Counting the Earth

17: The Burning Issue: 3.7 million

Wildfires are evolving. Around the world they are becoming bigger, burning hotter, and harder to control with devastating impacts on humans, the economy and the environment. In this episode, Alice and Sue talk to UKCEH wildfire scientist Dr Douglas Kelley who outlines the causes of this change, drawing on examples from California and the Pantanal, the worlds’ largest tropical wetland.   Closer to home, it has been a record year for wildfires in the UK. Alice catches up with Station Commander and Wildfire Tactical Adviser Andy Elliott from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service. They visit Holt Heath National Nature Reserve in Dorset, the site of a fierce large scale blaze in August. Andy reveals that, due to the fire’s intensity, the lowland heath landscape may take up to 30 years to recover.    Hosts: Sue Nelson and Alice Hope Producer: Rachael Buchanan Counting the Earth is a Boffin Media Production for the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. Find out more:   UKCEH press release [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/press/climate-change-drove-extreme-wildfire-seasons-across-americas] on the State of Wildfires report. The State of Wildfires project [https://stateofwildfires.com/], including the latest report.  The State of Wildfires project is co-led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, University of East Anglia, the Met Office and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. The National Fire Chiefs Council Wildfire Aware [https://nfcc.org.uk/our-services/campaigns/wildfire-aware/wildfire-prevention-advice/] campaign.

16: Encounters of the Invasive Kind: 2,104

What do raccoons, purple pitcher plants, signal crayfish and the yellow-legged hornet all have in common? No, this is not a joke - far from it. They are all on the GB invasive non-native species alert list. The introduction of invasive non-native species is one of the top causes of biodiversity loss worldwide. In this episode Sue and Alice meet up with UKCEH ecologist Professor Helen Roy to delve into the challenges posed by invasive non-native species and explore their environmental, economic, and social impacts. They also catch up with Dr Olaf Booy, Technical Coordinator for the GB Non-native Species Secretariat, part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency, to find out about the work that goes on to identify, detect, monitor and eradicate invasive non-native species. Olaf also spoke about how events such Invasive Species Week (12-18 May) help to raise awareness of the issue and what you can do to help and get involved. Hosts: Sue Nelson and Alice Hope Producer: Rachael Buchanan Counting the Earth is a Boffin Media Production for the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. Find out more: Invasive Species Week [https://www.nonnativespecies.org/what-can-i-do/invasive-species-week] – 12-18 May 2025 Non-native Species Secretariat [https://www.nonnativespecies.org/what-can-i-do/invasive-species-week/events] ID sheets [https://www.nonnativespecies.org/non-native-species/id-sheets] for Invasive Non-native Species Check, Clean, Dry [https://www.nonnativespecies.org/what-can-i-do/check-clean-dry] Be Plant Wise [https://www.nonnativespecies.org/what-can-i-do/be-plant-wise] Record a sighting of an invasive non-native species [https://www.nonnativespecies.org/non-native-species/recording], especially an alert species [https://www.nonnativespecies.org/non-native-species/species-alerts]

15: Resistance Rising: 1.14 million

In this episode, Alice and Sue visit the River Kennet and the Reading Sewage Treatment Works to explore antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a growing global issue. In 2021 1.14 million deaths were attributed to antimicrobial resistant bacterial infections, according to the UN Environment Programme. AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites become resistant to the medicines that are meant to kill or treat them. Microorganisms from our waste, along with chemicals from our homes (like medications, cleaning products, and antifungal shampoos), contribute to this problem when entering our watercourses, along with agricultural and urban runoff.  Alice and Sue meet with Dr Holly Tipper and Dr Isobel Stanton, molecular microbiologists at UKCEH, to learn more about their research on AMR, what we know and where the knowledge gaps are and role of the environment in the development of AMR in microbes. Then, they put on boots, hats, Hi-Viz jackets, and goggles to see for themselves the wastewater journey through the treatment works with Dan Freeman, lead for Thames Water’s Chemical Investigation Programme, providing insight into monitoring of emerging contaminants.   Hosts: Sue Nelson and Alice Hope  Producer: Rachael Buchanan Counting the Earth is a Boffin Media Production for the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.  Find out more about AMR research at UKCEH https://www.ceh.ac.uk/news-and-media/blogs/our-research-will-inform-action-tackle-amr-environment-and-risk-human-health [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/news-and-media/blogs/our-research-will-inform-action-tackle-amr-environment-and-risk-human-health] The Naked Scientist podcast on AMR, featuring Dr Andrew Singer from UKCEH https://www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/naked-scientists-podcast/amr-unleashed-silent-pandemic [https://www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/naked-scientists-podcast/amr-unleashed-silent-pandemic]

14: Top of the crops: 2080

In this episode, Alice and Sue time travel to the year 2080, to explore what crops we might be growing in the UK, after 50 years of a changing climate. They speak with UKCEH Spatial Ecologist Dr John Redhead about horizon- scanning research on how climate change could shape the suitability of crops in the UK and the challenges this brings for UK farming systems. Alice also speaks with Josiah Meldrum from the UK-based wholefoods supplier Hodmedods to explore the benefits of beans and uncover how crops like chickpeas and lentils are already being cultivated in the UK. They also discuss ongoing trials of other crops, which are setting the stage for a more diverse and sustainable agricultural future. Read more about the research in our media release https://www.ceh.ac.uk/press/scientists-predict-what-will-be-top-crops-2080-due-climate-change [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/press/scientists-predict-what-will-be-top-crops-2080-due-climate-change] and the paper in Environmental Resilience and Sustainability https://doi.org/10.1002/cli2.70007 [https://doi.org/10.1002/cli2.70007] [https://doi.org/10.1002/cli2.70007]

13: Slow the flow: 5.7 million

In England alone, an estimated 5.7 million properties are at risk of flooding from rivers, the sea, surface water and groundwater.   In this episode and in the wake of Storm Bert, Alice and Sue visit the Bruern Estate in Oxfordshire to explore how Natural Flood Management measures are reducing flood risks downstream in Milton-under-Wychwood. UKCEH senior hydrologist Dr Alejandro Dussaillant explains how a holistic nature-based approach can work alongside more traditional flood management techniques to help address the challenges presented by the climate crisis and changes in land use. Alice and Sue also speak with Ann Berkeley from Wild Oxfordshire, to learn how features such as leaky woody dams, swales, wet woodlands and field corner bunds are helping to manage water flow through the catchment, bringing co-benefits along the way. UKCEH hydrologists Neeraj Sah and Ponnambalam Rameshwaran share insights from the ongoing monitoring activity to evaluate the longer-term effectiveness, co-benefits and any trade-offs to consider of these innovative approaches. For more information about the work done at the Bruern Estate and across the Evenlode Catchment please see the website for that project [https://www.wildoxfordshire.org.uk/evenlode/evenlode-catchment-partnership] Hosts: Sue Nelson and Alice Hope  Producer: Rachael Buchanan Counting the Earth is a Boffin Media Production for the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.