Rewilding. David Woodfall

      

       COPYRIGHT

      William Collins

      An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers

      1 London Bridge Street

      London SE1 9GF

       WilliamCollinsBooks.com

      First published in Great Britain by William Collins in 2019

      Copyright in this compilation © David Woodfall 2019

      Individual essays © Respective authors

      All photography © David Woodfall 2019, with the exceptions of here (© Stephen Barlow) and here (© Ben Andrew).

      cover image: European Beaver, Bevis Trust, Carmarthenshire, Wales

      David Woodfall asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work

      A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

      All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this eBook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

      Source ISBN: 9780008300470

      Ebook Edition © May 2019 ISBN: 9780008300487

      Version: 2019-05-09

      Sheep on snowscape, Conwy, Wales.

Definition of Rewilding

      Rewilding is a contested idea, and people have different views on what exactly it should aim to achieve. For me, two elements of rewilding are crucial. The first is that natural ecological processes should be allowed to run their course, whereby new species can colonise an area, or a new habitat develop – which may, then, be replaced by a subsequent habitat. The second aspect is just as important, and this is that rewilding is something enacted by people, even where the intention is to leave nature to it. These people benefit from rewilding: this benefit might be spiritual, health-related or, indeed, economic. The overall goal is to kindle a more thoughtful approach to living on the Earth, and to support a move to more sustainable living.

      This way of thinking has been around a long time. For example, in a book called Sharing the Work, Sparing the Planet by Anders Hayden, published in 1999, the author sets out a vision to enable us to achieve both greater sustainability and an enhanced quality of life. He argues that a lifestyle that is less rushed, more thoughtful and community-orientated could both enrich peoples’ lives at the same time as stopping us from degrading the life support which our planet now struggles to provide. This reflects my two themes: enriching nature and enriching people’s lives in the process.

      The aim of this book is to show the many ways of being engaged in rewilding, and the great range of people who are helping to achieve it. I have visited a wide variety of places and spoken to many people, alone and in groups and within organisations, in the UK and Ireland. When I started out I had little idea how many people were actively rewilding. I recorded my impressions through photography – photographs that trace the changing landscape across thousands of years, and the human timeline from stone beehive huts to contemporary homelessness. The significance of rewilding is illuminated in essays written by professionals in the fields of wildlife conservation, recreation, education, agriculture and forestry, and by the people actively involved in making rewilding successful. I hope the book will contribute to our understanding of the potential opportunities and benefits that rewilding offers, and to provide a practical guide for new communities to strive for better connected, satisfying and sustainable lives.

      FOR TESNI AND HELEN WITH LOVE

      Contents

       Cover

       Title Page

      Copyright

Definition of Rewilding

       Dedication

Introduction David Woodfall

Rewilding in Alladale Paul Lister

Rewilding in the Cairngorms National Park Will Boyd-Wallis

Restoring the Caledonian Forest Doug Gilbert

Carrifran Wildwood Philip Ashmole

Rewilding and Nature Agencies Robbie Bridson

Wild Nephin National Park Susan Callaghan

A Wetland Wilderness Catherine Farrell.

Rewilding the Marches Mosses Joan Daniels

Kielder’s Wilder Side Mike Pratt

Minimum-Intervention Woodland Reserves Keith Kirby.

Wild Ennerdale: Shaping the‘Future Natural’ Rachel Oakley

       Epping Forest: A Wildwood? Judith Adams

       The Burren: History of the Landscape Richard Moles

       Red Squirrel Craig Shuttleworth

       Rewilding Oxwich NNR Nick Edwards

       Cabragh Wetlands Tom Gallagher