10 09, 2022

Talking about writing rewilding at the Into-the-Wild festival

By |2022-09-24T20:23:27+00:00September 10th, 2022|Blog, People & nature, Rewilding|Comments Off on Talking about writing rewilding at the Into-the-Wild festival

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

24 08, 2022

Thinking rewilding in place. A short trek in the West Caucasuses

By |2022-09-24T19:32:15+00:00August 24th, 2022|birdwatching, Blog, People & nature, Protected Areas, Rewilding|Comments Off on Thinking rewilding in place. A short trek in the West Caucasuses

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

1 06, 2022

Rewilding and best in show gardens: agreeing & disagreeing with Monty Don and Joe Swift

By |2022-09-24T19:32:41+00:00June 1st, 2022|Blog, People & nature, Rewilding|Comments Off on Rewilding and best in show gardens: agreeing & disagreeing with Monty Don and Joe Swift

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

20 05, 2022

I’ve just spent eight days in Spain & Portugal and was blown away with the region’s rewilding potential.

By |2022-09-24T19:32:28+00:00May 20th, 2022|21st Century conservation, Blog, People & nature, Rewilding, Uncategorized|Comments Off on I’ve just spent eight days in Spain & Portugal and was blown away with the region’s rewilding potential.

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

20 06, 2021

Rewilding and Floristic Novelty

By |2021-06-28T20:25:59+00:00June 20th, 2021|Blog, Ecospace, Natural Assets, Protected Areas, Rewilding, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Rewilding and Floristic Novelty

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

15 05, 2021

Eye of the Vulture

By |2021-05-15T16:11:06+00:00May 15th, 2021|21st Century conservation, birdwatching, Blog, Ecospace, People & nature, Rewilding, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Eye of the Vulture

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

20 03, 2021

Emerging geographies of rewilding

By |2021-05-15T16:11:17+00:00March 20th, 2021|21st Century conservation, Blog, Rewilding, Science Communication, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Emerging geographies of rewilding

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

30 08, 2020

What teenagers want from nature and how we can provide it

By |2020-09-07T11:34:53+00:00August 30th, 2020|Blog, Natural Assets, Uncategorized|Comments Off on What teenagers want from nature and how we can provide it

On 20th March 2020 over half-a-million 16-year olds were sent home, informed that the exams they had been working towards were cancelled, and expected to occupy themselves unsupported through a lockdown until the autumn. My daughter was one of the luckier ones. As lockdown eased and a glorious spring moved into summer she was able

1 08, 2020

Does rewilding expose a generation gap in the science of conservation?

By |2020-08-30T17:09:02+00:00August 1st, 2020|21st Century conservation, Blog, People & nature, Rewilding, Science Communication|Comments Off on Does rewilding expose a generation gap in the science of conservation?

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

12 05, 2020

Backyard Rewilding

By |2020-08-30T17:08:41+00:00May 12th, 2020|Blog, People & nature, Rewilding, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Backyard Rewilding

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

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