Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • Rebirding

  • Rewilding Britain and Its Birds
  • By: Benedict Macdonald
  • Narrated by: Angus Scott
  • Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (130 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Rebirding

By: Benedict Macdonald
Narrated by: Angus Scott
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

Rebirding takes the long view of Britain’s wildlife decline, from the early taming of our landscape and its long-lost elephants and rhinos, to fenland drainage, and the removal of cornerstone species such as wild cattle, horses, beavers and boar. Forward in time, it also covers the intensification of our modern landscapes and the collapse of invertebrate populations.

It looks at key reasons why species are vanishing, as our landscapes become ever more tamed and less diverse, with wildlife trapped in tiny pockets of habitat. It explores how Britain has, uniquely, relied on modifying farmland, rather than restoring ecosystems, in a failing attempt to halt wildlife decline.

The irony is that 94 percent of Britain is not built upon at all. And with more nature-loving voices than any European country, we should, in fact, have the best, not the most impoverished, wildlife in our continent. Especially when the rural economics of our game estates and upland farms are among the worst in Europe.

Britain is blessed with all the space it needs for an epic wildlife recovery. The deer estates of the Scottish Highlands are twice the size of Yellowstone National Park. Snowdonia is larger than the Maasai Mara. The problem in Britain is not a lack of space. It is that our precious space is uniquely wasted - not only for wildlife, but for people’s jobs and rural futures, too.

Rebirding maps out how we might finally turn things around: rewilding national parks, restoring natural ecosystems, and allowing our wildlife a far richer future. In doing so, an entirely new sector of rural jobs would be created, finally bringing Britain’s dying rural landscapes and failing economies back to life.

Praise for the book:

“This is a wonderful book, visionary, illuminating and fascinating.” (George Monbiot, author and environmental activist)

"A wonderfully imaginative book, which shows how things could be with our rapidly declining areas of countryside, instead of how - despairingly - they are now." (Rod Liddle, The Spectator)

©2019 Benedict Macdonald (P)2020 Benedict Macdonald
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Cornerstones cover art
Bringing Back the Beaver cover art
Orchard cover art
The Book of Wilding cover art
The Lost Rainforests of Britain cover art
Wild Fell cover art
Reflections cover art
Birds, Beasts, and Bedlam cover art
A Complete Guide to British Birds cover art
Forget Me Not cover art
Land Healer cover art
The Peregrine cover art
Regeneration cover art
Rewilding cover art
After They're Gone cover art
Rooted cover art

What listeners say about Rebirding

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    105
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    76
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    92
  • 4 Stars
    12
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Inspirational book

Everyone who loves British nature should read this book to be inspired by what is possible. And then badger the nature charities to work for this, and not give up at setbacks.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

If you love nature a must read.

A good introduction to further study and research on a very important topic worth exploring.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

amazing book

so amazing , you Learn so many new facts , great for young or old nature nuts

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An inspiring vision for our future

This is an amazing informative book - left me with a burning desire for drastic change in the UK and a full belief in the vision of a wilder future proposed. Found the narrator very clear but slightly monotone - hence four stars for performance- but this didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. I urge everyone to read it and then to fight for change!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A captivating, fabulous read. Highly recommended.

Not just for birders! The past, present and future ecology of the UK. Common sense conservation.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great educational read/audio

Great educational overall
It explains about how poorly we as adults, children & council are being misinformed on such important economical living & the food chain.
We …as a whole are focusing too much on other charities, in other countries, also in war…that we’re being blinded by our government to protect our wildlife and not realising the great consequences that it is doing to our economy.
We are killing our soils, ourselves, our pets, wildlife & food chain as a whole…that feeds us as humans. We are killing our pets because there’s no nutrients in our grass/soils, for them to graze on when poorly. Councils without realising are putting too much of strong chemicals on our weeds, effecting our soil …killing wildlife and pets much earlier than there life expectancy.
We under-educate our children & give them basic food chains etc in the curriculum.
We don’t carry enough vital books/audio to our libraries… just the basics to keep us as a whole, undereducated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A must read

The facts in this are amazing. The content is crucial for our futures, and that of our nature, to be thriving. It’s very controversial, everyone will find something to disagree with. However Benedict writes with heart and hope and I wish him well!!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Essential reading for birders & naturalists alike

Depressing figures with solutions, rather than a bombardment of the former and none of the latter - like much of what I'm seeing everywhere.

Very well researched and written. Essential, essential, essential! Read/listen and share!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

everyone should "read" this

It is at turns heart wrenching when it outlines the devastation of our birds and wildlife and inspiring when talking about what NEEDS to be done providing some hope. I want the future that the author outlines for my kids and grandkids..not where we are currently or where we seem to be heading!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Informative, sobering, inspiring

The book doesn't pull any punches, putting across the grim state of British birds.
The author then states the path out that would benefit all including land owners, hunters, wild life and most importantly birds.
A really interesting listen, I cant recommend it enough.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!