Today we’re talking to a hugely inspiring figure within the UK ecology scene, who enjoys disrupting the market, and doing things differently. 

Professor David Hill CBE is chairman and founding owner of The Environment Bank which he set up because of his concerns at the way wildlife was being treated within the planning and development sector. 

In this episode we cover a lot of ground, and discuss the work of ecological consultants, and the constraints they often face when working within a set area of land – often termed the development boundary. 

David talks about his innovative work seeking to secure payments from developers to establish large-scale and long-term conservation areas – separate from development sites – which will really help nature to flood back into our landscapes, on a scale not seen before.  

Helping to pay for rewildling projects, and others like them. 

He also announces the exciting news that he’s currently seeking to hire people to join him at The Environment Bank, following a large recent investment of funds. If you’d like to find out more about these roles, please contact JSM Associates. 

And it’s worth mentioning that David also helped to get Dr Nick Askew, Director of Conservation Careers, his first job out of university nearly 20 years ago, where Nick worked as an ecological consultant for the company David set up and later sold. He’s a great guy. 

As always, it’s a wide-ranging, inspiring and hugely enjoyable discussion. 

Enjoy.