Last Tuesday I went to a talk hosted by the Long Ashton Horticulture Society. It was with guest speaker Gil Martin, Estate Manager and Rewilding expert for the Belmont Estate. It attracted quite a crowd of eager locals and was very energising. In fact, I think it’s fair to say that he’s one of the best speakers I’ve listened to, so much so that I encourage him to start his own Podcast!
Both subject and speaker are thoroughly captivating, and in terms of creating a collective shift in understanding it would be an enjoyable strategy to increase reach. There is so much to tell whilst the project is still in its infancy, and more as it progresses. One thing that Belmont is keen to do with this project is raise awareness of the relevance of nature regeneration, and so a dedicated Podcast would be a great way to support our growing connection to nature, each other, and ourselves, even drawing in local guest speakers to add to the richness of dialogue.
It struck me at how Gil was able to tread so softly with his words and without losing impact. I wondered if this was as a result of learning to tread softly with nature. With such a great overview of the needs of the land, plus its inhabitants, be them plant, animal, or the elements; humans were not excluded from this. He understood the importance of the impact of this work upon us, the importance of caring for the feelings it raises in us, and how this relates to our ability to open-up to new ideas and get on board with positive change.
I guessed that Gil was in full awareness that working on projects such as these, it is not only the land that is rewilded, but the individual as well. He spoke of the personal mindset challenges in coming from a background in farming, which I am sure resonated with an audience of avid gardeners. Our challenge now is how to work with nature instead of against it. This includes a rewilding or expansion of our inner landscape to encompass a deeper understanding as to our part in the restoration of nature.
I loved the explanation of the importance of grass roots change by stimulating conversation through thought provoking behaviours and landscapes. Such as seeing pigs, ponies and cattle together sharing the wood, water, and grazing. How can witnessing these external landscapes influence our inner landscape? Our deep-seated beliefs which are culturally accepted and passed down through generations.
We need to get clear on our purpose for engaging with a piece of land. What we are ‘using’ it for. Is it food production for human consumption, aesthetics for human restoration or wildlife regeneration for the sake of the non-human world? Whilst the latter has always had a handful of advocates, it is now gaining more traction with the re-understanding of its importance to our food production and in turn, to our wellbeing, and even survival. The fact that people tend to find it easier to get on board with something if it has immediate benefits to self, such as personal restoration through the simple joys of connecting with nature, or the enjoyment of hearing a story that has deep meaning, (I’m back to the Podcast again!), means that we can work with this as an advantage.
The flourishing of nature and our survival are intimately related. That is no surprise since we ourselves are nature. Another important take home message was that it is not just one way that will solve this challenge, but a rich diversity of approaches. Get clear on which domains our businesses focus on in this quest and respect the vast array of other possibilities. This acknowledges that monoculture of thought and practice does not lead to abundance; quite the contrary; to a loss that is not only devastating to Earth and its precious nature, but also to our souls as well.
As our interaction with nature has dwindled so has our connection, respect, understanding and reverence. We are part of nature, and it is no wonder that as a species we are collectively experiencing loss of these needs, not only to our environment, but to each other and to ourselves. The Rewilding project at Belmont aims to foster these needs so that we can feel a sense of belonging. It moves in understanding of the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things.
As a herbalist it was heartening to hear Gil speak of ‘restoring natural processes’ which is exactly the principle on which a natural therapist works. In herbal medicine we practice deep listening to really get a sense of where a patient is at. We observe for signs to the functioning of the body as a whole, as well as all its interconnecting parts. When symptoms arise we look upstream at the root of the issue and get curious about what natural process could be blocked, inhibited, too open or lax. We also look at what habits and practices could be causing an imbalance or draining of resources.
Much of this was spoken about in relation to working with the land. I also see an analogy with how our body thrives when engaged with a complex array of plant nutrients, as in good nutrition and herbal medicines. Nature knows what to do with complexity, even if we can’t fully get our heads around all the intricacies. Nothing thrives in a monoculture for long.
One thing I really took away was the importance of movement, change and cycles. The ebb and flow that creates and recreates landscapes and the intricacies involved in this natural process of continual change. This is also in alignment with healing through natural medicine which also works on the understanding that nature will always move towards recovery and restoration if it has the freedom and resources to do so. Just as our bodies recover from most illnesses under the most favourable conditions, namely our fully met needs for rest, movement, nourishment, and connection.
Nature is particularly capable of natural restoration and healing when in the absence of modern interventions such as excessive and unnecessary technology, mass farming, junk food and sedentation. Basically, when we get in the way with our modern practices that lack eco-consciousness, the natural order is interrupted and disrupted, and the ability to move towards a healthy state is inhibited.
It makes sense that our needs are reflected in those of nature, (we are nature!). Just as it is inappropriate and unhelpful to overplant one species of plant on a piece of land, it also does not work to overload the body with any one substance, be it a food, drug, or behaviour. The knock-on effect to the function of the land or body are far reaching. This is where Health Coaching is so effective as it works by changing daily habits in order to ensure we've got the basics of health covered.
My question as a natural health practitioner is the same as Gil’s as a natural land practitioner; what does it need to flourish? Especially after suffering years at the mercy of our western modern way of life. Given space, time and freedom, nature will restore itself. With access to the basics of light and water, gradually rebuilding capacity to nourish itself, cleanse, move and restore integrity. What I am now understanding is that our land could do with a period of convalescence! Some space to rest into itself, free from the demands of human intervention.
As I see it at Watercress Farm, the land is seen as one living ecosystem in its own right. It has had to behave in a way that allowed it to survive, it has had to pull back, contract and limit. It’s capacity to hold has been vastly reduced through the demands placed upon it as a ploughed field. What this looks like is a reduction in species diversity, number, and behaviour. Without freedom, natures abundance is confined the edges and with great imbalance effecting natural healthy processes.
One clear symptom of a land that has gone into survival mode, (and by ‘land’ I mean the living breathing ecosystem of all beings native to it), is an overgrowth of species populations. This imbalance is akin to what many westerners experience with the gut microbiome. In herbal medicine the gut is seen as the ‘soil’, that which nourishes and fortifies us. Without healthy soil, what have we got? A system which struggles with mood, energy, and immunity. Or a land that is lifeless and baren.
Conversely, when we have a baseline of rich diversity, be it our gut microbiome or land ecosystem, nature is free to ebb and flow through cycles and processes that foster health. How can we transition to a place where nature is free to thrive, instead of just survive? I think it’s in the act of stepping back, removing our agendas, and letting nature take its course. An area, (or body), that is given time to restore itself through natural regeneration will thrive, and as Gil says, diversity really is key, not only in species, but in ideas and practices. This is what it will take to collectively meet our modern-day challenges.
Gil is clear that Belmont Estate is focused on regenerative farming and nature restoration, to include our own restoration through rebuilding our connection with and reverence for nature. As a nature facilitator, (and vegan disgusted by the food production industry), I really love this! The project is a living breathing model of the process of rewilding. Gil demonstrates this not only with the landscape, but also with his own personal process of rewilding.
One question that was on many a listeners mind was ‘what can we do to play our part?’ The answer offered is to engage in conversations about our current practices and alternatives, to question our beliefs and ways of doing things, open-up to new possibilities and perspectives, value all of nature, each and every piece for playing its own unique part, like the story of ragwort misunderstood!
Belmont is an organisation spreading the word that the restorative power of nature extends to us as well, and if we look after it, it will look after us. Thankfully modern scientific research is supporting this understanding, which is another approach to supporting this paradigm shift. I have recently got myself a copy of a book by Florence Williams, ‘Nature Fix; Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Creative’. It is full of stories and the work of neuroscientists and environmental psychologists who have dedicated their lives to learning about how nature restores us in mind and body. How nature can flip our top-down processing and allow us to get in touch with our instincts, trust the process and flourish.
Connecting to nature provides us a route to better connect to ourselves, and by extension, to others, keeping more of a healthy balance within the system of life. Our needs are met, and we belong. From this place of restored personal capacity, we are better able to step back and allow the land the same grace. Our relationship is reciprocal. Everything interconnects.
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