Some visitors, says Lee, are alittle disappointed that it doesn’t depict more of arevolution. But that’s to underestimate the changes that are already underway. Where once there were bare slopes, sheep-cropped down to the turf, now they are sprinkled with bushes and young trees, some planted, some naturally emerging. In the tree nursery at Naddle Farm, seedlings of juniper, aspen, alder, willow, birch and oak are carefully nurtured, ready for planting out on thefells. If Dorette Engi hadn’t read Isabella Tree’s Wilding, which recounts ​ ‘the return of nature to aBritish farm’, Dayshul Brake might never have come intobeing.

Like Dorette, Olly wasn’t born into agriculture, although arural childhood involvement with the local Wildlife Trust meant he grew up ​ “immersed in green”. Then in 2013, after studying fine art and working in acreative social enterprise, ​ “the bombshell dropped”. His mother-in-law presented him with afantastic offer. ​ “She owned this farm – Essebeare. Its tenant was retiring. How would Ilike to come and run it?!” Olly jumped at the chance, forming apartnership with his wife and mother-in-law, with him as majority shareholder. Dorette met second cluster member Olly Walker when several of his Red Ruby cattle broke into her land the day she moved in, with him chasing after. Before founding The Rewilders, Rohini created and hosted the Soul-Centered Series — a seven-month immersion into the "Principles" understanding with teachers who learned directly from the enlightened theosopher Sydney Banks.Lee readily admits that he’s learned lessons, too. ​ “I think when Istarted out, Iwas probably quite hard line and thought we need to change everything right now. Now Irecognise that, actually, when it comes to the people who are already there, working on the ground, we need to bring them along withus.” A south-western speciality, its unique combination of purple moor grass and rush pasture sponges up carbon and water alike, helping prevent flooding downstream. Much work has been done by the local Wildlife Trust to quantify the value of these​‘ecosystem services’, and Val is visibly proud of its precious flora and rare species, including the marsh fritillary butterfly.

Tl;dr: Food webs are complex and some species are more connected than others – reintroducing lost organisms helps restore that complexity, causing a trophic cascade which affects even distantly-connected species.

Books

But first, she had to pull the funds together – and all while juggling the rest of her work. ​ “One moment I’d be wrestling with funding bids; the next, I’m talking to aforestry contractor about taking down timber; looking for the best price.” That variety suited her sparky enthusiasm. ​ “It’s nice to be around people every day that want to make adifference. It is genuinely acase of ​ ‘we’re all working to do something really incredible here!’” Ecotones’ are a key principle in rewilding – they’re the gradual shift in plant life (and associated animals etc) which you find at the edge of a habitat. A pond edge is a good example – some plants spend their whole lives underwater, while others only tolerate wet roots. If pond levels change over time (which they do in dynamic systems) and new ponds are created (think pig wallows), then ecotones are shifting and forming constantly. This is the same at the edge of habitats like woodland, which advance and recede over time. In rewilding, this movement is not only natural – it is to be encouraged – we celebrate the value it has for biodiversity, creating many new environmental niches. Longer term, there are plans for agroforestry and horticulture, too, perhaps some renewable energy, opening up the land for joint ventures with local communities. This could include creating small-scale sustainable communities on the land – a 21 st century hi-tech, eco-positive version of the crofts which were once scattered over the Highlands. My hope is that young people read The Rewilders and are inspired to discover more about rewilding’ Esme is braced for boredom when she goes to stay with her gran, but that turns on its head when she discovers Cora – the abandoned kitten Gran found – is actually a wild lynx kitten and is growing fast. On a mission to rewild her, the team pitch their tents on a bleak Highland moor, and the wolves are howling outside… Read more on the inspiration of The Rewilders by Lindsay Littleson below. With a 13,000-acre-estate, Williamson does not claim poverty, but he is not mega-rich, either. Alvie, which has been in his family for a century, is not a conservation project but a business. It needs to make money, so Williamson eyes Glenfeshie nervously. Over the past decade, since MacDonell’s team started culling all year round, Alvie’s annual stag bag has gone from 30 to 20.

Esme and Callum’s relationship handled with great skill by the author. Esme is part of a group of ‘friends’ who torment Callum at school. These ‘good’ girls provoke him, causing him to end up in trouble whilst they escape without blame. Callum lives with foster mother, Sadie, feeling settled at last after a series of unhappy placements. Supportive and nurturing, this has been his longest-and happiest- placement, if not for school. The narrative is told from alternating perspectives and Esme is forced to consider her attitude towards Callum and through this to re-evaluate her friendship with the other girls in her class, particularly Isobel. Sadly, there are sure to be many readers who will empathise with her concern about getting on the wrong side of this ‘friend’, hopefully leading to discussions and better understanding of the negative nature of this type of ‘friendship’. The estate had been divesting some of its lands for awhile, but when the news came through in 2019 that alittle over 2, 000hectares of the Tarras Valley was up for sale, it was ​ “a bolt from the blue”, says Margaret. She and others in the town immediately spotted an opportunity to turn the community’s fortunes around.

Teachers’ Resources

Cora, the Eurasion Lynx, exists in the shadows as is appropriate for a wild animal,. She is, of course, the main driver of the plot and her presence provides an opportunity to review the pros and cons of rewilding indigenous species. The author offers the reader balance, with characters considering all points of view and there is a lovely author's note at the end, providing context and factual information about this important issue. He remembers sitting in his car after one such meeting, talking to his wife on the phone, seriously considering throwing in the towel. ​ “I came out of that room just feeling totally outnumbered.” In away, he’d become afocus for resentment at any change seen as coming from outsiders – aprejudice confirmed, Lee says, ​ “as soon as Iopened mymouth”. So, humans still are a crucial part of the rewilded landscape – not just because we need community support for projects to be successful – but also because we ourselves are agents of ecosystem engineering, and we need to continue this role in the absence of the creatures we have replaced. But also the bullying that some children have to put up with, and others go along with because they are scared of being on the other side, on the receiving end, of the nastiness. Both children's characters are well written. They each have their own issues to deal with. The debate over which new arrivals are “natural”, and which have been given a helping hand – deliberately or accidentally – is further confused by the climate emergency. Many birds, butterflies and other insects are shifting their ranges northwards because of rapidly warming temperatures. Some stop at the French coast, unwilling or unable to cross over the Channel. Others, such as the southern migrant hawker dragonfly and willow emerald damselfly, have colonised southern England. Meanwhile, a trio of once-exotic waterbirds – little, great white and cattle egrets – are now a common sight around my home on the Somerset Levels.