René Haller – an inspirational man (Mar25)
René Haller transformed a lifeless quarry into a vibrant, flourishing ecosystem. This blog explores his groundbreaking work on the Kenyan coast and how it led to the creation of the Haller Foundation. Together with René, the foundation has expanded his innovative ideas and principles, bringing them to communities around the quarry and across other parts […]
Visiting the rainforests might save them! (Mar25)
I’m not someone who buries their head in the sand—or in this case, the trees—but I can’t stand to hear about the world’s forests being obliterated. Especially the rainforests. They are beautiful, wild, untamed, brimming with life in a way that no human creation could ever be. And yet, we treat them like an infinite […]
To burn or not to burn (Mar24)
Are fires the best way of getting rid of garden waste or clearing landscapes? I believe that the answer is generally ‘no’! But garden bonfires are ubiquitous and even conservation bodies are using burning as part of their land management plans – for example burning the brash from hedge-laying or trimming and site clearance of […]
In conversation with Isabella Tree (Nov23)!!
The Electric Palace in Bridport was packed. The Bridport Literary Festival or Bridlit had managed to get Isabella Tree to come and talk to me in front of the 400 people who were able to get tickets. The focus was the newly published ‘The Book of Wilding‘ which is an easy-to-read manual on what can be done on […]
Why do scything & wilding go hand in hand (oct23)
Our scything day was joyous. Watching the scythers sweep through the grass was a totally different experience from using a ride-on mower or strimmer. And, I learned that there are multiple benefits to this approach too. For a start, it’s far better for wildlife that may be lurking in the undergrowth. Our scythers found several […]
Our Wilding Weekend Was Wonderful! (Jun23)
It was tremendously exciting to get such positive feedback from visitors to our Wilding Weekend – some were ecstatic. It wasn’t just about the wilding we’ve done – they loved meeting other like-minded people and finding out more about what wilding might mean for them. As many of you will know not everyone has the […]
Dorset Life interviews me! (Jun23)
I loved being described as ‘probably the most effective person you’ve never heard of’! I wondered if it was too flattering for me to post the article or promote it in any way. But I overcame my doubts, and here is the Dorset Life article about my life! It not only covers the forthcoming Wilding […]
No Fence Farming in Romania (May23)
We cycled for over 100 miles and didn’t go through a gate. The Transylvanian landscape was without fences, hedges, or ditches. Travelling by train across Europe to get to Romania the lack of fences signalled an entirely different type of farming. In this case, there were huge ploughed fields or monoculture crops stretching into […]
Sheep are like locusts (Apr23)
A flock of sheep will eat pretty well everything in their path – wildflowers, buds, saplings and anything else that looks tasty. Ben Goldsmith has been highlighting the perils of sheep, particularly in upland areas and in our national parks. He points out that apart from being incredibly destructive, sheep grazing on the hillsides are […]
INSPIRATIONAL HOTELS IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA (Feb23)
We weren’t far from Singapore, but it was another world. Two tropical Indonesian islands to the East of Bintan, which is just South of the Asian city-state. I have to admit that I’m a very critical tourist – I generally challenge hotels on everything including what’s happening to their sewage, how they source their […]
