Restoring the Wild cover art

Restoring the Wild

Sixty Years of Rewilding Our Skies, Woods and Waterways

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 15 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

Restoring the Wild

By: Roy Dennis
Narrated by: Roger Davis
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £16.36

Buy Now for £16.36

The RSPB’s Book of the Season

The distinctive white-tailed sea eagle was driven to extinction in Britain more than 200 years ago, but this immense predator is making a return to our skies, thanks to Roy Dennis, an ornithologist, conservationist and arguably the driving force behind the UK’s reintroduction agenda.

Roy was instrumental in returning the Osprey, red kite and golden eagle to the British Isles, but the road to reintroduction isn’t an easy one. In what will surely be the seminal book on British reintroductions, Roy details the painstaking process of returning the Goldeneye to Scotland, one duckling at a time, the die-hard determination needed to make a dazzling success of the red kite reintroduction and the leap of faith we will all need to make to accept sharing our forests and skies with large carnivores again. He also illustrates all that we have to gain by restoring our ecosystems to balance.

Filled with a lifetime’s worth of stories from the front lines of conservation, Reintroduction offers an eye-opening insight into the complexities of reintroducing extinct animals to Britain. It’s also an intimate portrait of these apex predators and a reminder of why we need them.

 Animals Biological Sciences Environment Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Science Conservation Inspiring Natural History Ecosystem Africa
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

‘Dennis is the most significant conservationist you’ve probably never heard of, and possessed of a radicalism that would startle the most outspoken young environmentalist … Dennis’s vision of how to halt the extinction crisis and restore lost habitats and species in Britain deserves attention because it is rooted in 60 years of pioneering conservation action … Like Dennis, the book is modest, deeply informative and profoundly hopeful, in that it shows a new generation how to bring back lost species’ Patrick Barkham, Guardian
‘Now 81, Dennis is possibly the UK’s most senior and influential conservationist you may never have heard of … Restoring the Wild covers Dennis’s career, which he built on the profound knowledge of ecology and species interaction. It is a book based on his diaries of 60 years, which reveal the sheer number of reports, town hall lectures, licences, risk assessments, acronyms, obstacles and setbacks before the excitement comes … exhilarating’ Kathleen Jamie, New Statesman
‘If you want to find out how to help wildlife survive, thrive, and expand their own horizons, Roy Dennis is the very man: according to the RSPB, no-one else has done more for nature conservation in Scotland in the last 100 years. Informed by sixty years of fieldwork, his new book is a comprehensive guide to how well – or poorly – we are placed to rewild our skies, woods and waterways’ David Robinson, Books from Scotland
‘Roy’s passion and love of wildlife is visible in every crevice of the book … a tantalising and inspiring read’ The Scottish Field
‘A wonderful book, steeped in knowledge and experience of nature and of the more practical ends of nature conservation … No one else could write this book from personal experience – it’s a treat … A joy to read, and gives plenty of information but also food for thought.’ Mark Avery
‘A leading figure in UK reintroductions, Roy explains the process and necessity of bringing back our extinct apex predators’ Nature’s Home
All stars
Most relevant
I have been waiting so long to read this book. I have to say the wait was worth it. Roy has laid the foundations for the current trend of rewilding. He surely deserves the title of Father of rewilding. We have seen the fruits of Roy and others all across the UK. When we first went to Loch Garten to see the Ospreys little did we know that he was also largely responsible for the Goldeneye and her brood of chicks on the small lochen at Boat of Garten. I had no idea tat Roy has been behind so many re-introductions here and abroad. Surely if Nature has some sort of medal for services to Nature, Roy deserves to be awarded it.
It was enlightening to see how much opposition he received from politicians and conservation bodies. A good read. You won't believe how may re-ntroductions Roy has been involved in.

Rewilding, this is where to start

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Truly a great man dedicating his life to bringing back nature to our depleted country

what an interesting life

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The content is amazing, as Roy has been involved in attempts to restore so many creatures to Great Britain, it is a wealth of detail. I had to keep dipping in and out as it was quite exhausting in detail and not written lightly.

Content great but heavy going

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This must be one of the most conceited and self-important authors I have heard in a very long time. He attempts to portray himself as the critical player in virtually every reintroduction scheme in Scotland. (there's only a relatively small amount concerning projects in England or Wales). Opposition to his opinions (or how he wants things to be done) is depicted as petty, even if it comes from conservation bodies like the RSPB.
The robotic 'text to speech' delivery style on the narrator grates after a while, with the mispronouciation of many bird and plant names being distracting.

Huge ego trip

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have been waiting a long time to read this book, Roy Dennis is a well known and respected conservationist who has led fascinating world of animal and bird reintroductions. As I was on a long journey and thought I would treat myself to the audio book. As expected the story and information are fascinating. However the whole thing is totally ruined by the terrible narration. It sounds like ‘text to speak’ or that the narrator has no interest in the subject, never read allowed before or perhaps had not practised it at all. It is quite the worst narrated book I have heard. I shall be asking for a refund and reading the book properly myself. What a waste of a great opportunity.

A fascinating book, by a renowned conservationist

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews