Litsy

Wilding | Isabella Tree

2025 Favourite Non-Fiction:
Top row: Horror, Topics of Special Interest
2nd row: Book and word focused, Important Topics
3rd row: Animal/Nature, Greek Myth, Clothing History
4th Row: Essays and Memoirs
5th row: More memoirs! ☺️

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Robotswithpersonality

Wilding | Isabella Tree

pick

One of my favourite reads of this year. It's so wonderful to see such clear evidence for hope, such rigorous documentation of positive change, such stalwart defence of the need for such projects. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? A beautiful mix of bombarding the reader (or cynic) with facts, amongst narrating the journey from their starting point to where the project had arrived at the point of publication, you have moments of pure appreciation for nature, but much of the book is divided between: 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/? 1) the steps necessary to begin and continue rewilding: planning and research, consulting experts, soliciting funding, modifying land to give it the best start recovering from industrial farming, and establishing borders, reintroducing species, before mostly letting things alone 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 4/? 2) supporting their efforts via:
a) presenting findings/success in reintroduced and rediscovered fauna alongside newly flourishing flora, restoration of water features and noting recovering soil health
b) tackling the contentious attitudes of the present and the research of the past, breaking down what was once understood as 'the facts' with ideas such as the shifting baseline - 3mo

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Robotswithpersonality 5/? the notion that Britain might think of the Victorian cultural landscape as the moment in time, the image in their heads to protect, but heavy conversion of the countryside and even species loss was already present in this period - that we need to look further back to see what the landscape looked like, what species are native to the UK, even if we can acknowledge we'll never have exactly what the landscape of the past was, 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 6/? what varied habitat various animals thrive in versus have been forced to adapt to, that there are actually many benefits to neighbouring farms and communities of rewilding land in proximity, rather than viewing it as an eyesore with seed bearing weeds and new (old) animal.populations, and many environmental, health and economic benefits to expanding the project to more areas of the UK. 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 7/? I love the ongoing nature of the project, that even as the area gains revenue from tours, there is no microfocus on a particular 'charismatic/rare' species, it's a joy for them to continually discover new animals and plants and the way the land is changing, to see longer into the future ratbwr than reach stasis, a new way of thinking for the various environmentalists and scientists consulted to recognize the full system, 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 8/? rather than attempting to manipulate nature to engineer a preferential habitat for a certain animal or plant, especially as evidence mounts that we know less about preferential habitats than first thought.
Knepp is an ambassador for the idea of wilding, and while specific actions were taken with the help of knowledgeable consultants, it lives as an example to the wider world of what is possible in various countries/climates/ecosystems, as the 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 9/? Oostvaadersplassen did before it.
I admit, I enjoy when Tree politely claps back at more rigid, traditional views that would negate her team's efforts, and gently calls out those agencies which are bogged down by a particular way of doing things, the need for policy reform, or perhaps more accurately, policy loosening.
I appreciate that managing a reasonable population size of larger herbivores on the land 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 10/? available within the policies in place for such spaces means that culling or castration are the solutions available, but that doesn't make it easier to read. I should be fair and recognize that they practice as much non-interference with the animal populations at Knepp as possible, and since they are not allowed to let the carcases feed back into the soil, then harvesting and sale of the meat means revenue for the project. 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 11/11 It's the circle of life? 🫤

I had a great time doing a tandem read, as having it in front of my eyes and in my ears simultaneously helped with fact absorption, as she's not afraid to throw numbers in to make the argument, and as the author narrates the audiobook, I am certain she will be a great voice for the Knepp Wilding podcast she does! Giddy to get more wilding tidbits. ☺️

⚠️ Animal death 3mo

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Robotswithpersonality

Wilding | Isabella Tree

Cleopatra says yes: she would still love you if you were a worm. 👑♥️🪱

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Robotswithpersonality

Wilding | Isabella Tree

Aw, puppy, no. Put spiky new friend down. 🤦🏼‍♂️🥴🦔🐶

Singout Poor Mrs. Tiggywinkle! 3mo

Robotswithpersonality @Singout I didn't cheat and Google, but I have to guess: is that a Beatrix Potter reference? 🫣 3mo

Singout Genius guess! I sent my sister this quote from another feed and she said she thinks Mrs. Tiggywinkle had a pretty good set up. “i'd give up everything to be a small anthropomorphic woodland animal wearing victorian clothes living in a little house in a meadow and my neighbour is a goose wearing a bonnet and my only worry is will my apple pie be ready for when mrs owl comes visit me for tea time” 3mo

Robotswithpersonality @Singout I did an adult reread of Potter's collection either this year or last year so more recent memory served me well! That woodland existence does sound amazing. 3mo

Singout I skimmed through the one we sent over to my sister for my niece and nephew: so many words we wouldn‘t use in kids‘ books today! 3mo

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Robotswithpersonality

Wilding | Isabella Tree