EBOOK
About
Twenty years ago, James Canton moved from London to the English countryside. Behind his farm labourer's cottage was a small field with a 'for sale' sign. At first it was a site for family picnics and cricket matches with friends, but James knew that the two-acre patch of earth held more potential – as a place for nature to return and flourish.
Here is the story of how, over a number of years, he undertook a project to 'rewild' the field: digging a pond, forging meadowlands, creating habitats for birds and insects, encouraging flowers and plants that support pollinators and wildlife. Eventually what was once just a grassy space was again buzzing with life.
The process raised some interesting questions. Rewilding is about bringing a large landscape back to a natural, self-sustaining state. But that wasn't possible on the scale of a field, a garden or a window box. What if we rethought the term? What if we aimed for 'renaturing' instead? Even on the smallest of scales we can create habitats to support a greater diversity of nature. A single window box planted with pollinator-friendly flowers can provide a mini-habitat to support honeybees; a tower block with a window box on every balcony becomes an acre of bee-friendly ecosystem.
Renaturing shows how the concept of rewilding can be adopted by us all. We can all make positive change, however large or small. We can all be involved in caring for and restoring the natural world.
Here is the story of how, over a number of years, he undertook a project to 'rewild' the field: digging a pond, forging meadowlands, creating habitats for birds and insects, encouraging flowers and plants that support pollinators and wildlife. Eventually what was once just a grassy space was again buzzing with life.
The process raised some interesting questions. Rewilding is about bringing a large landscape back to a natural, self-sustaining state. But that wasn't possible on the scale of a field, a garden or a window box. What if we rethought the term? What if we aimed for 'renaturing' instead? Even on the smallest of scales we can create habitats to support a greater diversity of nature. A single window box planted with pollinator-friendly flowers can provide a mini-habitat to support honeybees; a tower block with a window box on every balcony becomes an acre of bee-friendly ecosystem.
Renaturing shows how the concept of rewilding can be adopted by us all. We can all make positive change, however large or small. We can all be involved in caring for and restoring the natural world.
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Reviews
"A wry and open-minded interrogation of human interventions in the landscape"
RICHARD MABEY
"A charming account of one man's decision to get his hands dirty and try to play his own small part in trying to make the world a better place. Thoughtful and insightful"
NEIL ANSELL
"A timely and urgent message made warm and accessible; in Renaturing Canton tells us that bringing back nature in any and all places is the best way to fix the biggest challenges of our time. This is a profoundly uplifting and empowering book"
BEN GOLDSMITH