Green Book Reviews: Wild Fell by Lee Schofield

Two members of our Green Book Group share their thoughts on our last Green Book of 2022.

By Anne Scott

In this inspirational book, Lee Schofield (site manager at RSPB Haweswater in the Lake District) takes us on a journey of discovery as he looks to see the return of the eagles to this wonderful habitat. The surprise is that in order to restore the king of the sky, his attention needs to be on the health of the soil.

The project he embarks upon seeks to accommodate his aim to restore wilderness, alongside the thriving farming economy and traditions of the local area. He finds himself wrestling with a common mind-set of privately owned land which needs to be farmed in order to support the local economy and individual farmers, whilst also viewing the services which the land provides as vital to all life: air, water, climate regulation and wildlife habitat.

Through the first part of the book, Schofield gives space for real lament as he discovers and describes species depletion within his sphere of influence: his grief is keenly felt as he writes, “The more I read, the more robbed I felt.” (p.100) The blame for much of the loss of flora and fauna is placed within the context of intensive farming and the failure of government policies to protect the land whilst trying to feed an increasing population. He also feels the hardship of trying to communicate his findings to other community stakeholders.

Schofield then takes us on a world-wide tour to gather hope and inspiration from other countries with similar climates. As he observes areas of flourishing wildflowers and lush grassland, he learns about how to use the land carefully, working with livestock, protecting areas from over-grazing and using other naturalised resources, such as rivers and fells, to stimulate an increased biodiversity. As he described the wonder of the wildflowers on the mountainsides, I sat with a wildflower book beside me so that I could join in the wonder with him: it was an education as well as a celebration.

The final section of the book returns us to northern England where we see plans put into action. With a renewed vision and stronger sense of team, we are invited to see the possibilities that are being actioned stemming from the learning that’s been accumulated. There is hope at the end of the book as he describes a possible future which he dreams as a possibility with the actions he is enabling to repair and restore RSPB Haweswater.

I loved Schofield’s passion and love of the space he lives and works within and it challenges me to consider how I can better care for the area I live and work within. “As I walk back… I remind myself how fortunate I am to be able to call this work. It’s not a privilege I wear lightly, and everyday I am striving to be worthy of this place and the stewardship I’ve been entrusted with.” (p.5)

By Melanie Wakley

I enjoyed reading Lee Schofield’s book about his restoration work of the site at RSPB Haweswater as he tries to ‘breathe life back into 3,000 hectares of sprawling upland habitat’.  I loved his exploration of the wild fells of Norway and the pristine meadows of the Alps, although I find it worrying/disappointing that other countries have managed their wild areas so much better than we have as a nation. Schofield tries to bring back the lessons he has learnt from other places and hopes to introduce some of the ideas at Haweswater – for instance, changing the way we graze the land to help with the recovery of nature. However, he writes about his battle with authorities to introduce his conservation ideas and also the opposition he encounters from local farmers.

I read the book while we were on holiday in Scotland and it is interesting how it made me look at our pastoral land differently. Instead of looking at the fields and thinking they are good for nature I realised that a lot of them are over grazed, over sprayed with pesticides and lack hedgerows, trees, and therefore become barren of wildlife.

A good read, with lots of information but made me sad once more for our loss of natural habitat – let’s hope Schofield keeps on working at his restoration!