What do you think?
Rate this book
Regeneration: The Rescue of a Wild Land
Longlisted for the Highland Book Prize
In 1995 the National Trust for Scotland acquired Mar Lodge Estate in the heart of the Cairngorms. Home to over 5,000 species, this vast expanse of Caledonian woodlands, subarctic mountains, bogs, moors, roaring burns and frozen lochs could be a place where environmental conservation and Highland field sports would exist in harmony. The only problem was that due to centuries of abuse by human hands, the ancient Caledonian pinewoods were dying, and it would take radical measures to save them.
After 25 years of extremely hard work, the pinewoods, bogs, moors and mountains are returning to their former glory. Regeneration is the story of this success, featuring not only the people who are protecting the land and quietly working to undo the wrongs of the past, but also the myriad creatures which inspire them to do so.
In addition, it also tackles current controversies such as raptor persecution, deer management and rewilding and asks bigger questions about the nature of conservation what do we see when we look at our wild places? What should we see?
In 1995 the National Trust for Scotland acquired Mar Lodge Estate in the heart of the Cairngorms. Home to over 5,000 species, this vast expanse of Caledonian woodlands, subarctic mountains, bogs, moors, roaring burns and frozen lochs could be a place where environmental conservation and Highland field sports would exist in harmony. The only problem was that due to centuries of abuse by human hands, the ancient Caledonian pinewoods were dying, and it would take radical measures to save them.
After 25 years of extremely hard work, the pinewoods, bogs, moors and mountains are returning to their former glory. Regeneration is the story of this success, featuring not only the people who are protecting the land and quietly working to undo the wrongs of the past, but also the myriad creatures which inspire them to do so.
In addition, it also tackles current controversies such as raptor persecution, deer management and rewilding and asks bigger questions about the nature of conservation what do we see when we look at our wild places? What should we see?
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 4, 2021
21 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Painting
3 books4 followersAndrew Painting studied English Literature at King's College, London and Environmental Anthropology at the University of Aberdeen. He has been the Assistant Ecologist at Mar Lodge Estate since 2016.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 3, 2022
Regeneration is a book set on the Mar Lodge Estate in the heart of the Cairngorms in Scotland. In November last year, I was able to finally take a COVID-delayed brief holiday in the Cairngorms where my wife and I spent several days being led around the countryside by an expert who helped us spot a lot of things we would have missed on our own. Here’s a picture I took while 650m up Cairn Gorm itself:
The thing you should note about this picture is that it was taken a long way up a mountain in the middle of November. We were searching for mountain hare and ptarmigan but saw just a single mountain hare as it ran away from us. All these animals were struggling because they naturally wanted to turn white but there was no snow so what was supposed to be their protection had, in fact, made them more visible unless they hid themselves away really, really well.
This book is partly about the impact of climate change on ecosystems. But it is really about how vastly complex conservation is when you have to consider climate change, politics and the simple fact that we don’t understand the interconnectedness of the systems we want to conserve. What I particularly liked about the book is the way that it gradually ramps up the complexity of the questions it asks. As I read I made notes that said “The more we learn about interconnectedness the trickier this becomes.” And then “We are tinkering at the edges of the ecosystem, firefighting without the deeper understanding. Needs a much more holistic approach that understands interconnectedness.” And then “This is tricky to me: we have to do SOMETHING but nearly always our something comes from incomplete awareness of interconnectedness: we get it wrong!”.
Those notes I made sound a bit negative when I read them back. But this is not particularly a negative book. In fact, one of the key words I noted about it as I read is “balance”. It consistently recognises that there are different sides to a story and it doesn’t shy away from showing those conflicting areas. And whilst it is clear where Painting sits (he works on conservation projects), he doesn’t come down judgemental on those on the opposite side of the fence (there’s quite a lot about fences in the book).
This is a book to make you think. I’d recommend reading this book if you want to think about things like the need to care for the small things, the difficulty of balancing actions when you don’t fully understand their interactions, how to balance “wildness” and human enjoyment of nature, how to engage with an ecosystem without disrupting it.
A few quotes to illustrate:
”“The difficulty of "deer management' is that the conservationist is pulled between the desire to conserve wildlife in all its forms and the exigency of killing certain creatures so that others can flourish. It is an awkward, intractable position with no easy ethical answers, but which necessitates deep questioning from conservationists and sports folk alike.”
And:
“‘We’re talking about pretty intensive conservation in really sensitive species and locations, so there's an important ethical element to our work that we have to consider. We’re protecting the Scottish population, not the Norwegian population, which is actually pretty stable.’
It's a tricky balancing act: what species belong in a landscape? How much intervention is too much intervention? When do we cross over from conserving our wild areas to just gardening them? How much of our understanding of environmental conservation is based on the cultural conventions of national borders?”
And:
“Talking to a reporter (for montane scrub is becoming newsworthy), Shaila says, ‘We were fairly sure that montane scrub was a missing habitat in this part of the Cairngorms. Twenty years ago you could have walked around and thought there was nothing here. Of course, it was all just lying low, dormant, waiting for the browsing pressure to ease. It was a complete eye-opener. Thank heavens we didn't rush in and plant!’”
Excellent and thought-provoking.
The thing you should note about this picture is that it was taken a long way up a mountain in the middle of November. We were searching for mountain hare and ptarmigan but saw just a single mountain hare as it ran away from us. All these animals were struggling because they naturally wanted to turn white but there was no snow so what was supposed to be their protection had, in fact, made them more visible unless they hid themselves away really, really well.
This book is partly about the impact of climate change on ecosystems. But it is really about how vastly complex conservation is when you have to consider climate change, politics and the simple fact that we don’t understand the interconnectedness of the systems we want to conserve. What I particularly liked about the book is the way that it gradually ramps up the complexity of the questions it asks. As I read I made notes that said “The more we learn about interconnectedness the trickier this becomes.” And then “We are tinkering at the edges of the ecosystem, firefighting without the deeper understanding. Needs a much more holistic approach that understands interconnectedness.” And then “This is tricky to me: we have to do SOMETHING but nearly always our something comes from incomplete awareness of interconnectedness: we get it wrong!”.
Those notes I made sound a bit negative when I read them back. But this is not particularly a negative book. In fact, one of the key words I noted about it as I read is “balance”. It consistently recognises that there are different sides to a story and it doesn’t shy away from showing those conflicting areas. And whilst it is clear where Painting sits (he works on conservation projects), he doesn’t come down judgemental on those on the opposite side of the fence (there’s quite a lot about fences in the book).
This is a book to make you think. I’d recommend reading this book if you want to think about things like the need to care for the small things, the difficulty of balancing actions when you don’t fully understand their interactions, how to balance “wildness” and human enjoyment of nature, how to engage with an ecosystem without disrupting it.
A few quotes to illustrate:
”“The difficulty of "deer management' is that the conservationist is pulled between the desire to conserve wildlife in all its forms and the exigency of killing certain creatures so that others can flourish. It is an awkward, intractable position with no easy ethical answers, but which necessitates deep questioning from conservationists and sports folk alike.”
And:
“‘We’re talking about pretty intensive conservation in really sensitive species and locations, so there's an important ethical element to our work that we have to consider. We’re protecting the Scottish population, not the Norwegian population, which is actually pretty stable.’
It's a tricky balancing act: what species belong in a landscape? How much intervention is too much intervention? When do we cross over from conserving our wild areas to just gardening them? How much of our understanding of environmental conservation is based on the cultural conventions of national borders?”
And:
“Talking to a reporter (for montane scrub is becoming newsworthy), Shaila says, ‘We were fairly sure that montane scrub was a missing habitat in this part of the Cairngorms. Twenty years ago you could have walked around and thought there was nothing here. Of course, it was all just lying low, dormant, waiting for the browsing pressure to ease. It was a complete eye-opener. Thank heavens we didn't rush in and plant!’”
Excellent and thought-provoking.
Read
November 29, 2021Interesting account by an ecologist of the effort to restore Scotland's nature, against the entrenched interests of, in particular, the huntin' shootin' fishin' and of course farming lobby. Useful on the obviously dismal politics of conservation and a good balance of real hope with doom. Some lovely enthusiastic writing too.
September 2, 2021
This book was flagged up to me by a friend, and I watched a Zoom interview with the author at the time of initial publication a few months ago. The book leads us through the laborious and painstaking work of regenerating The Mar Lodge estate in Scotland following it being ecologically used and abused over several centuries. Maybe partly through ignorance of the consequences; but also for short term gain / pleasure. The ecology hereabouts is fragile, given the location. Various experiments in regeneration have been more successful than others. It remains to be seen how the steps taken over the past c 25 years will pan out in the longer term. There are always financial constraints ~ politicians have a way of finding other priorities for spending the money. Much of the work relies on the efforts of volunteers and on those who value a way of life in following this kind of lifestyle over very large incomes.
I'm glad the book is not too technical in its detail, so not just of interest to specialists in this line of work. Hopefully it will appeal to a wider audience. I'm actually visiting the Mar Lodge estate soon, so will be particularly interested to see it in the flesh, as it were. The book is thought provoking, written in an engaging style, and definitely worth reading
I'm glad the book is not too technical in its detail, so not just of interest to specialists in this line of work. Hopefully it will appeal to a wider audience. I'm actually visiting the Mar Lodge estate soon, so will be particularly interested to see it in the flesh, as it were. The book is thought provoking, written in an engaging style, and definitely worth reading
December 5, 2025
This book, by a staff ecologist of the Mar Lodge Estate in the Cairngorms in Scotland, is exactly what I like to read bit by bit over several months.
It’s simply wonderful. Andrew Painting is the person we all, in our secret hearts, want to be: inordinately knowledgeable about all kinds of flora and fauna, deeply connected to the changing landscapes (affected by climate change, humans and natural species themselves) and dedicated to helping biodiversity and the world survive.
Painting includes many of his specialized ecology colleagues in chapters dedicated to deer, raptors, moss and downy willow, for examples. There is no soulful Braiding Sweetgrass, or specific Mother Tree biology, or the more aristocratic writing of Isabella Tree, but the author makes thrills in his own way by grounding us at the exact moment in the challenges facing the Caledonian woodlands/ bogs/ moors.
The level of detailed interactions charted here may not be for everyone, but I hope it gets a much wider readership. I’d been waiting for a long time to get the book and finally had to send out to get a lovely paperback – and now I see it’s on Kindle.
My whole family is traveling to Scotland in 2026 for holiday, and I very much hope I can recognize some of Painting’s work there. I will certainly be going to the Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden!
It’s simply wonderful. Andrew Painting is the person we all, in our secret hearts, want to be: inordinately knowledgeable about all kinds of flora and fauna, deeply connected to the changing landscapes (affected by climate change, humans and natural species themselves) and dedicated to helping biodiversity and the world survive.
Painting includes many of his specialized ecology colleagues in chapters dedicated to deer, raptors, moss and downy willow, for examples. There is no soulful Braiding Sweetgrass, or specific Mother Tree biology, or the more aristocratic writing of Isabella Tree, but the author makes thrills in his own way by grounding us at the exact moment in the challenges facing the Caledonian woodlands/ bogs/ moors.
The level of detailed interactions charted here may not be for everyone, but I hope it gets a much wider readership. I’d been waiting for a long time to get the book and finally had to send out to get a lovely paperback – and now I see it’s on Kindle.
My whole family is traveling to Scotland in 2026 for holiday, and I very much hope I can recognize some of Painting’s work there. I will certainly be going to the Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden!
August 24, 2022
A wonderful book about the Mar Lodge Estate at the heart of the Cairngorm mountains. The book chronicles the efforts to help this fascinating place regenerate, to help the local wildlife, flora and fauna survive despite tourism, climate change, and human influences on the land. The writing style is engaging and I laughed out loud quite a few times. I also learned a lot (of course). I will also quote parts in my PhD project (Nan Shepherd). If you love the Cairngorms, pick up this fascinating book! 5 Stars
May 24, 2021
A walk through the different fauna and flora on the Mar Lodge estate in Scotland as they try to reverse nearly three centuries of degradation and species extinction caused by landowners who exploited the land for profit, with little thought to the long-term consequences. The author effectively captures a snapshot in time, clearly the early days of a project that could take decades, yet leaves you with hope for the future of the species highlighted.
December 7, 2022
A must read for anyone interested in the rewilding of the Highlands. I hope that people that work in the hunting industry read it and reflect on how they can adapt their practices to help the ecosystem for the good of everyone and all species.
January 19, 2023
this book is an incredible story of what’s possible because of a small, but extraordinary group of people who fight for nature and wildlife every day. brilliant and insightful
April 6, 2023
Well written book that documents the successful regeneration of nature on the Mar Lodge estate and the possibilities for the whole of Scotland.
November 10, 2024
It took me a long time to finish this book. I bought it in Scotland, and picked it up shortly after I got home. I read other things concurrently, to be sure (I always have a couple of books going), but this one had to be taken in small chunks.
This book deals with the part of Scotland's rewilding efforts taking place at Mar Lodge in the Cairngorms. Much of the effort, as in this case, is focused on the enormous sporting estates; a handful of wealthy individuals own a majority of the land in the Highlands, so their cooperation is needed. Census-taking for wildlife ranging in size from moss to red deer constitutes a great deal of the work,a and is shared with the readers so that we truly understand the importance of biological diversity to the overall effort.
Maybe Scotland seems far away to you, so it seems that the effort may not be relevant. The truth is, this movement of preserving and monitoring native flora and fauna is a global one and of the utmost importance. Our planet will only survive if we look after it.
This book deals with the part of Scotland's rewilding efforts taking place at Mar Lodge in the Cairngorms. Much of the effort, as in this case, is focused on the enormous sporting estates; a handful of wealthy individuals own a majority of the land in the Highlands, so their cooperation is needed. Census-taking for wildlife ranging in size from moss to red deer constitutes a great deal of the work,a and is shared with the readers so that we truly understand the importance of biological diversity to the overall effort.
Maybe Scotland seems far away to you, so it seems that the effort may not be relevant. The truth is, this movement of preserving and monitoring native flora and fauna is a global one and of the utmost importance. Our planet will only survive if we look after it.
February 18, 2024
Andrew Painting moved to Scotland to volunteer with the RSPB and since 2016 has been Assistant Ecologist at Mar Lodge Estate at the heart of the Cairngorm mountains.
This book details the trials and tribulations to regenerate the land and help the wildlife, flora and fauna. Climate change, and human influences on the land through tourism, hobbies etc have all impacted it and we feel his complete frustration and despair of these changes but then we see the joy from the outcome of his hard work regenerating.
Such a inspirational read, it certainly makes you grateful that such passionate people as Andrew are here and in the right positions.
This book details the trials and tribulations to regenerate the land and help the wildlife, flora and fauna. Climate change, and human influences on the land through tourism, hobbies etc have all impacted it and we feel his complete frustration and despair of these changes but then we see the joy from the outcome of his hard work regenerating.
Such a inspirational read, it certainly makes you grateful that such passionate people as Andrew are here and in the right positions.
July 30, 2024
Wonderful and inspiring portrait of the Cairngorms - writes with an unpretentious tone of admiration and excitement. Found a little tough going at times but think that's just a genre related personal issue. Good insight into the different stakeholders (including game supporters) and portraits of real people - balanced. Also offers great historical, and contemporary, social and cultural context. Very clear on the deer problem and actually offers what feel like tangible solutions!!
February 21, 2022
A great summary of some of the intractable conservation issues on a Highland estate.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews