‘A wry and open-minded interrogation of human interventions in the landscape’.’
– RICHARD MABEY
‘A charming account of one man’s decision to get his hands dirty and try to play his own small part in trying to make the world a better place. Thoughtful and insightful.’
– NEIL ANSELL, author of The Last Wilderness
‘Renaturing presents an important, heartfelt message that there are things that we can all do to improve the current and evermore concerning state of nature…Appealingly relatable in its content and deeply encouraging in its outlook. Enjoyable start to finish’.’
– MATT COLLINS, head gardener at The Garden Museum
James Canton’s journey into developing an accessible and everyday approach to rewilding that can be adapted by anyone from the ambitious gardener to the casual window-box owner.
Twenty years ago, James Canton moved from London to the English countryside. Behind his farm labourer’s cottage was a small, abandoned field with a ‘for sale’ sign. James knew that the two-acre patch of earth held more potential – as a place for nature to return and flourish.
Here is the story of how, over a number of years, he undertook a project to ‘rewild’ the field: digging a pond, forging meadowlands, creating habitats for birds and insects, encouraging flowers and plants that support pollinators and wildlife. Eventually what was once just a grassy space was again buzzing with life.
The process raised some interesting questions. Rewilding is about bringing a large landscape back to a natural, self-sustaining state. But that wasn’t possible on the scale of a field, a garden or a window box. What if we rethought the term? What if we aimed for ‘renaturing’ instead?
Renaturing shows how the concept of rewilding can be adopted by us all. We can all make positive change, however large or small. We can all be involved in caring for and restoring the natural world.
‘A balm for any nature-lover feeling bruised by the state of the world, Renaturing provides a meditative, practical and beautifully-observed account of restoring a small yet significant patch of land.
Canton takes us with him on a journey of learning that offers plenty to any reader, whether steeped in the lore of rewilding and ecology or a newcomer curious to know more about the positive roles that humans can play in nature.’
— CHANTAL LYONS, author of Groundbreakers
‘It’s impossible to feel what we should about the gigantic problems of our age: climate change, mass extinction, and so on. They are too big, and we are too small and too tired. But James Canton shows us a way to feel properly again when we look at the wild world – by looking quietly and closely at the wilderness on our doorsteps and in ourselves. A tender and important manual of intimacy and revolution.’
— CHARLES FOSTER, author of Being a Beast
‘Looking both forwards and backwards, this book is a timely meeting between ancient practice and latest thinking, offering a valuable companion for anyone wanting to “bring nature back”. Renaturing is for people who don’t necessarily have large estates to ‘rewild’ but do want to fight on nature’s side, for bio-recovery.’
— JULIAN PERRY
‘A lovely, meditative, quietly inspiring book. There is a haikulike quality to the writing, in the focus it brings to the seasonal tasks of attending to a meadow – scarifying, sowing, scything – and the way these tasks resonate, reach out to a wider community of people caring for nature with the same diligence and love as Canton’ Knowledge and joy.’
— JAMES MACDONALD LOCKHART, author of Raptor and Wild Air
‘A beautifully written book that encourages action that we can all take however large or small our ownership of land, from a window box to Knepp. I feel empowered to renature and to tell all my friends how to do it too. An essential book for our times.’.’
— MATTHEW SHAW, The Stone Club
Grounded is also in part a personal journey, as James tries to make sense of his father’s death from twenty years ago. As well as the public and ancient monuments he visits on his journey, he also invites us to consider the private markers in the landscape which are sacred to individuals and which connect us to the people from our past.
‘The Stag-Headed Oak’ copyright Lara Kinsey.