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Episode details

Radio 4,17 Aug 2026,24 mins

Will British Farming Pay the Price for Rewilding? (Your Radical Questions with Derek Gow)

Radical

Available for over a year

Derek Gow is a farmer, conservationist, author and leading rewilding advocate who has become one of the UK's most vocal champions of large-scale species reintroductions. In this special Q&A, he tackles some of your most challenging and provocative questions. In the main episode, Derek explained why he breeds native British species and argued that rewilding is a vital tool in addressing the biodiversity and climate crises. In this follow-up discussion, listeners ask whether turning farmland into wildlife habitat can ever be financially sustainable and how he responds to critics who believe conservation is a luxury. He also explains how investing in nature can deliver long-term benefits for communities, the economy and the environment. Next week, Sophia Smith-Galer talks to Brendan Simms, Professor of the History of International Relations at the University of Cambridge. He argues that, contrary to received wisdom, the UK is still a great power in the world. We’ll be putting your radical questions to Professor Simms for a Q&A episode, so please get in touch. * WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480 * Email: radical@bbc.co.uk

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