Debate: The Battle for the Countryside, with George Monbiot and Rory Stewart

We tend to think of these uplands as ‘wild’ and ‘natural’. But in fact, as the rewilders point out, they are entirely man-made, the result of clearances by man to make way for millions of sheep whose grazing over the last 200 years has rendered the land bare. Sheep farming, once a major source of Britain’s wealth, is now largely uneconomic and depends on billions of pounds of subsidies. But where rewilding is taking place, in Britain and in Europe, a boom in tourism is providing a more sustainable local economy. We must make space for wild nature in places where farming does not make sense. That’s romantic tosh, say the opponents of rewilding. People matter too, and the idea that we should do away with traditional ways of life for the sake of wild bilberries and wolves is getting things out of proportion. In 2018, Intelligence Squared brought together four speakers who care passionately about the countryside but disagree profoundly on how we should manage it. Speaking for the motion were Mark Cocker, author and naturalist and George Monbiot, Guardian columnist, environmental campaigner and author of Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet. Speaking against the motion were Minette Batters, President of the National Farmers' Union and Rory Stewart Former Conservative government minister, whose new book is Politics On the Edge. Our chair for the event was Jonathan Dimbleby, broadcaster, documentary maker and author.

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