Meliora: a podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute
Welcome to the Meliora Podcast from the Sustainability and Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton!
This podcast explores the greatest and most wicked problem that is sustainability, whilst looking at how we are collectively addressing this critical global challenge.
Sustainability needs to be addressed by understanding how the economy, society, culture, politics and environment intersect, and this is the focus that informs each episode of the Meliora podcast.
In each episode, host Professor Simon Kemp and guest hosts are joined by a variety of guests, including academics, students, staff, researchers, alumni, community groups and business leaders.
The aim of the podcast is to shine a light on the vast range of topics surrounding sustainability and to allow listeners to learn about the critical challenges we face, as well as how they can be part of the solution. We also ensure our fantastic students have the opportunity to share their brilliant work with the world.
Podcast host: Professor Simon Kemp, Deputy Director of the Sustainability & Resilience Institute, University of Southampton
Podcast editors: Lily Killner, Sophie Green, Libby Kale, Jack Dinham, Ellie Howell, School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton
Podcast communications: Hannah Parish, Alexander Ayerst, Maya Stevens, University of Southampton
Please do get in touch to discuss this podcast and any of the issues we raise by emailing sri@soton.ac.uk
Follow us on instagram and X: @meliorapodcast
Meliora: a podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute
Billy Weir: Assessing the impact of Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber) reintroduction on fish populations in Plymouth, England
Billy Weir MSci Environmental Science joins us again for his episode, this time on his Masters research project "Assessing the impact of Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber) reintroduction on fish populations in Plymouth, England".
Abstract - Rewilding has become an aim for conservation across the globe, and a crucial aspect of that is species reintroductions. Ecosystem engineers such as Eurasian Beavers (Castor fiber) are an excellent example of a species that can return to nature-deprived countries, such as the UK, and increase biodiversity and provide ecosystem services. The return of Eurasian beavers across Europe and the UK represents a conservation success story, despite some controversies surrounding localised flooding.
This study investigated the impact Eurasian Beavers have on fish populations at a reintroduction project at Poole Farm, Plymouth, England. Seine netting sampling was conducted and eDNA samples were collected across three sites at Poole Farm. This data was compared to a fish population survey that occurred in October 2021 and supplemented with land imagery of the enclosure to assess beaver impact.
The data suggests that Three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) dominate the stream at all sites, and that the beaver dam provides Brown trout (Salmo trutta) with a large obstacle that they cannot pass to upstream areas, despite other literature finding otherwise.
We suggest it’s crucial to continue monitoring the fish population at Poole Farm, and at beaver reintroduction projects across the country, as beavers become more established.
Episode guest: Billy Weir MSci Environmental Science
Episode host: Prof Simon Kemp
Episode producer and editor: Libby Kale
