Conservation & Wildlife

page contents

Our Wilding Weekend in June 2023 (Mar Update)

On 17th and 18th June 2023, my husband Jamie Macdonald and I will be[...]

Come and Listen to me talk about wilding – on 29th March 2023

I’m going to be speaking about Wilding at Slader’s Yard, West Bay (near Bridport)[...]

INSPIRATIONAL HOTELS IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA (Feb23)

We weren’t far from Singapore, but it was another world. Two tropical Indonesian islands[...]

Wild about Wilding (Jan23)

We organised the very first Wilding Weekend in June 2022, at our home in[...]

Second Wilding Weekend in June 2023 (Jan23)

Come to our next Wilding Weekend on 17th and 18th June 2023. We’ll be[...]

My Mother was the first person in the UK to be buried in a mycelium coffin (Nov22)

When I tell people about my mother’s coffin, the most common response is ‘what’s[...]

Swimming in sewage (Aug22)

I was very surprised to be told by the Environment Agency that no-one should[...]

Welcome to our Wilding Weekend (Jun22)

Find out more about what’s happening at our Wilding Weekend. How it started, who[...]

Insect Homes at Hooke Farm (Jun22)

[...]

Menus for the Wilding Weekend (Jun22)

Refreshments and cakes all day – we’re serving homemade iced nettle tea, elderflower cordial,[...]

The Bat Egg at Hooke Farm (Jun22)

[...]

The Sweet Track at Hooke (May22)

[...]

Our Hibernaculum at Hooke (May22)

[...]

Wild about Knepp (May22)

My trip to Knepp was a revelation. For those who do not know this[...]

WILDING WEEKEND FLYER for 11&12 June 2022

[...]

Where the Rainforest Meets the Sea (Apr22)

It felt magical. We walked through the thick tangled forest and yet only meters[...]

Pura Vida Costa Rica (Apr22)

Having successfully navigated a rapid as we rafted away from Pacuare Lodge in Central[...]

Woohoo – A barn owl has nested in our box! (Feb22)

I can’t believe it. We put up the barn owl box in an old[...]

Help! An Insect Apocalypse is happening right now… (Dec21)

The frightening thing is that we may not be aware of how devastating the[...]

Insects are on the menu and they’re better for the planet (Nov21)

Let’s start with pet food. If you want to feed your dog insects –[...]

My Manifesto for COP26 and beyond(Oct21)

I’m delighted that Cop26 is getting a lot of attention. I think it’s great[...]

Rewild schools before it’s too late (Jul21)

Rewild the world before it’s too late! I’m supporting Operation Future Hope in their[...]

Frogs, toads and newts (Jun21)

I’ve just sent my first recording of toads and newts to the Amphibian &[...]

My Green Life (May21)

When I was a baby my brother painted me green.. Perhaps a sign of[...]

Why is our MP not supporting the Dorset National Park? (May21)

Why hasn’t Chris Loder, Dorset MP, talked to the Dorset National Park supporters? Chris[...]

Peat in compost is environmental vandalism (Mar21)

That’s what Monty Don says and I agree. But it’s incredibly common. UK gardeners[...]

I’ve learnt to love moles (Feb21)

My mother was very keen on mole traps, following a tradition that apparently started[...]

Farmers Must STOP Killing Earth (Dec20)

Why are most rivers brown or red? A soupy earthy colour. It’s because they[...]

BEING FRIENDLY TO BARN OWLS (Dec20)

I’m learning about owls. My interest has been propelled by the regular nightly call[...]

TV Clips tropical hardwoods and destruction of the rainforests – Julia Hailes 1989/90.

If there was ever a moment when I decided to dedicate my life to[...]

Scorched earth in Sicily (Oct20)

What a beautiful time of year to come to this island perched on Italy’s[...]

Wilding week 2 (Jul20)

The diggers are in their element The water meadow is now looking pretty earthy[...]

Wilding has started… (Jul20)

Yesterday, the diggers and dumpers arrived, along with the wonderful Andrew George and his[...]

ANIMALS TURN HUMAN…(May20)

A role reversal. Imagine humans behaved like animals and vice versa. What would we[...]

Going wild in Dorset (Sep19)

I’m tremendously excited about our new landscaping project… The central idea is wilding and[...]

Butterflies love this meadow

A wonderful place near me. It’s full of wild flowers. Butterflies and bees love[...]

Watching ‘Blue’ made people angry (Dec18)

It was difficult to decide which part of the film made me more angry. [...]

Blue Planet effect is reducing litter?

A man in the audience for one of my speeches on plastic came up[...]

Haller in the Horn of Africa (Jul11)

I got a very encouraging email this week. It was from Louise Piper, director[...]

National Trust – Forever for Everyone Sustainable Business Workshop (Jul11)

What a brilliant slogan – Forever For Everyone. I was one of two outside speakers[...]

Interface Carpets – Tomorrow’s Natural Business (Jul11)

Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface Carpets radically changed his approach to business in 1994, after reading The[...]

Down in the woods (Apr10)

Children at Mallinsons Woodland Workshop Shower made from living willow Guy Mallinson[...]

The Environmental Investigation Agency – Fighting Eco-Crime (Mar10)

I’ve been made a lifetime member of the Environmental Investigation Agency or EIA for[...]

An inconvenient truth about fish – The End of the Line (Jun09)

A fish collapse. 90% of the big fish are gone. The global fishing capacity[...]

Off to Kenya and street lights closer to home (Mar09)

Denuded landscape near Mombasa Sustainable agriculture training plot near Mombasa The offending street[...]

Save the rainforests (Jun07)

South American travels Cool Earth has really hit the news this week. So much[...]

Prince Charles talking to trees (Jul07)

I was sitting just behind Prince Charles and Al Gore at the Business in[...]

‘Rollo’ the snake (April07)

My children seem to have a social life to rival Paris Hilton. I simply[...]

Some thoughts – Fish, John Travolta, Home grown, Standby TVs (Apr07)

Eco-hypocrite I think that having 5 private jets and an airport in your garden[...]