The Wild Cornwall Podcast

Faye and Milly are back with a new episode of The Wild Cornwall Podcast, joined by Cornwall Wildlife Trust's beaver team to discuss how wild beavers can help to stop nature's decline and bring wildlife back from the brink.  Find out more about our Wild Beaver Appeal here . 

Multi-award winning author, Wyl Menmuir, talks to The Wild Cornwall Podcast. Wyl’s latest book The Heart of the Woods explores how our lives are interconnected with trees and woodlands. Find out more about Wyl’s books  here . Learn about Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s work to restore temperate rainforest in Cornwall  here .

In Cornwall, you’re never more than 20 miles from the sea – and beneath the waters are habitats which capture and store carbon, known ‘blue carbon’. A new series of reports – The Blue Carbon Mapping Project – estimate that 244 million tonnes of organic carbon are stored in just the top 10cm of the UK’s seabed sediments. Dan Barrios-O’Neill, Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s new Head of Marine, explains mo...

Water is absolutely essential for all life on earth, but in Cornwall only 24% of rivers and 15% of lakes are classified as having good ecological status. In this episode we hear from Jade Neville, Catchment Partnership Officer for Cornwall Wildlife Trust, and Simon Jeffery, Senior Advisor for Cornwall for Flood and Coastal Risk Management at the Environment Agency. We explore a range of issues, in...

Craig Bennett has been Chief Executive Officer of The Wildlife Trusts since 2020. On a visit to Cornwall, he shared with us some of the exciting things he sees in his national role. We talked about what gives him hope, what he sees as the most urgent priorities for nature, and about what we can do to make a difference. Find out more about The Wildlife Trusts . Discover Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s To...

The Japanese practice of 'Shinrin Yoku' or 'forest bathing' has been shown to bring you calm, boosting physical and mental health. It’s all about walking slowly through woods, without hurry, and soaking up the atmosphere.  In today’s episode we’ll find out about forest bathing by speaking to a practitioner, Paul Simmons, based in Cornwall. From Devichoys Woods nature reserve, Paul tells us how for...

Is climate change a serious threat to nature in Cornwall? How is it already impacting our terrestrial and marine wildlife? What role does nature (and nature recovery) play in tackling the challenge at hand? And, most importantly, what can be done? Join Cornwall Wildlife Trust and leading experts in this area with this recording from a panel discussion on Wednesday 8th May.  Speakers include: Prof....

Nature-friendly farming in Cornwall With farmland taking up three-quarters of all land in Cornwall, it will be impossible to halt the decline of wildlife, restore healthy ecosystems and achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions without supporting farmers to play their part. There are numerous examples of local farmers reducing pesticide and artificial fertiliser use, restoring soil health and maki...

The next general election is on the horizon. It’s going to be one of the most important moments for nature in a lifetime. The next government will be in power for much of the time between now and 2030, the date by which we want to see 30% of land and sea under good conservation management.   With our supporters, Cornwall Wildlife Trust would like to make a difference to the narrative of this gener...

This episode discusses the incredible humpback whales which - if you’re lucky - you can spot off the coast of Cornwall between November and March. These amazing mammals are about the size of a bus and undertake some of the longest migrations of any mammal. Humpback whales can be found in all of the oceans of the world, but in the last few years have been increasingly spotted in Cornwall. Tom speak...

Laura Snell, Conservation Officer, talks about her love of hazel dormice – and what we’re doing to monitor and protect them.   Since we recorded this episode, the State of Britain's Dormice 2023 report has been published, showing the population has actually fallen by 70% - you can read the full report here . Find out more about the Rewilding Helman Tor Appeal . Visit  Helman Tor . Download the  Wi...

Matt Walpole, Chief Executive of Cornwall Wildlife Trust, reflects on his first year in post - and shares his excitement about our plans for the future. Find out more about the plans for Helman Tor here . Learn about our farm advice work here .  Find out more about the seagrass beds in St. Austell Bay here . Become a member of Cornwall Wildlife Trust.   

Matt Slater, Marine Conservation officer, returns to The Wild Cornwall Podcast to discuss recent news about rising sea temperatures and their impact on Cornwall.  Find out more about Cornwall Wildlife Trust's  marine conservation work .  Discover the  Cornwall Good Seafood Guide .  Join  Cornwall Wildlife Trust today.

We speak to our mid-Cornwall Reserves Manager, Andy Collins, about the plans for our largest nature reserve, Helman Tor. Andy tells us about how ponies and cattle grazing, beavers building dams, and pigs rootling around will help nature make a comeback. Find out more about the Rewilding Helman Tor Appeal . Visit Helman Tor . Download the Wilderness Trail leaflet . Volunteer with one of our teams....

Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s panel discussion event, which took place on Wednesday 26th April 2023 at Heartlands, Pool to discuss "Rewilding. Our last hope or a current craze?" The speakers on the panel were as follows: • Cheryl Marriott - Head of Conservation, Cornwall Wildlife Trust • Benedict Macdonald – Television Producer, Nature Writer and Conservationist • Chris Jones - Organic Livestock Farme...

Today’s episode focuses on the Marine Strandings Network, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. For centuries, people around our coastline have recorded washed-up organisms on our beaches. While although they’re very sad, these events offer an extraordinary opportunity for marine biologists to glimpse into the lives of animals that live in the sea and are usually incredibly hard to...

Find out all about the incredible habitat at Penhale Dunes from ranger, Jon Cripps. Jon tells us all about wild ponies and explains why their grazing activities are so good for wildlife. Find out more about Penhale Dunes . Learn all about the Dynamic Dunescapes project.  Become a member of Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

Tom meets Laura Fox on a cold and crisp January day, speaking about what wildlife we can spot in the winter. Laura talks about enjoying spotting Queen bumblebees, lesser celendine, and frogspawn. Find out more about  bumblebees  and  lesser celandine . Discover  ERCCIS  or  submit a sighting . Become a  member !

Tom heads over to Cabilla and Redrice Woods, speaking with Stuart Mathieson, East Cornwall Reserves Officer, about the wildlife and history of the woods. Find out more about Cabilla and Redrice Woods on our website.  Donate to our Christmas Badger Appeal . Directions to Cabilla and Redrice Woods: From the A30, take the A38 eastbound towards Liskeard. After approximately 2.5 miles, turn left at a c...

Cornwall Wildlife Trust's Conservation Apprentice, Ella Lazic, talks to Tom all about hedgehogs and explains why we should be concerned about their decline. Find out more about hedgehogs .   Fill in our 2022 survey . Find out how to build a hedgehog home .  Check your bonfire before lighting it! Become a member of Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust's Conservation Manager, Tom Shelley, talks to Tom all about what fantastic creatures badgers are and explains why we're vaccinating them in Cornwall.  Find out more about becoming a member .

Meet Matt Walpole, Cornwall Wildlife Trust's new Chief Executive. Matt shares his love of Cornwall, his career in conservation and his hopes for the future. Tom also interviews Dee Reeves, a retiring trustee of Cornwall Wildlife Trust who encourages people to leave something lasting behind for future generations.  Become a member in less than two minutes!  

Matt Slater tells Tom about the joys and sorrows of marine conservation, and looks forward to National Marine Week. Tom and Lucy reflect on the work of the Your Shore Project, engaging young people with wildlife and marine activities.  Find out about  National Marine Week .  Discover a local  Your Shore Marine Group .  Become a member .

Tom interviews Tom Shelley, Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Conservation Manager, about beavers, the amazing ‘eco-engineers’. Find out more about Beaver Walks at Woodland Valley Farm: https://www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/what-we-do/our-conservation-work/on-land/cornwall-beaver-project   Donate to our urgent land appeal: https://www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/appeals/match-appeal-land-purchase-helm...

Callum Deveney, Head of Nature Reserves, tells Tom all about rewilding, rare species and why Cornwall Wildlife Trust are so excited about a once in a lifetime opportunity to buy more land at Helman Tor.  In this episode Lucy and Tom also reflect on the wonderful things to look out for as the summer arrives with June. They discuss 30 Days Wild and the exciting prospect of seeing beavers. Donate to...