The Geographical Podcast

This is On The Ground, a new podcast series from Geographical, written and hosted by Laura Cole. In this series, Laura will be getting out from behind her desk and on the ground, reporting from across the UK’s landscape – and speaking to the people changing it.

Coming up, we’ve got investigations into corporate wrongdoing, rural town halls holding the government to account, the human faces behind scientific breakthroughs, and even some true crime episodes.

Subscribe to make sure you don't miss an episode.

In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.

This week, we’re in the Faroe Islands, where a unique new project is getting tourists to do the hard work of maintaining the islands’ natural sites.  

In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.

This week, journalists Marcello Rossi and Davide Mancini report from Spain, where an endangered salt lagoon has been granted its own legal rights – similar to those of a person. 

In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine and website.

This week, we join writer and photographer Anthony Ham in Australia's Great Sandy Desert to meet a once-extinct marsupial that's returned to the outback: the mala. 

You can see Anthony's images of Australia's native wildlife in the link above. 

In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.

This week, share Nick Danziger's work to document the devastating impact of sickle cell disease on local communities who often struggle to access essential medical care. You can see Nick's images in the link above. 

On Friday 13 August, we are hosting a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) with Nick, who is answering any questions readers might have about his latest project and his wider work. Want to know how photojournalists find their stories or what makes an award-winning p...

In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.

This week, we report on the campaign to save Mexico’s famous cenotes – natural sinkholes that form the second longest underwater cave system in the world, as well as the country’s largest and most important freshwater aquifer – from the construction of the Maya Train.

Also in this episode, we hear how from a researcher who has discovered evidence of giant viruses in Greenland, and what they could mean for the melting ice sheet. 

Find the episode h...

In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.

This week, we hear how – worldwide – nature conservation is working.  

Also in this episode, we visit an unusual British sports stadium in the Cotswolds, home to a unique version of the Olympic games. This story is part of our Discovering Britain series, which explores Britain's landscapes through a collection of walks compiled by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). Discover our latest walk here, or take a look through some of the other walks in the collection. 

In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.

This week, we investigate the impact of new visa regulations on the UK’s fishing industry. With support from Journalismfund Europe, investigative journalists Christine Ro, Laura Cole, Aliya Bashir and Imran Muzaffar report on a situation that some in the industry fear could threaten the future of fishing in the UK.  

Also in this episode, we hear how protecting just 1.2 per cent of the Earth could save thousands of endangered species from extinction.

Find the episode her...

In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.

This week, we head into the mountains with Dawn Hollis, a historian at St Andrews University, whose research focuses on the history of mountains and mountain-climbing. For many hillwalkers and mountaineers, mountains are something to be conquered – but it hasn’t always been this way. As famous peaks such as Everest become increasingly, and dangerously, crowded, Hollis wonders whether there are better ways to appreciate our highlands.

Also in this episode, we hear how the Iberian lynx, once one...

This week, we head into the Ecuadorian Amazon, where Indigenous leader and environmental activist Nemonte Nenquimo has spent the last decade fighting to protect her ancestral territory, the forest ecosystem and her way of life, from encroaching oil companies.
We also hear from Andrew Brookes, a geographer at King’s College London and a regular contributor to Geographical on why the increasingly common comparisons between the space race and the global environmental crisis are misleading and counter-productive.

You can buy a copy of Nenquimo's new memoir, We Will Not Be Saved, which tells her story of ho...

In this bonus episode, we interview recent Whitley Award winner Aristide Kamla and hear all about his work, conserving Cameroon's marine wildlife

This week, a trip to the Ecuadorian Andes where Mark Stratton visits a project aiming to save the country's last wild condors. Plus, an ancient Egyptian mystery and writer Alec Ash's decision to ditch the rat race in China and move to the beautiful rural town of Dali. 

This week, we dive into the science of shipwrecks and find out what they can reveal about our changing oceans; board an icebreaker en route to Antarctica; and visit the rooibos plantations in South Africa's Cederberg Mountains, where Indigenous farmers are finally getting a fairer deal for their increasingly popular crop.   

This week, we travel to the high peaks of Ladakh in northern India to track one of the most elusive and charismatic animals in the world - the snow leopard. Plus, a bizarre proposal in Malaysia and the terrifying, underreported, impacts of climate change on brain health. 

In this episode, Andrew Brooks of King's College London explains why using historical comparisons when contemplating African hospitals is lazy and misleading; we hear some good news from the world of conservation; and Bryony Cottam charts the adventures of botanist Chris Thorogood and his hunt for rafflesia, the world's largest and smelliest flower. 

In this weekly edition of the Geographical podcast, we read out three articles from the magazine or website.

In this episode, we hear how climate change is impacting the world's northernmost rivers; we learn about traditional Indigenous fire practices; and we meet the founder of a new group helping travellers connect with ordinary people in Iraq.

In this bonus episode of The Geographical Podcast: Editor's Picks,  associate editor Katie Burton speaks to Tommy Trenchard about his article on treating clubfoot.

In this weekly edition of the Geographical podcast we read out three articles from the magazine or website.

In this month's podcast, we visit some of the driest parts of the world, where ecosystems and the communities that depend on them face a growing threat: desertification. Human activity and our warming climate are driving changes in these regions, but some scientists are working on solutions to help restore degraded landscapes. 

This month we return to a country that no longer dominates headlines, but where the reality of war, and its impacts, are still very much felt. 

Syrian infrastructure, and its economy, have been devastated by the conflict that began in 2011. Though ISIS has now been largely defeated, and the Assad regime has regained control of much of the country, the conflict still continues and life in Syria is still extremely tough. 

In the first half of the podcast, we listen to an article from the August issue of Geographical magazine in which Nick Redmayne returns to...

In this month's podcast we take a closer look at the complex and often controversial concept of rewilding, considering the many challenges of reintroducing lost species back to a land they once called home, especially when that land has changed beyond all recognition.

This month we take a trip to Cameroon, where a policy to help small-scale fishers is under severe strain. And we talk to Maarten Bavinck, a professor at the University of Amsterdam to find out why so many small-scale fishing communities are under threat worldwide. 

Cashmere is produced in cold regions of India, China and Mongolia, among other places. It is produced from the very fine fibres of hardy goats, looked after by herders. But as we discover in this month's podcast, increased demand for cashmere has led to herds of goats greatly increasing, with environmental problems fast to follow. 

This episode of The Geographical Podcast features a long-read from the April issue of Geographical magazine in which Roman Goergen investigates the workings of CITES, the international agreement designed to monitor the international wildlife trade. 

This month, we’re exploring the subject of forest loss. Around the world, outright deforestation grabs headlines, and was a key theme of COP26. But ecologists understand that, in addition to outright forest loss, there is another pernicious issue at work – that of forest fragmentation. In today’s world, what were once large, contiguous blocks of tropical forest – where species like jaguars and tapirs could freely disperse – have been converted into 50 million separate pieces. 

Journey with us to the forested heart of Belize – a small, Central American nation, brimming with biodiversity and natural wealth. Belize is a nation herald...

This month, we’re venturing to the deepest, darkest places of the ocean. There are those that would like to mine these remote and unexplored places. But many scientists are concerned by this issue; they believe that we simply do not know enough about the deep sea to justify mining it. This month’s long read is written by Geographical editor, Katie Burton, and read here by Sophie Pavelle. 

In the second half of the episode, Katie speaks with Dr Veerle Huvenne, a marine geoscientist from the National Oceanography Centre.

Links:

Subsc...

This episode, we head over to the peatlands of Ireland. Degraded and drained, Ireland’s peatlands face an uncertain future. But a groundbreaking project to find new medicines, following leads from the country’s ancient folklore, may offer salvation.

In the second half of the podcast, we’re joined by writer Edward Struzik, author of Swamplands: Tundra Beavers, Quaking Bogs and the Improbable World of Peat. Struzik is a fellow at the Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy at Queen’s University. Here, he talks us through the wondrous world of peat, and why we need these carbon-r...

This month, we turn our attention to a miraculous rodent. To the delight of conservationists and the British public, the beaver is back, busy on our waterways once again.

By building dams, beavers naturally regulate the flow of rivers. But this ‘ecosystem engineer species’ was driven to local extinction in the 1700s. Without them, our waterways do not function naturally, conservationists argue. Many hope that the species will now improve the condition of our waterways, benefitting both human communities and the natural world.

Links:

Subscribe: http://geographical.co.uk/magazine/subscribe 

...

This month, we’ve dedicated an entire print issue of our magazine to COP26 and the climate. The issue is jam-packed with views and insights on climate change, how we can turn things around, and why the conference could be a critical turning point.

This episode, we speak with one of the world’s most effective communicators on climate change. Katharine Hayhoe is a chief scientist at The Nature Conservancy, a global environmental organisation, with headquarters in the USA. She is a professor of political science at Texas Tech University. She founded the Atmos Research and Consulting Firm...

With COP26 soon kicking off, we’ve dedicated the entire November issue of Geographical to the climate. The print edition is jam-packed with insights on the state of our world and the solutions we have to save it.

The world’s tropical forests, for example, are our greatest natural assets in the fight against climate change. It is scientifically settled that efforts to halt climate change will fall flat without concerted action to end deforestation and protect the planet’s lungs.

This article, written by Geographical writer Jacob Dykes and titled ‘Saving Forests, Storing Carbon’ is publish...

This episode, we’re on the prowl for one of the rarest cats on the planet: the elusive Persian Leopard. Until the 20th century, leopards were the kings of the Caucasus mountain range. But as Tsarist Russia conquered Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, leopards were intensely persecuted. Deforestation, farmland and roads began to fragment its habitat. In recent decades, efforts to conserve the species have brought glimmers of hope for the population. But as journalist and explorer Jack Losh discovered, this is a species caught between two warring states. Will the legacy of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict seal the leopard’s fa...

This August, we turn our attention to a much-loved shellfish, well-known for its remarkable flavour – the oyster. Perhaps less well known however, is the role it plays in marine ecosystems. As overfishing has combined with modern environmental problems, the oysters’ crucial role in seabed ecosystems around the world has gradually been eroded and forgotten with time. One ambitious project, set in Essex – the heart of UK oyster culture – is aiming to restore living oyster reefs to the seabed. Actor Simon Paisley-Day narrates the long-read this month.

In the second half of the episode, we speak with Dr Ruth Thu...

In this month's edition of the Geographical podcast we take a close look at the Arctic. As the Arctic ice melts due to global warming, neighbouring states are gearing up to exploit its abundant natural resources. The consequences could be extreme. Plus, we catch up with Joe Marlow, a marine biologist, who spent last winter in Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey. 

Links:

Subscribe: http://geographical.co.uk/magazine/subscribe 

Newsletter: https://geographical.co.uk/magazine/newsletters?utm_source=editorial&utm_medium=greenbutton&utm_campaign=Newsletter

Geographical on instagram: ht...

This month on The Geographical Podcast, we review the role of exploration in the modern day. Going out into the world’s wildernesses or performing extraordinary feats of endurance have long been opportunities to inspire and educate. In the latest issue of Geographical, Matt Maynard asks what standard we should hold modern-day explorers to in the wake of the climate and environmental crises. The long-read is professionally narrated here by Simon Paisley-Day.

In the second half of the podcast we turn our attention to a beloved tree species. Elms were once an important part of the British la...

The G7 summit is taking place this weekend, kicking off in Cornwall on Friday 11th June. Our geopolitics columnist, Tim Marshal, wrote about the conference in the June edition of Geographical Magazine. We caught up with him to hear more about the conference and his views on what we can expect to hear this weekend.

Links:

Subscribe: http://geographical.co.uk/magazine/subscribe 

Newsletter: https://geographical.co.uk/magazine/newsletters?utm_source=editorial&utm_medium=greenbutton&utm_campaign=Newsletter

Geographical on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geographical_magazine/ 

...