The Book of Wilding
- The Book of Wilding by Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell (Bloomsbury, London, 2023).
- 560 pages.
- ISBN: 9781526659293. Hbk, RRP £35.
- Buy at BirdGuides Bookshop from £27.99
On the exterior, The Book of Wilding looks like the perfect coffee-table book. With its sleek and modern design, it is bound to fit nicely in at home – but you soon discover how much engaging and insightful content is packed between its pages and that this new title is every bit about substance as it is style.
In current society it is so easy to feel overwhelmed by the many issues of biodiversity loss and climate change, but Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell's guide offers some comfort, demonstrating just how versatile and resilient nature can be.
I was initially sceptical about tackling such a large book, with the view that good swathes of the content just wouldn’t be relevant to me. However, even if the only chapter that feels applicable to you is that entitled 'Rewilding your garden', the authors state: "The principles of rewilding discussed in the earlier chapters […] are still relevant. By beginning to understand how nature works at scale, in the wild, we can learn how to replicate those processes."
I quickly became hooked and found that their passion for rewilding shone through in the writing, making it even more of an enjoyable read. I also found myself feeling incredibly inspired after reading this book – even if it is only my garden that I have the opportunity to rewild.
The Book of Wilding is absolutely brimming with practical information, photographs, illustrations and ideas for rewilding your own space, no matter its size. Using their tried-and-tested rewilding success story at Knepp Wildland in Sussex, this guide also addresses aspects such as the business and viability of rewilding projects, this adding a particularly interesting and practical element to the text.
Tree and Burrell really show the importance of putting nature back in the driving seat in this book. Their passion and enthusiasm shines through and will undoubtedly inspire many people. It's fair to say this is the ultimate handbook to rewilding and that a great range of wildlife enthusiasts will find plenty of value within its pages.
