Forced 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. Part gripping memoir, part fascinating account of the ecology of our countryside, Wilding is, above all, an inspiring story of hope. 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.

Above all, it is a manifesto of hope.'The remarkable story of an astounding transformation' George Monbiot, author of Feral. The Book of Wilding is a practical guide and call to action. Rewilding is learning how to contribute to a living landscape, to connect with other areas of nature and help forge the life-support system that will save our planet from calamity and provide humankind with a prosperous and sustainable future.ĭeeply researched and with original illustrations by Jeroen Helmer, Europe’s foremost environmental artist, this book explains why rewilding is important and how every one of us can play a part. Whether you have a garden, roadside verge or window box, there is no space too small. Rewilding is a spectrum of possibility, and everyone is on it. It is inspired by the requests they receive from people wanting to learn how to rewild everything from unprofitable farms, landed estates and rivers, to ponds, allotments, churchyards, urban parks and public spaces. The book has grown out of Isabella and Charlie’s mission to help rewild Britain, Europe and the rest of the world by sharing knowledge from their pioneering project at Knepp in Sussex. It is ambitious, visionary and pragmatic. The Book of Wilding is a handbook for how we can all help restore nature. And what comes is not just wildlife in super-abundance, but solutions to the other environmental crises we face. Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell know firsthand how spectacularly nature can bounce back if you give it the chance. How can an individual ever make a difference? The enormity of climate change and biodiversity loss can leave us feeling overwhelmed.

A blueprint for how to rewild the world around us.

Wilding knepp book