Across the UK, sea eagles, beavers, wildcats and wild boar are all staging a comeback. Calls for the return of lynx grow louder each year. But as wildlife rebounds, it’s confronted by a society that has long forgotten how to live alongside wild nature – and isn’t sure it wants to try. Join Peter Cairns, host of At the Edge, as he explores the fault lines that divide opinion over nature’s place in our future.
At the Edge
Claim This Podcastby Peter Cairns
9 episodes
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Podcast Overview
Across the UK, sea eagles, beavers, wildcats and wild boar are all staging a comeback. Calls for the return of lynx grow louder each year. But as wildlife rebounds, it’s confronted by a society that has long forgotten how to live alongside wild nature – and isn’t sure it wants to try. Join Peter Cairns, host of At the Edge, as he explores the fault lines that divide opinion over nature’s place in our future.
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Publishing Since
1/21/2026
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Recent Episodes
July 9, 2026
What price tradition?
<p>Grouse shooting, sheep farming and predator control are all deeply embedded in the fabric of the British countryside. These practices, like many forms of land and wildlife management, are defended – in part at least – by tradition. But what does tradition really mean?</p><p>In this episode, we explore why tradition carries such weight, whether it should be challenged, and how many of the practices we currently accept as 'traditional' would survive scrutiny if they were proposed for the first time today?</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Additional info </u></strong></p><p><a href="https://attheedge.org.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">At the Edge</a> is an independent media and communications platform exploring new ways for people and wildlife to thrive together.</p><p>Follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/attheedgepod/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, or join me, Peter Cairns, on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/petercairnsphoto/?originalSubdomain=uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn </a>and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/petecairns.bsky.social" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bluesky</a>. And if you like what we do, please consider <a href="https://attheedge.org.uk/buy-me-a-coffee/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Buying Me A Coffee</a> to support the production of future podcasts and other content.</p><p>This episode of <strong>At The Edge</strong> is produced in partnership with <a href="https://www.adventurousaudio.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Adventurous Audio</a> and is kindly supported by <a href="https://ballintean.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ballintean Mountain Lodge.</a></p><p><strong><u>Useful links</u></strong></p><p>Meet the contributors from this episode on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/katharine-hay-3765456a/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Katharine Hay</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/thorsten-gieser-421b67331/?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Thorsten Gieser</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dee-ward-04442314/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dee Ward</a>, and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-bamber-47b781137/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jack Bamber</a>.</p><p>Read Katharine Hay's <a href="https://www.scotsman.com/hays-way/tiny-community-home-to-guga-hunt-faces-most-toxic-moment-in-modern-era-6041404" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">feature </a>on the guga hunt in the Scotsman.</p><p>Read the <a href="https://www.nature.scot/guga-hunt-statement" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NatureScot statement </a>on the guga hunt.</p><p>Learn about Thorsten Gieser's <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7404111040315248640/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">position on wolves </a>in Germany, and his recognition of the role of tradition.</p><p>Learn about the <a href="https://cairngormsconnect.org.uk/science-and-monitoring/predator-project" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cairngorms Connect Predator Project.</a></p><p>More background reading on the debate around driven grouse shooting:</p><p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ibi.12356" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Environmental impacts</a> of driven grouse shooting (published in Ibis).</p><p>Sustainable driven grouse shooting by <a href="https://www.moorlandassociation.org/post/sustainable-driven-grouse-shooting-a-summary-of-the-evidence" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Moorland Association.</a></p><p>Alternatives to driven grouse shooting by <a href="https://markavery.info/2022/02/27/60025/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mark Avery</a>.</p>
June 18, 2026
DEER: In the crosshairs
<p>At first glance, Scotland’s ‘deer problem’ appears to be an ecological issue: too many hungry mouths putting pressure on already depleted woodlands and peatlands.</p><p>Beneath the surface, however, debates over deer numbers, deer impacts and deer economics, reflect a much deeper ideological divide about what the Scottish uplands are for, and who gets to shape their future.</p><p>The deer problem, in other words, is really a people problem.</p><p><strong><u>Additional info </u></strong></p><p><a href="https://attheedge.org.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">At the Edge</a> is an independent media and communications platform exploring how people and wildlife can thrive together.</p><p>Follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/attheedgepod/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, or join me, Peter Cairns, on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/petercairnsphoto/?originalSubdomain=uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn </a>and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/petecairns.bsky.social" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bluesky</a>. And if you like what we do, please consider <a href="https://attheedge.org.uk/buy-me-a-coffee/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Buying Me A Coffee</a> to support the production of future podcasts and other content.</p><p>This episode of <strong>At The Edge</strong> is produced in partnership with <a href="https://www.adventurousaudio.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Adventurous Audio</a> and is kindly supported by <a href="https://ballintean.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ballintean Mountain Lodge.</a></p><p><strong><u>Useful links</u></strong></p><p>Meet the contributors from this episode on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-macdonell-6891ab40/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Thomas MacDonnel</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/donald-rowantree-30716035/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Donald Rowantree</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/callum-leavey-wilson-49028b193/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Callum Leavey-Wilson</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-tedcastle-1858321b/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sam Tedcastle</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-williamson-a24a12246/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nicola Williamson</a>.</p><p><a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pan3.70277" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Read Views from the Hill</a> by Callum Leavey-Wilson</p><p>Learn more about the work of <a href="https://thecommongroundforum.scot/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Common Ground Forum</a></p><p>Learn more about the Affric Highlands <a href="https://affrichighlands.org/tracking-red-deer/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">red deer tracking project</a></p><p>Learn more about the <a href="https://centreforgoodrelations.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Centre for Good Relations</a></p><p>Learn more about <a href="https://www.scotlandbigpicture.com/fiadh" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Fiadh Project</a></p><p>Read Peter Cairns' illustrated feature: <a href="https://www.scotlandbigpicture.com/rewilding-stories/monarch-or-menace" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">"Monarch or Menace?"</a></p>
May 28, 2026
Are we ready for (really) big coos?
<p>Britain’s woodlands and grasslands were once shaped by vast herds of wild cattle — the now-extinct aurochs. But in a Dutch laboratory, scientists have brought these powerful herbivores back to life — in part at least.</p><p>Tauros cattle share 95% of their DNA with the aurochs and have been bred to restore the natural grazing processes long lost from Europe’s ecosystems. Now roaming in increasing numbers across the Continent, could the Tauros fulfil a similar role in the UK? And if not, what’s standing in the way?</p><p><strong><u>Additional info </u></strong></p><p><a href="https://attheedge.org.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">At the Edge</a> is an independent media platform that takes a deep dive into our relationship with wild nature, exploring pathways to living well with wildlife.</p><p>Follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/attheedgepod/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, or join me, Peter Cairns, on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/petercairnsphoto/?originalSubdomain=uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn </a>and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/petecairns.bsky.social" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bluesky</a>. And if you like what we do, please consider <a href="https://attheedge.org.uk/buy-me-a-coffee/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Buying Me A Coffee</a> to support the production of future podcasts and other content.</p><p>This episode of <strong>At The Edge</strong> is produced in partnership with <a href="https://www.adventurousaudio.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Adventurous Audio</a> and is kindly supported by <a href="https://ballintean.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ballintean Mountain Lodge.</a></p><p><strong><u>Useful links</u></strong></p><p>Meet the contributors from this episode on LinkedIn:</p><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/stichting-taurus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Grazelands Rewilding</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/henry-dobson-b403a057/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Henry Dobson</a>.</p><p>Learn more about the work of Grazelands Rewilding <a href="https://grazelandsrewilding.com/en/home/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here.</a></p><p>Learn more about natural grazing <a href="https://rewildingeurope.com/natural-grazing/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/how-to-rewild/rewilding-advice/a-guide-to-grazing-and-browsing-for-rewilders" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here.</a></p><p>Learn more about <a href="https://rewildingeurope.com/rewilding-in-action/wildlife-comeback/tauros/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tauros cattle.</a></p><p>The availability of the excellent film 'Return of the aurochs' isn't clear, but you can contact the producers <a href="https://www.sciencevision.at/en/productions/the-return-of-the-aurochs/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here.</a> I have a copy myself, so let me know if you're keen to organise a screening and I'll try and help.</p>
9 total episodes available
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