This very nearly made it onto the top 5 list – a great read, which explores the history and cultural importance of orchards, alongside the role they play in biodiversity. After reading this book, you’ll want to plant your own orchard – in fact, I actually did!

The punch of large images emphasises fine detail and the wider scene. And that scene often involves the restoration of more natural vegetation cover and the diversity of wildlife that could thrive as a result. The story of how the Scottish uplands have been degraded by centuries of deer and sheep grazing has been told many times. So too have tales of persecution of creatures such as birds of prey. What sets this book apart is contemporary solutions.How do you restore an ecosystem if species are extinct/introduced so the previous structure isn't possible? They argue to focus on the functions that aren't being served properly because too much of one species or missing another. Replace the functions, even if it is a different species.

The enormity of climate change and biodiversity loss can leave us feeling overwhelmed. How can an individual ever make a difference? Large herbivores (think Bison) served key ecosystem functions and by focusing on replacing predators only we are missing significant parts of ecosystem structure There are many books that cover global extinction, but Ross Barnett’s The Missing Lynx is unique in its focus on Great Britain. He begins by reminding us of the many fascinating species our planet lost during the last few million years, writing, “The world of today seems terribly meagre in comparison. So much is gone.” A self-professed “advocate for the extinct Pleistocene megafauna,” the palaeontologist walks readers through the possibilities of resurrecting long-extinct species via “Pleistocene rewilding.”Wilder primarily explores large-scale, costly rewilding projects that few of us could replicate. I intentionally wrote about places like Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique – which is in the midst of a multimillion-dollar rewilding effort designed to undo the damage caused by the country’s civil war – to inspire readers. Thank you to NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book prior to its release in exchange for an honest review.

I consciously didn’t call my book ‘ Rewilding’ because that pesky little ‘re-‘ prefix suggests to many rewilding detractors an attempt to recapture the past – something we know, in this totally altered world of the Anthropocene, is impossible to do. All we can hope to do is stimulate something interesting for nature with the tools we have left to us, in the environment in which we now find ourselves. According to the authors – Paul Jepson and Cain Blythe – rewilding is viable and is beginning to happen in Europe and America. They predict Europe will lead the way, because rural depopulation and the decline of traditional agriculture are creating large areas of land in need of a new future. When combined with economic reasons for nature-based solutions, a desire for commercial breeding and ranching could emerge. Taking a more concise approach to rewilding, and acting as a sort of ‘primer’ for those new to the concepts, this is nevertheless a surprisingly good read. The highly-experienced authors cover a lot of interesting topics, including the potential of using ancient DNA to recreate extinct species, and even dry subjects are livened up with colourful stories of people and places. Writing style appealed to me with very rich references to other studies, books, and rabbit holes of reading material that I may actually pursue for once.Without giving too much time to the obvious topic of his family (brother of Joseph, relative of Ranulph Fiennes), Jake launches into a matter-of-fact tale that explains his slow evolution from gamekeeper to rewilder. Through this process, you’ll develop an appreciation for gamekeepers that you might not have expected. They touch on numerous rewilding projects – from the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone to the rewilding of England’s Knepp Estate – helping readers get a sense of rewilding’s many shapes and sizes. In the process, Jepson and Blythe cover evolutionary biology, ecology, political issues and various theories of rewilding in an unbiased, accessible and informed way. Natural and systems approaches are assessed, drawing on recent research and innovations such as the wildlife economy model in South Africa, de-domestication and wildlife banks. Rewilding is the idea of reintroducing species to the environment. In most cases, humans are responsible for the disappearance of those species in the first place. This book presents the idea of rewilding by finding suitable replacements for some extinct species of megaherbivores and finding places where they can be reintroduced. This would recreate some of the natural conditions that were here prior to human intervention in the natural systems.

An evocative journey through the history and natural history of the woodland. A beautiful and poetic book, which shines a light on many unfamiliar stories from across the world. Jake is very much a bloke’s bloke. He’s the kind of guy you might meet down the pub on a Saturday night chewing over what that stupid politician did now, or talking incessantly about the weather. A gamekeeper for many years, after a short, successful stint in the London club scene, he’s not someone you would expect to be at the forefront of rewilding. I met him at an event and he was exactly how I expected – honest, enthusiastic and raw. That’s what makes this book so bloody brilliant – it’s relatable. The Book of Wilding is a handbook for how we can all help restore nature. It is ambitious, visionary and pragmatic. 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 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, gardens, window boxes and public spaces.. The Book of Wilding has the answers.

Rewilding, says David Woodfall, is about how people “engage with their environment through the natural world.” There’s truth in that, though it will take more than engagement to reverse wildlife declines.