Leading us away from our laptops, manicured lawns and comfy sofas as well as our fear of things that might bite is environmentalist and columnist George Monbiot.
He put a passionate case for “rewilding” to a packed audience at the Edinburgh International Book Festival urging us to re-introduce wolves and even bears into wild areas of the UK to allow over-grazed or over-logged land to recover and deer plus sheep numbers to move elsewhere.
In doing this we would need to overcome exaggerated fears of wild animals and realise the benefits of our becoming positive environmentalists, he said.
Mr Monbiot was describing his latest book, “Feral: searching for enchantment on the frontiers of rewilding.” Rewilding, he said, would become the foundation of new hope instead of despair about the environment. Progress would not come from endlessly banning things that might harm us.
He said Scotland was well ahead of England in re-introducing wildlife and plants and trees were already showing signs of recovery.
Event: 11th August