlife Conservation. Throughout the six weeks, students gained a thorough understanding of; the role of an ecol...

Welcome to the first episode in a brand new season of the Ecology Academy podcast! In this month's episode we focus on delivering everything you need to know about the UK Habitat Classification System (UKHab) and why, as a digital ecologist, it matters. Our Guest Our guest on this episode is Paul Losse of Salix Ecology .  Paul worked as a Conservation Officer and Senior Specialist (land management...

We are taking a well earned break in September before springing back with a brand new season in October 2022. Thank you to all of you for listening throughout the past year (and a bit). It's time for our annual appraisal... so what did you find of most value this season and would like us to do more of in the future? What did not really resonate with you? We would love to hear from you! You can sen...

A not to be missed interview with Stuart Newson, lead scientist for the BTO Acoustic Pipeline , which brings cutting-edge sound identification of bats and other nocturnal wildlife to your desktop. During the interview, Richard discusses Stuart's love for big data analysis and problem solving and his work with the BTO. We talk about his career profile as a researcher and how his desire to identify...

Richard Dodd interviews two students (Rachel Smith and Nina Baranduin) who have just completed their second year Ecology and Conservation degree course at Nottingham Trent University . During the interview we discuss their individual reasons and decision to go to university, their experience of studying under Covid-19 restrictions, placement year opportunities and life after studies. Richard met w...

How NOT to quit your job: what you should consider before you leave and what managers should consider helping you stay.    Quitting is hard, but for many of us we will do it at least once as part of our career journey. But how do you do it? There is no real guidebook or company policy or procedures, and there are few people you could talk with to discuss how to quit. In this month's podcast Richar...

Recorded in March 2022, Richard gets to go outside and records the passionate voice of Emma Williams, the mycological advocate. During the interview Emma introduces us to a few species we found during our time out in a damp woodland near Caerphilly, South Wales, but more importantly about why we should take fungi seriously. We get to talk about the lack of mycological surveys in planning and devel...

Richard Dodd hosts a panel discussion between UK protected species licence holders including: Ash Harris - Principal Ecologist / Director at Ecological Services Ltd (Torfaen) Grace Dooley - Head of Ecology at Environment Systems Ltd (Ceredigion) Tilly Tilbrook - Director at Integrated Ecological Solutions Ltd. (Bristol) Sarah Parkin - Ecologist at SOP Ecology and Caseworker at Scottish Natural Her...

#BehindtheB To celebrate B Corp month Richard gets to discuss many of his passions including beer, biodiversity and, of course, businesses as a force for good. Take away messages include why choosing to buy from and work with B Corps is good for you and the planet and how Stroud Brewery have invested so heavily into brewing organically which benefits biodiversity and people. Greg gets to showcase...

Richard interviews Neil Davies, Consultancy Manager with TR33 Limited, an environmental company that provides full tree, grounds and estate maintenance services. Neil is passionate about trees and woodland and their function in both the built and natural environment. Drawing on 25 years in the industry, his aim is to provide pragmatic expert advice to the highest quality. He’s keen on sharing know...

A Happy New Year to you all. In this first episode of 2022 Richard Dodd talks about how identifying good and bad habits can help you achieve more in 2022.    Atomic Habits by James Clear: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/atomic-habits-the-life-changing-million-copy-1-bestseller/9781847941831?aid=2999     The Myth of Multitasking by Dave Crenshaw: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-myth-of-multitasking...

The final episode of 2021 and Richard reflects back on the guests we have chatted with over the past six months! In this episode Richard talks about the top 5 downloads of the year and what to expect in 2022, before offering up advice on how to achieve your one BIG goal for 2022. Thank you to you all for listening - this podcast really is for you, so if you want to help shape it's direction or col...

Having discovered a passion and fascination for the world of dogs and detection in her previous role as a dog handler and trainer at a leading international detection dog company, Rachael Flavell embarked on a new journey to focus primarily on conservation and the use of dogs to assist in ecological surveys and to help fight wildlife crime. Paws For Conservation was founded by Rachael in June 2020...

Joshua is a pioneering young ecologist and science communicator with a background in botany & conservation, and a 1st class degree in BSc Ecology. Now venturing into the world of entertainment and running his own YouTube channel, in addition to appearing on well-known shows such as BBC Springwatch, the ONE Show, BBC News, Sky News, Channel 4 News, and Atlas Obscura, Joshua Styles is someone every...

Born in Cornwall in 2005, fellow B Corp, Green & Blue, are leading the way in designing beautiful, stylish products, that help wildlife. Here we talk to Faye Clifton, Director, about her passion for this innovative company and how to plan, build and manage beautiful housing and gardens that support the environment. Recorded 24 November 2021

Richard Dodd talks to two members of the Wildwood team, Ian Weller and David Withington, whom have both completely changed to a new career in ecology.  They discuss their respective journeys, driving forces and experience to date.   

Richard interviews Tom Butterworth, who is the Technical Director for Biodiversity, leading the work on Biodiversity Net Gain for WSP, a leading global environmental engineering company.

Sally Hayns, Chief Executive at the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) talks about why this professional body was established, what it has achieved over the last 30 years and why Sally has no plans to step down anytime soon. Our conversation includes their career framework document, mentor scheme, protecting the title of 'ecologist' and diversity and inclusion. Rec...

During this 'fireside chat' with Ivi Szaboova, Principal Ecologist at Wildwood Ecology, we discuss the role of a senior member of the ecology team - skills, qualities, traits and behaviours, as well as how Ivi and her team have coped since March 2020 when Covid-19 sent us into the first lockdown. Ivi's journey to ecology is both inspiration and inspiring. Her takeaway messages include; finding a m...

MKA Ecology works in many areas, from large scale restoration and rewilding projects to working with local councils on their site management. Their main work is at the interface of development and sustainability, undertaking a range of projects and always under the mantra that 'every site matters'.  Recorded 10 May 2021.

Podcast interview with Rob Oates, Director and El Capitan of Arbtech Ecological and Arboricultural Consultancy. Website:  https://arbtech.co.uk/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertoatesdotcom/   Recorded 02 October, 2020.

Interview with Julia Baker, Biodiversity Technical Specialist at Balfour Beatty; one of the major infrastructure contractors in the UK. Julia has designed and delivered Biodiversity Net Gain for a variety of projects including large and small scale, rural and urban. Julia is the leading author of the UK’s Good Practice Principles on Biodiversity Net Gain and runs professional training on Biodivers...