I spent an enjoyable weekend at the Into the-Wild Festival at the Chiddinglye estate in W.Sussex organised by Huw Wyn. By UK festival standards it is relatively small (max 5000): it is very family orientated and full of workshops, discussion, music and informal gatherings: its a place to do a bit of ‘rewilding the self’. I was there by invitation of James Murray-White who convened and chaired the ‘writers’ tent – in his words the chamber of eloquence’. I was part of a rewilding panel with two other authors Miriam MaDonald who has written ‘Emergent’ which explores different aspects of ..read more

I have been trekking in the Western Caucuses. Along the way I thought about rewilding and the processes that give rise to the landscape and vegetation. Here is an account which I hope some my find interesting. I welcome any comments, elaborations or corrections. Driving up the foothills from Zugdidi in northwest Georgia, I was struck by the large expanses of even-aged broadleaf forest. Stopping to take a look it was a dense shrubbery of maples, cherry, barberry and Gelder Rose that looked to be between 25-40 years old. My first thought was this is an example of passive rewilding ..read more

In episode nine of the BBC’s Chelsea flower show coverage, Monty Don questioned whether Rewilding Britain’s show winning garden was actually a garden. He argued that rewilding is unhelpful when it comes to gardening and that, in his view, rewilding means not interfering and having the ‘hand of man’ involved. I’m with Monty and Joe that a garden is a place where humans have chosen, arranged, and managed plants and other features to create a place of contemplation and connection through practices of design and tending. I also totally agree with Joe’s comment that gardeners ha ..read more

I like nothing better than visiting areas with the rewilding thinkers and discussing the theory and practice of ecosystem recovery. I recently teamed up with four of Europe’s finest Deli Saavedra, Ignacio Jiménez Jordi Palau and Pedro Prata on a road trip to Eastern Portugal, Central Spain and the Pyrenees.  I went with three questions in mind: 1) is there an Iberian version of rewilding emerging? 2) how can we address the policy constraints associated with mega-herbivore repopulation (Something I’ve been researching for a while), and 3) should leaders in the ..read more

On a June evening I took a walk in Urquhart Bay Wood on the shores of Loch Ness.  The main trail took me down to the confluence of two burns.  Relaxing a while, I watched a chaffinch fluttering up from a shingle bank and snaping up aquatic flies that were congregation under overhanging foliage.  As I did so, I pondered on the concept of Ecospace and the way dynamic systems create conditions that organisms can take advantage of.  The chaffinch is no fly catcher, but the ephemeral shingle bank provided a launch pad that made catching flying, protein-rich snacks easy. Returni ..read more

During the lockdown summer of 2020 an immature bearded vulture took up residence in a rugged Valley of England’s Peak District National Park. On a September Sunday, my birding buddy Steve and I set out at the crack of dawn and programmed WAZE to navigate us North. Three hours later we descended a windy road across a bleak rain swept moor to a carpark where birders shouldering scopes and tripods confirmed we were in the right place. “Do you know if it’s been seen today? What are the directions?”, we asked. “Yeah, up the track, turn left through the gate and head up the Valley. You’ll see the as ..read more

As a geographer I thought I should take the opportunity of the first World Rewilding Day to offer up this brief tour of different versions of rewilding that are emerging around the world. All express the paradigm shift in conservation from managing things – species, habitats and sites – to a focus on restoring the ecosystem interactions that give rise to vibrant, self-willed natures.  These different versions of rewilding reflect the cultural, environment and policy context of their emergence.  All are radical, entrepreneurial and effective.  In my view they signify the emergenc ..read more

The print edition of my new book on rewilding arrived last week and, looking for a place for it in my bookcase, I realised that I placed my last book next to three classic volumes edited by Andrew Warren and Frank Goldsmith. These volumes, printed in 1974, 1983 and 1993 contain collections of essays from scientists and policy makers who contributed to UCL’s MSc in Conservation, which was initiated by Max Nicholson first director of the Nature Conservancy (now Natural England.) They were intended as a textbook-style resource for students on the UCL course but also a resourc ..read more

This blog was first published on the Ecosulis web-site on 11 May 2020 There’s never been a better time to rewild your garden. Rewilders great and small Wild nature is currently at a low ebb in Britain: once common birds and insects have suffered sharp declines because our landscapes are too intensively managed and treated with chemicals. Rewilding – as the hopeful and exciting science and practice of ecological recovery – can help nature bounce back and recover its vibrant abundance. Many inspirational stories about rewilding involve large estates and landscapes. Yet anyone with a garden can b ..read more