Isabella Tree discusses rewilding, initially clarifying that it doesn't require vast landscapes or reintroductions of large predators, but can occur on a smaller scale, even in urban settings. She shares her personal experience at Knepp Estate, a 3,500-acre farm in England that was rewilded after decades of unprofitable intensive agriculture, detailing the process of removing fences, allowing water to settle, and introducing free-roaming animals like Old English longhorn cattle and Tamworth pigs. This led to a rapid increase in biodiversity and soil restoration within five years, generating new income streams through wild-range meat and wildlife tourism. Inspired by Knepp, Tree provides three tips for rewilding smaller spaces like gardens: creating varied topography, thinking like a herbivore to manage plant growth, and embracing natural decomposition by leaving dead wood and seed heads. She emphasizes that rewilding is about changing aesthetics, letting go of control, and embracing messiness to restore nature and ourselves.
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