Rebirding: Winner of the Wainwright Prize for Writing on Global Conservation: Restoring Britain's Wildlife
WINNER OF THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR WRITING ON GLOBAL CONSERVATION
Winner of the Richard Jefferies Society and White Horse Book Shop Literary Prize
‘splendid' ―Guardian
‘visionary' ―New Statesman
Rebirding takes the long view of Britain's wildlife decline, from the early taming of our landscape and its long-lost elephants and rhinos, to fenland drainage, the removal of cornerstone species such as wild cattle, horses, beavers and boar – and forward in time to the intensification of our modern landscapes and the collapse of invertebrate populations.
It looks at key reasons why species are vanishing, as our landscapes become ever more tamed and less diverse, with wildlife trapped in tiny pockets of habitat. It explores how Britain has, uniquely, relied on modifying farmland, rather than restoring ecosystems, in a failing attempt to halt wildlife decline. The irony is that 94% of Britain is not built upon at all. And with more nature-loving voices than any European country, we should in fact have the best, not the most impoverished, wildlife on our continent. Especially when the rural economics of our game estates, and upland farms, are among the worst in Europe.
Britain is blessed with all the space it needs for an epic wildlife recovery. The deer estates of the Scottish Highlands are twice the size of Yellowstone National Park. Snowdonia is larger than the Maasai Mara. The problem in Britain is not a lack of space. It is that our precious space is uniquely wasted – not only for wildlife, but for people's jobs and rural futures too.
Rebirding maps out how we might finally turn things around: rewilding our national parks, restoring natural ecosystems and allowing our wildlife a far richer future. In doing so, an entirely new sector of rural jobs would be created; finally bringing Britain's dying rural landscapes and failing economies back to life.
Reviews (189)
A manifesto for a more natural future
Rewilding is something of a growing concept, seemingly on a landscape scale. In this book Benedict Macdonald discusses rewilding with an emphasis on birds and shows how it can be applied almost everywhere, from road verges to National Parks. He argues that restoring natural processes through rewilding over large area will allow our birds to recover. Macdonald believes that the “wildwood” do ancient Britain and Western Europe was a savanna like mosaic kept open by large herbivores, rather than high canopy forest. He sets out his view that the extensive mixed farming that was universal in Europe up to the last century mimicked that mosaic. The intensification of agriculture and the associated cleansing of the countryside of food has caused declines in once common species of birds. This, he argues, could be reversed by allowing, or managing, the more marginal areas back into a wild state. He states that bringing back iconic wildlife such as wild cattle, elk, lynx and Dalmatian pelican could provide sustainable rural jobs in eco-tourism and in hunting. He calls for boldness in asking for NGOs and the government to bring large, landscape-scale tracts of land back to nature, as well as for us all to be a wee bit less tidy so that we leave more space for nature. I may not agree with everything he says, just most of it, but this is a thought provoking and original book. It’s a manifesto for a wilder, more sustainable and exciting future.
A Clarion Call to restore our bird populations
The word "rewilding" only entered the language within the last 20 years. The concept of rewilding is to restore the landscape to its natural state. This has often involved the introduction of grazing animals to facilitate habitat restoration. The best known rewilding projects, at Knepp in Sussex and Alladale in Sutherland have had startling success in increasing numbers of struggling species, particularly cuckoos and turtle doves at Knepp. Rebirding applies the same principles to demonstrate how rewilding in Britain can bring about a reversal in bird species declines and give these species a bright future. Equally importantly it shows how such measures will provide a vibrant living landscape and can also bring economic benefit, particularly to economically struggling parts of the country. The early part of the book makes depressing reading as MacDonald describes the manifold ways in which we have decimated our bird populations, especially since the industrial revolution. Simple persecution, population fragmentation, over grazing , (especially by sheep), devastation of insect populations, agricultural monoculture, herbicides, etc, etc. One begins to wonder how any birds have survived at all! MacDonald disputes the received wisdom that dense oak woodland covered our landscape in prehistoric times. He posits that large herbivores initially, and subsequently domestic livestock created a mosaic landscape in which different habitats developed suiting a wide variety of species. Conservation aims should be to recreate such a mosaic; wet grasslands beloved of snipe and lapwing, scrub for nightingale and whitethroat, wetland areas for ducks and waders, open woodlands for pied flycatchers and lesser spotted woodpeckers, and so forth. He points to such habitats in eastern Europe where agricultural practices have not yet devastated the landscape. While the creation of good habitat will ensure that good numbers of birds will return, some species which became extinct won't. Corncrakes on migration for example will fly over perfectly adequate created habitat as they are hard wired to return to their natal territories. To maximize the potential of new habitat, it will be necessary to reintroduce absent species and of course there has been great success with cranes, great bustards, cirl buntings, and of course corncrakes in the Nene washes. Successes, but there should be more of them. So much of our landscape is managed in a way which is devastating for nature; prairie arable monoculture, grouse moors, sitka spruce plantation forestry, upland sheep farming. MacDonald examines all these habitats and demonstrates with examples from other countries how these areas can become rich in wildlife again. His case studies suggest a future for grouse moors, the Somerset levels, and other managed landscapes. Let nature return and the benefits to the local economy will be startling. Look at how Mull now earns over ten million pounds per annum from eagle tourism. And remember too how vigorously white tailed eagle reintroduction was initially opposed by so many islanders. This is not the first book on rewilding; the concept is in fact at the forefront of current conservation thinking; ecological improvement on a landscape scale. What makes Rebirding so compelling is how it offers convincing solutions which will not only restore avian populations but which will benefit both the people who live there and those who visit. It should be compulsory reading for environmental policy makers. And we the public and the conservation organizations which represent us must mobilise to fight for such a future for our countryside. Read the book and you'll find out why the front cover picture of a pelican is not so outlandish for a book about British birds.
A must read for anyone interested in British birds and nature conservation.
Fantastic book, anyone with even the slightest interest in British birds and nature conservation should read it. It explains what we've lost and how we lost it, but also how we could regain our bird life. Agriculture, woodland, rivers and even pelicans are all looked at in detail but with an easy to read approach, you won't need a degree in ecology to understand. Fascinating detail on birds like cuckoos, lesser spotted woodpeckers, wrynecks, nightingales, willow tits and red-backed shrikes and why they're disappearing from our landscapes. Even touches on wildlife gardening and how to really benefit your local birds and wildlife... plant those native shrubs - hawthorn, rowan, goat willow, buckthorn and guelder rose. I love this book.
A book which caused a penny drop moment
History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad people but the appalling silence and indifference of the good. Our generation will have to repent not only for the words and actions of the children of darkness but also for the fears and apathy of the children of light. --Martin Luther King Jr I number myself among those who were complacently smug about their approach to the environment, particularly with gardening, but then I read Benedict MacDonald's book and realized that I must radically rethink my approach. Among other things, I suffer from that all too familiar syndrome of Ecological Tidiness Disorder. MacDonald made me see how rather than simply gardening with wildlife as an afterthought, I really ought to be doing ecosystem gardening. Caring for birds in one's garden is about more than putting out a bird table, not using pesticides or ensuring paradise isn't paved over, but also about ensuring an adequate food supply through the use of various native fauna in the garden including simply not tidying up hedges or the ivy or pulling nettles. It is also about choosing the correct flora to go in one's garden to encourage the island effect and create larger natural havens for our birds. My defense is that I had not truly appreciated how dire the situation was until I read his book. I had suffered from accepting the new normal without realising how devoid of life that normal had become. I was all too willing to believe that most of the decline in the bird population was down to things beyond my control and to not even consider post-fledgling starvation and how that might effect migration. This book changed that view. If we know a certain percentage of birds will not make it back from Africa every year, then we had best do all in our power to ensure the absolute numbers leaving these shores after the breeding season are as strong as possible and that includes increasing food sources around the country through a more wild or ecosystem based approach if you will. His book is a compelling read filled with hard facts and figures but also a great deal of optimism. Pelicans flying again in the Somerset Levels, or even people in towns and villages starting once again to hear the cuckoo calling on the spring breeze -- these are things that MacDonald makes you believe could happen. His thought-provoking arguments for controlled deer culling and re-purposing grouse moors are excellent and well-argued but it was the chapters on gardening which really engaged me. A clarion call to arms and a game changer for me in every sense of the word. A book everyone with even a passing interest in British nature should read.
A stop and think piece of brilliance.
Couldn’t recommend this book enough, it has scratched the itch left behind after reading many disappointing texts on the key issue of rewilding in Britain. For birders and non-birders alike, the vehicle of birds used to delve into the heart of the issues surrounding our countryside and rewilding in the UK is brilliant. Thoroughly considered arguments and perspectives makes for a fascinating read, I didn’t feel lectured at any point and it avoided an obviously preachy tone that some rewilding books can take. Read it in a week, I hope there’s more to come in the future...
The most inspiring book I have read in years
As a lifelong countryman, having spent my 57 years living in villages in The Fens and Berkshire, I was moved by Ben Macdonald's thoroughly researched account of all the species biodiversity we have lost from our countryside. Recalling the massive decline in our insect population and of birds which were a common sight in my youth, such as Spotted Flycatcher, Turtle Dove and Tree Sparrow, Macdonald gives a compelling account of Britain's uniquely destructive uses of our landscape. Far from being a 'crowded island', we have room to accommodate all the habitat necessary to enable all those threatened species to thrive and recover sustainable populations. Despite being a blow-by-blow account of all the mistakes and mismanagement that have given us the most denuded and species-poor landscape in Europe, this is, in the end, a book full of hope and inspiration. It provides a vision for how we can enable our countryside to recover, in a way that benefits not just the threatened species but also creates jobs where there are none and allows local communities to thrive. I want every policy-maker and big landowner to read this book and catch a glimpse of how much better life could be for us and all the creatures that share this wonderful island. Definitely my book of the decade.
Fascinating
I have only just started reading this book. Benedict is very good at painting a picture of what the British Isles must have looked like when we first arrived and through a lot of research has laid out what has happened since. The book is very accessible to those who are not experts in the field and Benedict has a wonderful way is telling stories alongside the hard facts, this makes the book thoroughly engaging throughout. This book offers hope and a solution to the plight birds and other animals are facing - this book should be read by all!
A joy to read and fully referenced
A fantastic and insightful book into the current state of our bird and wildlife on an ecosystem scale. A great manual to show how we can restore bird species and populations. Written in a beautiful manner, complete with accurate and full references. A must-read for anyone interested in the future of nature in the uk.
A better, wilder future is within our grasp
I am not a birdwatcher or even particularly knowledgeable about birds, I came to this book after reading Isabella Tree's 'Wilding'. While this latter book is inspiring as a record of a practical experiment, 'Rebirding' sets itself broader objectives: aiming to explain how we got to current degraded state of nature, what could be different and, all importantly, how change could financed and sustained. And it achieves in meeting all three of these objectives. One of the biggest revelations for me is how it carefully illustrates how our very language has changed to circumscribe our thinking; it had never occurred to me that what we now think of as 'farmyard' birds survived very well before humans started farming or that 'house martins' had only recently adapted to living among houses. Where 'Wilding' sometimes reads like patrician rant in favour of landowners being given public money without strings attached, 'Rebirding' excels in carefully demonstrating the economic illiteracy of some aspects of current agricultural funding and in setting out how ecotourism and flood protection services could be economically viable. A fabulous read and a blueprint for a better, wilder future.
An exciting future for wildlife
Absolutely loved the concept and also how he takes you along the journey with him. This is hugely readable and accessible to people like with me with a relatively limited understanding of wildlife and nature (beyond being a fan). The author uses some truly startling facts and illustrations to paint a picture of what could be - the real question is will there be enough people out there prepared to help Britain achieve its true potential as he proposes. I do hope so, as the future he describes is infinitely more interesting and exciting than the prospect of our current direction. Fascinating and alarming in equal proportions, this must be wider read and endorsed if we are to leave any kind of legacy for the next generation.
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