Renaturing
Small Ways to Wild the World
by James Canton
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Pub Date 13 Mar 2025 | Archive Date 13 Mar 2025
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Description
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.
Advance Praise
“A wry and open-minded interrogation of human interventions in the landscape” -RICHARD MABEY
“A balm for any nature-lover feeling bruised by the state of the world, Renaturing provides a meditative, practical and beautifully-observed account of restoring a small yet significant patch of land. Canton takes us with him on a journey of learning that offers plenty to any reader” -CHANTAL LYONS
“Renaturing presents an important, heartfelt message that there are things that we can all do to improve the current and evermore concerning state of nature. . . Enjoyable start to finish” -MATT COLLINS
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781837260393 |
| PRICE | £18.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 256 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Stephen R, Educator
Renaturing- Small Ways to Wild the World is a beautiful and thought provoking read.
James Canton acquires a field in north Essex and over an 18 month period takes us on his journey exploring how to give this piece of land back to nature … it’s not as easy as it would seem.
Told in a diary entry form with interspersed sections focussing on key issues, the book comprehensively explores the challenges and successes that James encountered. The seasonal changes bring a closer view of the natural natural and many of its rural wonders
Taking land management “back to basics” with the use of the mattock and the ever resourceful scythe, you can actually feel the physical endurance encountered in particular against the ever invasive bramble
Identifying the species found and the sowing of wild flowers, the knowledge and wisdom is excellent - interspersed with advice from friends and experts and terminology that broadens understanding …bioblitz, wild washing , scarification ,rewilding the mind
This is “a call to arms” to make us consider how from window box, to back garden to large areas we can help save and renature our world and lives.
A great read that charms but more importantly makes us consider what we are doing to the fragile ecosystems around us.
Reviewer 1394760
The author tells us his way of renaturing in this journal-structured book.
Some entries record what the author had done in this field, some others link to those actions and offer us solutions.
The intention and the message are great.
I attended a talk about renaturing a couple of years ago, and this book complements it.
3 stars for the writing and the content.
4 stars because of the message.
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