Real World Ecological Recovery

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 106

Real World Ecological Recovery

In my last episode I talked a lot about the progress of humanity and how our own cleverness has placed our planetary life support system in jeopardy. While we were moving along in life congratulating ourselves on our achievements, we forgot to balance the budget.

Fortunately there are a lot of very smart people that have long since realized this and have found a way to restore the environment to more of a natural state. This is not something that will happen overnight but is a fantastic step forward. 

If you want to know more listen to this episode which is called Real World Ecological Recovery. 

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E106 which is called Real World Ecological Recovery.

With all the research and reading that I do on the topic of sustainability, I am always so happy when I come across people and organizations that are producing real results in real time, taking a substantial step forward for sustainability. And that truly is the focus of this episode.  

In my opinion we too often overlooked the fact that our progress comes at a cost. We now run the risk of loosing everything that we have gained unless we reverse course and take substantial steps to balance our ecological budget. 

In this episode I want to discuss the following: 

-A huge portion of natural habitat in many countries around the world no longer exist. A large percentage of native forests have been completely destroyed.  

-This has come to the attention of a lot of organizations. Some of which have been making significant progress toward restoring habitat on a wide scale through a process called re-wilding. 

-Then I want to discuss the country of Scotland, which may quite possibly be the first re-wilded country in the world. The things going on in that country are a prime example of just what we are capable of if we set our minds to it.  

-Then I want to discuss the reasons for re-wilding, some of the controversy behind it

-And finally I want to share a couple of success stories.  

In my last episode I talked a little about where I grew up in Tennessee and Georgia, as well as places in Colorado where I have spent a considerable amount of time as an adult. In both of these places I’ve have seen first hand all the changes that have come about as the result of progress. But progress is always a mixed bag, a little bit of good and a little bit of bad. 

C.S Lewis, who is a well known British writer, once said, “We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing about about turn and waking back to the right road.”

Whenever I see ever expanding urban development, I am always thankful of where I live. I have owned this parcel of land for 26 years. Although there are two cabins, a solar array, storage shed, wood shed, chicken barn and greenhouse, 90% of the property remains in the same condition as it was when I first purchased the land 26 years ago.  

I see a wide variety of wildlife such as deer, elk, moose, mountain lion, bear, big horn sheep, bobcat, foxes, grouse, hawks, eagles, as well as many other things. Although the two large parcels of land around me have sold and now have people living on them full time, I still hear no man made sound 95% of the time. At least for me I can honestly say that the progress I have made on this property has resulted in very little ecological impact. Not only that, everything I have is run off of one solar array. In some small way I can at least feel as if I am doing my part. 

Considering the condition of our world these days from an ecological perspective, todays generations can easily say “Well, I had nothing to do with all of the environmental destruction that has gone on for centuries. While this may be true, we must also realize that yes we have to bear the brunt of the responsibility and do something about it. Our never-ending cycle of take-make-dispose has gone on for so long because for centuries it was beyond our comprehension that humanity could have a negative impact on the oceans, the atmosphere, and the global ecosystem because we viewed it as being a vast and limitless resource. It truly has only been in the last 40 to 50 years that we have realized that nature is truly vulnerable to our clever ingenuity and technological greatness. But now that we have come to that realization, we are responsible for doing something about it.  

Fortunately, there are some very smart people that have figured this out. People are finally starting to use their knowledge and skills in order to restore significant areas of land back to its natural state by reintroducing native plant and animal species. And this fantastic process is called re-wilding. 

I only become familiar with this concept in the last year. When I really thought about it what excited me the most was simply the enormous possibilities associated with this process and the sheer irony of the whole situation. 

Think of it this way. 

Since the year 1600 nearly 90% of the virgin forest that once covered the United States has now been destroyed. Presently, only 50% of Australia’s forest and bushland remains intact. In Europe 50% of the natural forests are gone. While it is truly sad that we have done this much damage, we have the ability to turn this around into a fantastic opportunity. 

There is a trend in our culture that I find very interesting. It is yet another example of why I do not pay a lot of attention to popular culture because the pendulum of popularity swings back and forth.  So, why do I bring this up? 

During the early expansion of the United States, people and companies were scrambling to snatch up any land they could find, any available natural resource. This went on until the U.S. Census Bureau officially closed the western frontier in 1890. So, all the land was essentially taken.  

Now here we are 130 years later and no one wants to live out in the countryside anymore. Our societal trend at this point is toward urbanization. Globally approximately 50% of people live in urban areas and in the United States that is as much as 80%. In my mind what that means is that there is a significant amount of land out there that could be returned to its natural state since apparently no one wants to be out there any way. I often wonder if anyone other than me thinks of it this way? 

What is Re-wilding?

Here is the question I have. What if we, meaning our society as a whole, decided to return huge portions of this land to it’s natural state, in a process that is called re-wilding? What would that be like and how would it happen?

Very simply put, re-wilding is a very comprehensive, often very large scale conservation effort that focusing on restoring sustainable biodiversity and balancing the health of an ecosystem. This is accomplished by protecting core wilderness areas, providing connectivity between such areas, and reintroducing apex predators and keystone species. 

Now if you are unfamiliar with these terms, an apex predator is simply one that is at the top of the food chain, a predator that basically has no competition. A keystone species is any species that essentially holds an ecosystem together and enables it to function as a whole.  For example, bees are an all important keystone species because of the functions they perform. 

So if we go down this road of re-wilding, what are the necessary steps? 

Before we start re-wilding, it has to be determined what habitats are actually present and what species are present. We also have to assess the general health of any given ecosystem. It also has to be determined if there are any wildlife corridors present and if there are species that have essentially been eradicated and need to be reintroduced.. And of course the history of the land history has to be investigates as well as ownership and any political situations that may affect the re-wilding process. 

Re-wilding of Scotland

While concepts such as these are easy to visualize, it can actually be a very complicated process.  So what I want to do is to give a real life example of what is actually possible. What I want to do is use Scotland as a prime example because there is an enormous re-wilding movement already in play. This is truly is a perfect example of what can be done once we set our minds to it.  

Scotland Used to Be an Ancient Wilderness

Much like many other places on the planet, Scotland used to be a completely different place. Much of the land was previously covered in forests. The Romans even gave it the name Caledonia, which means “wooded heights.” There were aspen, juniper, birch, rowan, and pine that created a vast forest. At the end of the last ice age, the Highland tiger, wolf, lynx and bear freely roamed in these forests. There used to be rainforests on the west coast which had a spectacular habitat of oak and birch with lush meadows, wetlands, peat bogs, and vibrant coastal habitats. 

But over the course of several centuries the ecosystems in Scotland were slowly changed. Scotland now only has 4% to 5% of its native forest cover. Deforestation, overgrazing, and climate change has taken its toll. In the 1700s widespread sport shooting and sheep over grazing was beginning to leave a lasting impression. The impact of regular burning and overgrazing prevented the woodlands from naturally regenerating. This lead to soil erosion, soil acidification, flooding, and loss of biodiversity. 

Although the number of sheep in Scotland has dramatically gone down in recent years, there are plenty of other grazing animals to take their place. Both native and non-native species of deer are over abundant due to the lack of natural predators such as bear, lynx, and wolves. Unfortunately this presents a major ecological problem. Deer over population limits ecological regeneration in every part of the country. The only controls on deer populations are winter mortality and shooting and this is simply not enough. 

Ecological Devastation

People are finally starting to take note of the extensive nature of the environmental changes. In 2019 the State of Nature report, which ranks the condition of nature in 218 countries, ranked Britain 189th. To the average eye, Scotland is no doubt a beautiful country. But there is almost a complete lack of any complex, interactive woodland ecosystems. Cornerstone species such as large predators no longer exist. 

Despite all the pressures from humanity, changes for the good are starting to take hold and progress is being made on many levels. Baby Scot pines are making a comeback. Population of rare species such as pine martins and red squirrels are growing. Some species of rare wildflowers are even making a comeback.  

No one is really sure when the re-wilding process began. But one thing is certain is that there are several key factors that have resulted in this enormous trend.

Reversing the Effects of Climate Change

The most notable motivating factor for the re-wilding of Scotland is reversing the effects of climate change. It is well known scientific knowledge that forests and peat bogs serve as an enormous carbon sink. By replanting forests and rewetting peat bogs the country restores an enormous ecological asset. Years ago many peat bogs were drained in order to use the land for commercial conifer production. But now that enormous resource can be restored and reclaimed. 

A Refuge for Wildlife

Developing a refuge for wildlife is another reason for the re-wilding of Scotland. The country is actually a strong hold for several rare species that have long been absent from England, Wales, and Ireland. Even some species of wildcat have been long since lost to the rest of the United Kingdom still survive in small groups in remote regions of Scotland.  

Reconnecting People with Nature

Another important reason for re-wilding Scotland is to reconnect people with nature. Believe it or not restoring the environment does not necessarily mean removing all the people. We just have to respect what we have. 

Scotland has what is know as a “right to roam” law. Since most of the land in Scotland is owned by only a handful of people, this law gives people the right of access to most privately owned land as long as they respect it. This allows everyone to enjoy the outdoors and reconnect with the natural world. This is extremely important because all of us will take steps to protect what we love. 

Controversy Over Re-Wilding

Now I must say at this point that despite how good all this sounds, this whole re-wilding process is not without some fierce controversy. 

People of course are afraid of the reintroduction of large predators such as lynx, bear, and wolves. At the top of the list of people opposing this is of course farmers due to the potential threat to their lifestyle.

Advocates of such reintroductions argue directly for creating an ecological balance. The already over abundance of deer is causing tremendous ecological pressure and key predators would help to bring that into balance due to direct predation. There is not doubt that this will be an on-going argument due to potential unpredictable affects on the ecosystem just as when wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park.  

Another big controversy believe it or not is over the beaver. These animals were the UK’s first authorized mammal reintroduction. Since then, there has been some controversy over flooding and damage to farmland and some animals have been culled and/or relocated.  

While the presence of beavers may occasionally cause some problems, the benefits of their presence far out weighs anything else. Due to the dams that they build, they greatly impact the local ecosystem creating new habitats for numerous species. They are also beneficial for flood control. 

Yet another controversy over re-wilding is the debate over land use. Some folks are concerned about taking up usable farm land which can potential impact their food security.  However, with newer intensive farming methods, this does not appear to be a concern. 

As is usually the case with any ecological project, there is always going to be controversy. But I just think it is interesting that there was never any controversy when the land was being used and abused for a profit. But now that people want to restore it there is tremendous resistance.  In the end, I think we just have to accept the fact that we have to pay the price of all those years of abuse if we truly want to be part of the long-term plan for this planet. 

Now that we hav covered the reasons for re-wilding and the controversy behind it, let’s move on to some examples of real life successes. 

Examples of Re-wilding Success

Scotland is now home to the Dendreggan Rewilding Centre. This is a 10,000 acre estate owned by the non-profit Trees for Life. This was their first premier project and is designed to encourage visitors to see nature in a little bit of a different way. This landscape is now home to 4,000 native species of plants and animals. Some of these species include the roe deer, mountain hare, otter, and black grouse. The purpose of the center is to immerse visitors in nature and encourage people to start thinking differently about nature once they are back home. 

And then there is the Cairngorms Connect project. This project is on a 232 square mile plateau in Cairngorms National Park. This is a multi-landowner enterprise with a 200 year plan to restore rivers and reseed the Caledonian forest. Next year the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland will be reintroducing 20 wildcats. 

And then there is the Alladale Wilderness Reserve in Sutherland, which is a 23,000 acre reserve where visitors can  drive to the end of the road and reconnect with nature. 

SeaWilding Projects

And one of my favorites of course is SeaWilding which is a community lead project with a focus on restoring marine habitats. Their present objective is to grow 1 million juvenile oysters and plant up to 80 hectare of seagrass as a substrate to support a variety of species.  

Summary

So, let’s just take a step back here and consider all that we have discussed. 

In the beginning of this episode I shared a little bit about the success that I have had in preserving my own property. As a result, I see more wildlife than people. But unfortunately, this is not common place.  

What is more common is to see an almost total destruction of natural habitats that have been in place for thousands of years. For example, virtually 90% of the virgin forests in the US have been destroyed. There is obviously a tremendous need for us to restore some sort of ecological balance. 

While I do find our trend toward urbanization a bit unusual, I also see it as a tremendous opportunity. At this point, virtually 80% of our population lives on less than 20% of the land mass in our entire country. This leaves a tremendous amount of open space that can be returned to its natural state. 

Much like a tiny community in Japan that showed us all how to go waste free, the country of Scotland is an example to the world of just what can be done. Their tremendous re-wilding projects are restoring hundreds of thousands of acres. Consequently, it is one small step to fight against climate change, these places are becoming strong holds for wildlife, and people are reconnecting with nature and learning the value of the natural world.  

Such things of course are not without conflict. But this whole process is an example of what mutual cooperation between government and individuals can accomplish. Scotland and simply a shining example of just what can be done.  

While what is going on in Scotland is truly tremendous, each and everyone of us can also take a part in environmental restoration. We can take part in volunteer programs, we can donate to non-profit organizations, we can talk to friends, family, and co-workers and spread the word about environmental restoration.  And if you own even a small little bit of land, I would encourage you to leave part of it in a completely wild state that can be a refuge for wildlife. 

I truly hope that once again I have made you think a bit more about what you do everyday and how you live. It is possible to make a huge difference only by making small changes in our lives. 

I want to close out this episode by giving you a little bit of a different approach to sustainability.  Rudyard Kipling once said, “I keep six honest serving men. They taught me all I knew. Their names were What and Where and When and How and Why and Who.”

From now on I think this is a fantastic method to approach the way in which we utilize any natural resources. If we simply ask what, where, when, how, why, and who, before we take the first step, perhaps we will make better decisions and use our limited resources in a wiser manner. Perhaps when we start to question long-standing norms will will start to see the value of simply leaving something alone. Perhaps instead of tearing some thing down we will simply post a sign that says, “Kindly do not touch.”, then turn and walk away.

This is your host Patrick signing off until next week. Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future. 

Patrick

Patrick