Emergent: Rewilding Nature, Regenerating Food and Healing the World by Restoring the Connection Between People and the Wild

by Miriam Kate McDonald

In Emergent, Miriam McDonald explores the relationships that bind our world together. It is by reintegrating lost species with historic ranges that rewilding reignites the miraculous dance of life across landscapes. It is through reforming severed relationships that regenerative farmers build soil, produce nutrient-dense food and foster a renewed sense of kinship and community. And it is by reweaving our lives with those of the wild that we can restore our earth and ourselves. Regenerative agriculture and rewilding grow from the same root but appear as separate entities to our unaccustomed eyes, divided by how we view ourselves within, or banish ourselves from, the land. Emergent delves into this divide to explore the fascinating story of our exclusion from the wild and the scientific discovery of our interdependence with it. Above all, Emergent gives us a reason to be hopeful. To embrace all that humanity is, and can be, as an amazingly beneficial force in a complex and connected world.

Genres: Nature

224 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2022

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure - I'm a friend of Mim's, so it was with slight trepidation that I took a proof copy of her book, in case it wasn't up to scratch and I was forced to insincerely pretend I'd enjoyed it.
I needn't have worried.
Emergent is a wonderful book. It outlines how we have unravelled the webs of nature through our industrial agriculture, but Mim vividly weaves a vision of how we can begin to heal the damage and reconnect ourselves with the world. It makes a highly uplifting read, written with enthusiasm and clarity.
I've also seen for myself how Mim continues to test and develop her ideas on the ground and I can't wait to see how her latest project develops. I hope this book is the first of many.

[Steve Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

What, another book about ecology/the environment?
This is different, Miriam looks at how we lost touch with nature, believing we are separate to it, trying to bend it to our will (silly humans!).
She also looks at ways we can reconnect, improve that connection to the benefit of nature and ourselves.
I was fortunate enough to hear Miriam speak of these things and can confirm she is a genuine person with a large, caring heart.

[Mair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interestesing and uplifting book that shows that humans are part of nature and we can play a pivotal role in restoring ecosystems to tackle the climate and ecological crisis. A really interesting and enlightening perspective on human's relationship to nature.

[Robert Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book. From the very very start it is insightful and thought provoking.

[Simon Redding · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly wonderful book - wide-ranging and thought provoking. It explores & reimagines the relationship between nature, people & agriculture. Backed by strong experience & evidence, Miriam explores the various perspectives and the historical context, before finding a workable middle ground in this contentious discusssion that helps us all to move forward. Highly recommended.