The project to eradicate wolves was seen as life-saving, not just the elimination of a public nuisance. Migrants out west frequently faced wolves on their treks out there, and again once they began homesteading. The issue, more viscerally, was with wolves killing children – something that was all too frequent in the 1800’s and in the time of Peak Wolf. I can’t speak to global motivations, but in the American Mountain West those were of lesser concern. This issue is often framed as people being irrationally afraid of wolves, or angry of them for stealing livestock – as if wolves understood property rights.
One quick note on the discussion about wolves. I wonder if there are species we currently believe to be extinct that might have hidden reservoirs, waiting for an opportunity to flourish again. I found the discussion of near-extinct species returning particularly fascinating. Personal and inspirational, Wilding is an astonishing account of the beauty and strength of nature, when it is given as much freedom as possible.Great discussion, thank you for the enlightening look into this wild experiment. The Burrells’ degraded agricultural land has become a functioning ecosystem again, heaving with life – all by itself. Thanks to the introduction of free-roaming cattle, ponies, pigs and deer – proxies of the large animals that once roamed Britain – the 3,500 acre project has seen extraordinary increases in wildlife numbers and diversity in little over a decade.Įxtremely rare species, including turtle doves, nightingales, peregrine falcons, lesser spotted woodpeckers and purple emperor butterflies, are now breeding at Knepp, and populations of other species are rocketing. Part gripping memoir, part fascinating account of the ecology of our countryside, Wilding is, above all, an inspiring story of hope.įorced to accept that intensive farming on the heavy clay of their land at Knepp was economically unsustainable, Isabella Tree and her husband Charlie Burrell made a spectacular leap of faith: they decided to step back and let nature take over. In Wilding, Isabella Tree tells the story of the ‘Knepp experiment’, a pioneering rewilding project in West Sussex, using free-roaming grazing animals to create new habitats for wildlife. One of the landmark ecological books of the decade.' Sunday Times 'Books of the Year' 'A passionately personal, robustly argued and uplifting book. Highly Commended by the Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize Winner of t he Richard Jefferies Society and White Horse Book Shop Literary Prize
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