By Mike Daniels, Head of Land Management, John Muir Trust and Trustee at Rewilding Britain. Cameron McNeish’s piece for Walkhighlands, ‘Confused about rewilding – so am I?’, has raised some interesting questions and sparked off a well-informed debate about the issues. It is understandable that when a new movement arises, people might be concerned and will seek to clarify what exactly is being proposed. And rewilding is an emerging and a growing grass-roots movement based on a realisation by many people that the way we have managed much of our land has been damaging, and that it doesn’t have to…

I guess website columnists are paid to inspire and inform, provide solutions to problems or to offer a sensible analysis of events and trends. I therefore apologise unreservedly, because what I am about to write offers no positive or constructive discourse at all. In effect it exposes me as a confused and disordered soul still seeking answers to some very important questions. You see when it comes to the issue of ‘re-wilding’ I am as undecided as anyone. So please be patient with me as I attempt to separate ambition from dreams, optimism from reality and pragmatism from desire. Several…