Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast 268. Rewilding The World with Ben Goldsmith and Stephen Fry
Oct 24, 2024
Ben Goldsmith, a green investment pioneer and rewilding advocate, dives deep into the transformative power of rewilding to restore ecosystems. He discusses how music festivals like Glastonbury can elevate environmental consciousness and shares inspiring conservation stories, including efforts to save the northern white rhino. The conversation emphasizes grassroots community projects, the emotional bond humans share with nature, and the ecological benefits of reintroducing species like wolves. Goldsmith highlights the crucial link between nature's revival and our collective well-being.
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Rewilding Restores Natural Processes
- Rewilding restores key ecological processes rather than preserving static pictures of nature.
- Ben Goldsmith explains we should restore processes like predation and then let nature find its own path.
Kazakhstan's Saiga Comeback
- In Kazakhstan's Altindala project, 50,000 saiga antelope grew to nearly 3 million in ten years.
- Ben Goldsmith describes aspirations to reintroduce bison, wild horses, and big cats there.
Restore Wetlands To Reduce Flood Risk
- Use rewilding and rewetting of river catchments to reduce flood volatility and secure summer water supplies.
- Ben Goldsmith points to natural flood management as a practical climate resilience tool.