The Rewilders

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Wild flowers are not the only accidental stowaways arriving from continental Europe. The long-tailed blue, one of the world’s commonest butterflies, has turned up along the south coast in increasing numbers in the past few years. But although many of these butterflies may be genuinely wild, others are being accidentally imported as eggs or pupae on plants brought over from Europe to commercial nurseries. Another estate next to land owned by Polvsen has fared worse, with stag numbers falling from 45 to seven. Now it is up for sale. The Rewilders is an exciting middle grade novel set in the Scottish Highlands. It’s a heartfelt and thoughtful story about two children Esme and Callum. It will open up questions about re-wilding and peer pressure. Highly recommend for 9 to 12 years, who love adventure, care about environment and are looking for something a bit different. https://www.readersthatcare.co.uk/the-rewilders-by-lindsay-littleson/ So rather than pitch in with detailed plans, the project started off with ​ “a lot of learning, and alot of listening. Ihad to educate myself, and talk to the experts – as many as Icould.” And there was alot of listening to local people too. Such thorough ecological mapping is akey part of Highland Rewilding’s emerging business offer. With all their accumulated expertise, the team and their advisers are well placed to provide similar services to the increasing array of rewilding projects springing up across the UK and abroad.

Some visitors, says Lee, are alittle disappointed that it doesn’t depict more of arevolution. But that’s to underestimate the changes that are already underway. Where once there were bare slopes, sheep-cropped down to the turf, now they are sprinkled with bushes and young trees, some planted, some naturally emerging. In the tree nursery at Naddle Farm, seedlings of juniper, aspen, alder, willow, birch and oak are carefully nurtured, ready for planting out on thefells. Along the way, Esme and Callum come to a truce, and perhaps even the beginnings of a friendship, as their mission becomes more complicated as they reach their goal, and sinister games are afoot. Well aware that, as an English entrepreneur with no particular links to the Highlands, he might be treading on sensitive toes, Jeremy and his team were careful to consult local opinion before unveiling any grand strategy. The debate over which new arrivals are “natural”, and which have been given a helping hand – deliberately or accidentally – is further confused by the climate emergency. Many birds, butterflies and other insects are shifting their ranges northwards because of rapidly warming temperatures. Some stop at the French coast, unwilling or unable to cross over the Channel. Others, such as the southern migrant hawker dragonfly and willow emerald damselfly, have colonised southern England. Meanwhile, a trio of once-exotic waterbirds – little, great white and cattle egrets – are now a common sight around my home on the Somerset Levels.But the bulk of the early effort is on mapping just what the land holds – and its potential. Highlands Rewilding has assembled an impressive array of experts to carry out studies on soil and biomass carbon and biodiversity, including using sophisticated environmental DNA techniques, along with arange of other baseline assessments. An absolute gem of a book… Beautifully written, The Rewilders is a delightful mix of adventure, friendship, and conservation. It is unafraid to touch on difficult topics such as bullying and fostering but does so in such a sympathetic manner. https://www.tippytupps.com/review/books-for-grown-ups/the-rewilders-by-lindsay-littleson-ad/ Esme and Callum’s relationship handled with great skill by the author. Esme is part of a group of ‘friends’ who torment Callum at school. These ‘good’ girls provoke him, causing him to end up in trouble whilst they escape without blame. Callum lives with foster mother, Sadie, feeling settled at last after a series of unhappy placements. Supportive and nurturing, this has been his longest-and happiest- placement, if not for school. The narrative is told from alternating perspectives and Esme is forced to consider her attitude towards Callum and through this to re-evaluate her friendship with the other girls in her class, particularly Isobel. Sadly, there are sure to be many readers who will empathise with her concern about getting on the wrong side of this ‘friend’, hopefully leading to discussions and better understanding of the negative nature of this type of ‘friendship’.

After he sold Solarcentury to Europe’s largest renewable energy generator, Statkraft, in 2020, he could well have felt entitled to put his feet up, now in his late sixties… The atmospherical writing that Lindsay Littleson has rewarded us with in this book really does enrapture readers imaginations, along with the beautifully detailed scenery, which is stunning to say the very least. I cannot emphasise enough how beautiful this book is, and how rewarding a read it is too. https://samjdthomas.home.blog/2022/03/23/the-rewilders/ Ecosystems are deeply-interwoven webs of diversity, and some species are more connected than others. When these species are lost, the impact on the ecosystem is a ‘trophic cascade’ – the abundance and health of connected species will be affected, which, in turn affects species linked to them, and so on. A richly-connected food web with many organisms is more stable, as it is more likely to survive the loss of any one species. A terrific book full of tension and plot twists, interwoven with a very satisfying story of self-discovery. https://getkidsintobooks.com/2022/04/08/the-rewilders-by-lindsay-littleson/ It is the misunderstanding of who we are that creates suffering. This misidentification negatively impacts all areas of life including relationships, success, emotional stability, mental stress, and negative behaviors.The Rewilders’ is a wonderful read, a compelling mixture of adventure and the importance of true friendship with a healthy dose of environmental and conservation issues, offering the reader plenty to think about.