Renaturing

‘A wry and open-minded interrogation of human interventions in the landscape’ - RICHARD MABEY‘What James Canton promises is something hearty and hopeful: a clear-eyed way forward for the outside world and those who live in it, beyond the binaries of the rewilding debate and into an inspiring demonstration of how we can make a difference’ - ALICE VINCENT, author of Why Women Grow ‘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 ‘A timely and urgent message made warm and accessible; in Renaturing Canton tells us that bringing back nature in any and all places is the best way to fix the biggest challenges of our time. This is a profoundly uplifting and empowering book’ - BEN GOLDSMITH ‘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 ‘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 ‘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’ - 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 ‘James has penned a truly accessible book. Renaturing guides the reader through small but vital acts that we can all adopt to support wildlife and biodiversity through a changing climate. We are all a part of nature!’ - ERROL FERNANDES, Head of Horticulture at the Horniman Museum ‘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

Dr James Canton is Director of Wild Writing at the University of Essex. He is the author of Grounded: A Journey into the Landscapes of Our Ancestors (2023), The Oak Papers (2020), Ancient Wonderings: Journeys into Prehistoric Britain (2017) and Out of Essex: Re-Imagining a Literary Landscape (2013), which was inspired by his rural wanderings in East Anglia. He has written for the Guardian, reviews for the TLS and Caught by the River, and is a regular on television and radio.