Wild Revival?

The ‘wild’ delights and terrifies us, conjuring in one organic breath raw nature in her elemental glory and savage beasts lurking in the wastes awaiting their chance to pounce.

Serengeti lion at a fresh kill
Photo by M Murray

But what really is the wild? Is it something we should continue to civilize until it is cast into the history books or might it be something we depend upon a little more each year just to retain our humanity? In this posting I introduce two recent publications which explore the meaning of the wild for us personally and the implications if we do nothing about it.

The first is a conservation article Wild Pathways of Inclusive Conservation which for a few weeks can be accessed here. It frames a wild revival strategy in four questions:

• What do we mean by the wild?
• Why should humans pursue wild-life conservation?
• If they do, what pathways lead to the wild?
• What kinds of outcomes result from different conservation strategies?

The second is a travel book, A Wild Call, which tells the story of my quest to find an old wooden ketch, sail her to Scotland and make a solo passage to St Kilda beyond the Outer Hebrides. It is a search for personal freedom in my father’s country, the story of a star-crossed relationship and an adventure in a small boat on a big sea. This first advance review captures something of its essence.

Author’s boat ‘Molio’ in sheltered pool on Harris