Why Rewild?

Can rewilding rebalance our relationship with nature?

Hosted by Sam Peters

For centuries human beings have seen nature as our enemy. Something to be controlled, abused and exploited for our own commercial and sporting gain. Killing, culling and cutting has become part of our cultural routine as we mow lawns, cut back hedgerows and poison insect life simply to serve an increasingly out-dated view of aesthetic “beauty”. Slowly, it is dawning we have damaged our planet profoundly with our absolute disregard for and subsequent disconnection from nature. Our post War farming habits have played a huge role in this rapid process of destruction of natural capital and degradation of our land. But there is hope. Rewilding appears to offer a solution with an increasingly powerful movement – supported by Planted – presenting an opportunity to re-enable and restore nature across both urban and rural spaces. But in practice what is rewilding and how does it work? Who are the true experts and is the movement towards planting more trees actually misguided, even if well intentioned? Crucially, how does rewilding apply to our cities and what role can they play in ensuring we can move to a more balanced relationship with wildlife and nature?    

Panellists: Patrick Begg (National Trust), Sue France (Pictorial Meadows), James Lord (HTA Design) and Julia Davies (We have the Power)