George Holmes is Professor of Conservation and Society at the University of Leeds. His work looks at the people and politics side of conservation, specifically the values, beliefs and structures of the conservation movement, and how conservation projects and local communities interact and shape one another. A lot of his current focused on rewilding, species reintroductions, and landscape restoration.

Britain is nature-depleted, an island whose seas make repletion difficult. To restore nature, conservationists are giving a helping hand by seeking to release many species to create new populations, from beavers and eagles to burbot fish, northern hairy wood ants, and lungwort lichens. These reintroductions are often presented as simple tales of fixing a problem, but they are a difficult, contested, and value-laden. They are not just technical or scientific actions, but rather a philosophical, legal, moral, and socio-economic challenge. Most of all, they open up a series of questions about what British nature should look like, who decides, on what basis, and about what the relationships should be between humans and non-humans in Britain. This talk will take us through a variety of species being reintroduced, from the massive to the microscopic, to explore what this tells us about Britain’s relationship with nature.

The lecture is open both to members of the Society and to guests.

The lecture will take place in the Hansom Hall, Leicester Adult Education College, LE1 6QL.

The hall will be open from 6.45pm, and tea and coffee drinks will be available between 7.00pm and 7.15pm before the formal start of the event at 7.30pm.

Read more about this talk and others on the Lit&Phil website.