Rewilding can cover a wide range of subject areas.
Until we can organise in-person events safely we’d like to facilitate some online “cluster group” meetings for Yorkshire rewilders, across a wide range of topics, in the months to come. The aim is to bring together like-minded people to share experiences, ideas, knowledge and support. And this is where we need your help…
We’d like to know which topics you would find most useful and be interested in discussing, so please take a minute to fill out our quick survey that can be found at the following link and tick all the ones you might be interested in attending – and if there’s anything we’ve missed or you have other suggestions, please add those in the box at the end.
Paul Jepson’s and Cain Blythe’s new book, Rewilding: The Radical New Science of Ecological Recovery, is the subject of tonight’s webinar hosted by Heal from 19:30 to 20:30 GMT. We have a short review of this book in the Books page.
If you’re interested in how farming might help improve nature, water quality, biodiversity, and reduce chemical use, there’s an interesting webinar tomorrow by the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association and Groundswell looking at landscape-level collaboration and ELMS schemes.
Image: Pasture-Fed Livestock Association
The webinar is a Q&A discussion chaired by Sue Pritchard, a Pasture-Fed Livestock Association member from Wales and Chief Executive of the Food, Farming & Countryside Commission (FFCC), and features panelists from Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Knepp Estate, and a farmer from Berkshire who’s leading an initiative with the Berkshire, Berkshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust to establish a zone within which the use of chemicals is eradicated.
Harrogate and Knaresborough residents and local organisations can now buy shares in Long Lands Common community owned woodland project, which has been awarded the national Community Shares Standard Mark for best practice.
Image: Long Lands Common / James McKay
Chris Kitson, Secretary of Long Lands Common Limited, the Community Benefits Society said: “It feels a huge milestone to launch the sale of community shares, so we can empower people of all ages to take back some control of local green spaces. We only have until November 20th to raise £300,000 to buy the 30 acres of farmland between our two towns.”
There are a number of elements to the project overall, and YRN followers will be particularly interested to know that this includes the rewilding of an area of farmland by planting trees in the first instance, and then caring for the land as it is slowly transitions to a more natural state. Trees will be planted over large areas of the 30 acre site including a children’s wood, but the vision is not to end up with a dense, dark, closed wood. Instead, Long Lands Common will have open areas of grassland, wildflower meadows, verges and thickets of thorny scrub and marshy areas and ponds and, as a result, will provide a much richer home for a wide range of animal and plant life. The plan is that this will be undertaken with the full participation of the local community, whereby “everyone will play a part, everyone will have access, and everyone will have the opportunity to learn about how important this is for our future.”
Shares can also be bought as gifts. Such a present would be a great way for children to have a connection to their local area – wherever they end up in the world!
Online presentation, Tuesday 20th October at 19.30.
Join us on Tuesday 20th October for a presentation by Sara King of Rewilding Britain about biodiversity impacts of beaver and pine marten reintroductions, jointly organised with Wharfedale Naturalists’ Society.
The talk will last for about 45 minutes and will be followed by a question and answer session.
Sara is an ecologist, specialising in biodiversity monitoring and assessment. She has been monitoring beaver sites in England and Wales, pine marten projects in England and Wales, and rewilding projects for five years. She is passionate about using data to educate and change conservation practices for the benefit of people and wildlife. Sara has recently joined Rewilding Britain, tasked with developing their new Rewilding Network aimed at bringing projects and local networks together for knowledge sharing and upscaling rewilding.
If you feel in need of some inspiration this week a trip to the cinema might be just the thing. In his latest, very personal, documentary David Attenborough lays bare the damage humans are doing to the other life forms on Earth. This is bleak stuff but nothing rewilders won’t be familiar with. However, the last 30 minutes is more encouraging as he paints his ‘vision of the future’ and shows what we can all do to help support the bio diversity that our lives depend upon. One of the key ways he proposes is rewilding.
As you would expect this is a heartfelt and well put together film. The message is one which all world leaders and policy makers would be wise to heed – and each and every one of us can lead by example and encourage them to do that. ‘David Attenborough – A Life On Our Planet’ was released in cinemas on 28th September and is available on Netflix from 4th October.
We are really pleased to issue our first newsletter today, so keep an eye on your email inbox if you’ve subscribed to receive it, and do register with us if you would like to. Visit our Join Us page for the subscription form.
Today, on Yorkshire Day, we are thrilled to be launching the Yorkshire Rewilding Network.
Welcome!
The aim of this new group is simple: to bring together anyone in the Yorkshire region who has an interest in rewilding. By connecting people we hope to share inspiration, knowledge and experience about rewilding that will, in turn, help to create bigger, better and more joined up spaces for wildlife to flourish.
If you can make a donation to help this fledgling charity really fly, that would be wonderful.
So, no matter what your background or experience, if the idea of rewilding fills you with hope for the natural world then we would like to hear from you: Sign up to our newsletter, get in touch and pass the message on!
