![]() ![]() ![]() In time it would turn into a dense, species-poor woodland. They realised that in the long run it wasn’t sustainable to simply leave the land completely to its own devices because pioneer species would grow and form canopies. That, and a grant from Natural England, enabled them to go ahead with their plan. ![]() They discovered there was also EU funding available for using the land to support biodiversity rather than farming it. The farmers took the brave decision to stop farming, which had relied on EU funding, and return their land to nature. At the same time, they had a wake-up call about the damage caused by contemporary farming methods when they realised these were to blame for the ailing condition of their 400-year-old oak tree. It’s a really engaging, easy-to-read book, the story of a dairy farm that wasn’t able to pay its way, despite investments in efficiency, because the margins for farming are so tight. Wilding is a call to arms about how we need to rethink our relationship with the natural world. It wasn’t until I read Wilding that I realised how significant this was. Last year, the Purple Emperor butterfly came back. We’ve had it for 10 years and the habitat is now improving. With the help of a woodsman who teaches us how to look after it, we’ve been trying to encourage biodiversity. I’ve got a personal interest in this subject because I own a small part of a 200 acre wood in a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). Wilding – The return of nature to a British Farm, Isabella Tree, Pan Macmillan, 2019 ![]()
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