Ep. 026: What have the Wildlife Trusts ever done for us?

Wilder Podcast

James Hitchcock, CEO of Radnorshire Wildlife Trust, takes us on a big picture journey in this week’s episode. Covering a range of topics including the role of the Wildlife Trusts, the relationship between Wales and rewilding and the conception of his dream project, Wilder Pentwyn Farm.

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Your Hosts:

• Tom Constable: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-constable/
• Chloe Constable: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloe-constable-24155821b/

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• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-constable/

Our Guest:

James Hitchcock is the CEO of Radnorshire Wildlife Trust, he has extensive experience working in applied conservation, specialising in land management and associated skills, from practical management through to leadership roles. Of particular relevance to this podcast, James has a long held passion for restoring nature at landscape scale and believes rewilding to be a practical and holistic scalable solution to the challenges we face in the UK.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-hitchcock-a6263790/

https://www.rwtwales.org/ to find out more about the fantastic projects of Radnorshire Wildlife Trust, including Wilder Pentwyn Farm.

Listen out for:

[00:00:00] Tom and Chloe update on the project, including the SEWBReC Recorder’s Day, our work with Youngwilders, the pigs and our summer community day.

[00:07:03] Our guest for today, James Hitchcock, introduces himself and the journey to his current role.

[00:10:26] James describes the role of Radnorshire Wildlife Trust (RWT) and how it works alongside other NGOs such as the National Trust and Natural Resources Wales.

[00:20:18] Tom asks questions about the funding sources for RWT and whether James perceives them to be fit for the future.

[00:26:33] James reflects on what drew him to Wales personally and some of the unique features of this country, including the Wellbeing for Future Generations Act.

[00:29:43] We discuss the relationship between Wales and rewilding and James shares his perspective on the ‘Summit to Sea’ project.

[00:35:39] James talks us through the conception and vision for Wilder Pentwyn Farm.

[00:41:06] We conclude the conversation by thinking about our responsibilities as ‘good ancestors’.

[00:42:30] Chloe and Tom reflect on the interview and what resonated most for them.