S6 Bonus Episode: “This Used to Be Concrete” — Lessons from One of London’s Most Unexpected Pocket Forests with Adrian Wong of SUGi

What happens when you plant a forest where nothing should grow?In this bonus, end-of-season episode, I’m joined by Adrian Wong of SUGi inside a dense pocket forest tucked into London’s Southbank Centre—surrounded by brutalist concrete, cultural landmarks, and constant city noise.Just two years ago, this space was solid concrete. Today, it’s six metres tall, alive with insects, birds, bats, and its own cooling microclimate.Recorded entirely on location, we talk about:how a 130 m² pocket forest transformed one of London’s hardest urban landscapesurban acupuncture and why small interventions can have outsized ecological impactthe Miyawaki method and forest succession at speedecoacoustics and what sound can tell us about biodiversity returningwhat this forest proves about nature’s ability to rebound when given space—above and below groundYou’ll hear drilling, footsteps, and the city all around us—because this forest doesn’t exist outside the city, but right in the middle of it.A reflective bonus episode to close out a beautiful Season 6 of the Internet of Nature Podcast.Follow SUGi’s work at @sugiproject on Instagram.