• Climate change projections and the Cairngorms National Park
    Jul 24 2024

    Climate change has wide-ranging impacts, including how to manage major and important areas of land such as national parks. We talk with the Cairngorms National Park Authority’s director of nature and climate change about what climate projections mean for the park and the practical measures they’re already taking on the ground, from peatland restoration to beaver reintroduction.

    Host:
    Elaine Maslin, Media Officer at the Hutton (Aberdeen)

    Guests:
    Andy Ford, Director of Nature and Climate Change, at the Cairngorms National Park Authority.
    Dr Mike Rivington, senior scientist at the Hutton

    For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit:
    Climate Change Impacts on Natural Capital - James Hutton Institute
    The Climate Emergency - Cairngorms National Park Authority
    Climate change in the UK - Met Office
    UK Climate Projections (UKCP) - Met Office
    Homepage | Copernicus

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    Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

    We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

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    32 mins
  • Arable Scotland special: discussing “Farming in a new era” with special guests from LEAF and AHDB
    Jun 11 2024

    This year’s Arable Scotland is all about farming in a new era. It’s about how the future is already here and the challenges that brings, from climate and weather chaos to biodiversity loss and the impact of global events on key supply chains. To unpick what some of this means, as an appetiser for Arable Scotland, we have special guests from Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development board (AHDB), alongside our very own Hutton agroecologist Ali Karley to discuss the challenges.

    Host:
    Elaine Maslin, Media Officer (Aberdeen) at the Hutton

    Guests:
    David Webster, chief executive of LEAF. David joined LEAF from the UK Grocery Division of Associated British Foods where he was Director of Sustainability and External Affairs. He cut his teeth with Jordans (Cereals), working closely with founders Bill and David Jordan on their breakfast cereal brand and a commitment to wildlife friendly farming.

    Adrian James, knowledge exchange manager for cereals and oilseeds in Scotland for the AHDB. sAdrian comes from a mixed farm background in Herefordshire before moving into farm management in Sussex and Kent. He moved to Scotland in 2017 and took up his current role with AHDB in 2022, and he is deputy chair of the Arable Scotland committee.

    Dr Alison Karley, an agroecologist here at the Hutton with more than 25 years’ experience in plant production and ecology. Ali leads the integrated cropping systems group at the Hutton and her work contributes towards crop diversification and integrated pest and disease management (IPM) research at the institute. Ali is chair of the Arable Scotland committee.

    For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, including how to attend Arable Scotland, visit:

    Arable Scotland
    LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming)
    AHDB

    Thank you for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into some of the discussion you can get involved in at this year’s Arable Scotland.

    Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

    We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

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    33 mins
  • Top tips for protecting our pollinators and thinking twice about no mow May
    May 27 2024

    We’re joined by guests from North East Climate Action Network and the North East Biodiversity Partnership alongside insect and agroecology experts at the Hutton to talk about pollinators. There’s more to them than you think, including moths being a surprise night time super pollinator. We talk through some pollinator bugbears, no mow May and all the different ways you can support our pollinator populations.

    Host:
    Elaine Maslin, Media Officer (Aberdeen) at the Hutton

    Guests:

    Rose Toney, an ecologist and community development officer at the North East Scotland Climate Action Network (NESCAN).
    Abbi Ferrar, coordinator of the North East Scotland Biodiversity Partnership (or NESBiP).
    Dr Jenni Stockan, an expert in insect ecology and conservation at the Hutton.
    Dr Ali Karley, agroecologist at the Hutton.

    For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit:

    NESCAN Hub
    North East Scotland Biodiversity Partnership (nesbiodiversity.org.uk)
    Managing-grassland-road-verges_
    Helping Scotland's Pollinators

    We hope this episode leaves you buzzing to help our pollinators!

    Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

    We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

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    23 mins
  • The alien truffle, the invasive tree and the Scottish rainforest restoration project
    Apr 23 2024

    Today we’re talking truffles and a super rare truffle discovery that’s been made recently in Scotland by one of our scientists. It’s discovery in an ancient Scottish rainforest restoration site – where the spruce tree the truffle lives in symbiosis with is being removed – does raise some interesting conservation questions.

    Host:

    Elaine Maslin, Media Officer (Aberdeen) at the Hutton

    Guests:

    Richard Thompson, native woodland ecologist from Scottish Forestry and Land.
    Dr Andy Taylor, molecular fungal ecologist at the Hutton.

    For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit:

    Globally rare truffle found in Scottish Atlantic rainforest | The James Hutton Institute
    Glen Creran - Forestry and Land Scotland
    Home - Forestry and Land Scotland



    Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

    We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

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    20 mins
  • Blueberries on steroids: Scotland’s new super fruit – the honeyberry
    Mar 27 2024

    In our latest Hutton Highlights, we speak with experts and growers about what could be Scotland’s fifth soft fruit – the honeyberry. We hear how it’s not only a superfood, but one that’s also well suited to Scotland’s climate. It could help farms diversify as well as bring benefits to their land, from an environmental perspective. We found out how this new fruit found its way to Scotland and the Scottish Honeyberry Growers cooperative’s plans to get more of them into our diets.

    Host:
    Elaine Maslin, Media Officer (Aberdeen) at the Hutton

    Guests:
    Dr Louise Gamble, soft fruit high health facility manager, at the Hutton
    Peter Arbuckle, from Arbuckles, who grow and sell soft fruit.
    And Caroline Black, who works with her husband on their family-owned farm, while also working for the Scottish Honey Berry Growers Association.

    For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit:

    • Scottish Honeyberry Growers | The Honeyberry Experts
    • Comparative analysis of quality and nutritional traits from Lonicera caerulea (Honeyberry) cultivars and other berries grown in Scotland - Gamble - 2023 - Annals of Applied Biology - Wiley Online Library
    • Watch: Fruit for the Future - Honeyberry
    • Arbuckle's Farm Shop (arbuckles.co.uk)

    Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

    We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

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    26 mins
  • Flooding: a costly catchment-scale challenge, but one we can prepare for
    Jan 9 2024

    Flooding is an issue that’s increasingly high on the agenda. What’s behind these events, what exacerbates them, why are the obvious solutions maybe not so easy to implement and what can we do to be more prepared for the next one? We take a dip into these stormy waters with scientists from across our environmental and social sciences teams.

    Host:
    Elaine Maslin, Media Officer (Aberdeen) at the Hutton

    Guests:
    Dr Marc Stutter, a senior scientist focusing on river catchment management
    Dr Mark Wilkinson, a senior research scientist in catchment hydrology.
    Dr Mags Currie, a senior researcher in our social sciences team who has looked at the longer-term impacts of flood events on people.

    For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit:
    Achieving multi-purpose nature-based solutions
    Long-term impacts of flooding
    Scottish river water levels: SEPA Water Levels

    Don’t forget to visit us at www.hutton.ac.uk

    Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

    We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

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    18 mins
  • Clay – the super material that links life of Mars, medicine and cat litter
    Nov 28 2023

    Day to day, few give much thought to clay. But it’s a substance that goes a long way – literally and metaphorically. It’s a natural material with ever expanding qualities and uses, from showing if there was life on Mars to complex medicinal delivery systems. It’s all pervasive in our lives – it’s in everything from packing material and cat litter to toothpaste. It’s also a specialism here at the Hutton. So in this episode of Hutton Highlights, we take a delve into the world of clay.

    Host:

    Elaine Maslin, Media Officer at the Hutton

    Guests:

    Professor Steve Hiller, soil mineralogist
    Dr Stuart Turner, mineralogist
    Helen Pendlowski, XRPD mineralogist
    Dr Nia Gray-Wannell, clay mineralogist

    For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit:

    About Us | Clays and Minerals

    X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) | James Hutton Ltd

    https://www.minersoc.org/images-of-clay.html


    Don’t forget to visit us at www.hutton.ac.uk

    Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

    We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

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    17 mins
  • Reversing nature loss in Scotland – a complex challenge with surprisingly global implications
    Oct 25 2023

    In the final episode of our three-part pod on the underlying drivers of biodiversity loss, we’re joined again by NatureScot to look more at who gets a say in the changes we need to make, who can we trust and who benefits from doing things differently. Do we need a different type of democracy to tackle biodiversity loss?

    Host:
    Elaine Maslin, Media Officer at the Hutton

    Guests:
    Professor Robin Pakeman, plant ecologist at The James Hutton Institute and lead author of the report on the underlying drivers of biodiversity loss.

    Dr Clive Mitchell, Strategic Resource Manager for Nature and Climate Change, NatureScot.

    Dr Kerry Waylen, senior researcher in the Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences department at The James Hutton Institute.

    For more information about what you’ve heard in this podcast, visit:

    NatureScot Research Report 1309 - Understanding the Indirect Drivers of Biodiversity Loss in Scotland | NatureScot
    NatureScot
    Considerable change needed to stop nature loss in Scotland | The James Hutton Institute

    Don’t forget to visit us at www.hutton.ac.uk

    Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our world.

    We look forward to bringing you more insight the world across food, energy and environmental security in future episodes of the Hutton Highlights podcast.

    Remember to subscribe and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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    32 mins