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Alan Watson Featherstone

ECOLOGIST, NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER AND INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKER
FOUNDER OF THE AWARD-WINNING CHARITY TREES FOR LIFE

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Restoring the Earth: The Essential Work of the 21st Century

Restoring the Earth: The Essential Work of the 21st Century

Our planet is being heavily depleted at present by the insatiable demands of an expanding human population and a culture that is driven by the unsustainable dogma of endless economic growth. On every continent natural forests and other ecosystems are in decline, rivers and the air are polluted, topsoil is being lost and the land poisoned with herbicides and pesticides. The oceans are being overfished, we’re in early stages of the 6th mass extinction event in the Earth’s history, this one caused entirely by humans, and anthropogenically induced climate breakdown threatens our culture and life as we know it today. It’s clear that we need a completely different way of living, with a positive focus that will create a truly viable future for both humans and all other life on Earth.

This presentation is based on the premise that we need to pull together, as all humanity, irrespective of country, culture, religion etc, and that the first essential shared task ahead of us is Restoring the Earth. By working with Nature, rather than against her, we can accelerate and strengthen the natural healing abilities of ecosystems and landscapes, to return the planet to full ecological health and abundance, whilst also creating a more fulfilling and sustainable future for people.

The presentation begins by outlining the scope and scale of our impacts on the planet, and then focuses on the solution to many of them – ecological restoration. That is the work which helps ecosystems and landscapes return to life again, and I draw on examples from both the restoration of the Caledonian Forest in Scotland and other projects around the world.

For restoration to be effective at the global scale that is necessary, major changes are required in human culture, to bring our lives back in balance with the rest of Nature again. The talk outlines some of the most significant of these, and then sets out an inspiring positive future scenario for what could happen if the main focus of human endeavours in the 21stcentury does indeed become Restoring the Earth.

If you would like me to give this talk to a group or at an event, please contact me.

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My TEDx talk – Restoring the ancient Caledonian Forest.

TEDx TEDx – Restoring the Caledonian Forest

Recent posts

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News

  • Rewilding workshop in Glen Affric 4-11 October 2025
  • Rewilding workshops in 2024
  • ‘A Rewilding Journey’ Workshop 27 May – 3 June
  • 2023 Caledonian Forest Engagement Diary now available
  • Revised dates for our next Rewilding workshop: 15 – 22 October 2022.

I’m speaking at…

  • A Rewilding Journey: Rewilding the World and Ourselves – 4 October 2025–
    11 October 2025
  • Over on X (Twitter)…

    Alan Watson Featherstone Follow

    Ecologist, nature photographer and inspirational speaker. Founder of the award-winning charity Trees for Life that is restoring the Caledonian Forest.

    AlanWatsonFeat1
    alanwatsonfeat1 Alan Watson Featherstone @alanwatsonfeat1 ·
    16 May

    This is a red birch midget micro-moth (Phyllonorycter ulmifoliella) on a leaf of a silver birch (Betula pendula) on the Findhorn Hinterland today. The second photo includes part of my thumbnail & provides a sense of scale, showing how tiny this micro-moth is!

    Reply on Twitter 1923503148754239815 Retweet on Twitter 1923503148754239815 Like on Twitter 1923503148754239815 4 Twitter 1923503148754239815
    alanwatsonfeat1 Alan Watson Featherstone @alanwatsonfeat1 ·
    16 May

    Here's a mid-instar nymph of a red-legged shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes) with an alate or winged silver birch aphid (Euceraphis betulae) riding shotgun on it, on a twig of a silver birch (Betula pendula) on the Findhorn Hinterland today!

    Reply on Twitter 1923498632692613544 Retweet on Twitter 1923498632692613544 Like on Twitter 1923498632692613544 2 Twitter 1923498632692613544
    alanwatsonfeat1 Alan Watson Featherstone @alanwatsonfeat1 ·
    16 May

    Mid-instar nymph of a red-legged shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes) on a silver birch (Betula pendula) on the Findhorn Hinterland today.

    Reply on Twitter 1923495834399781073 Retweet on Twitter 1923495834399781073 1 Like on Twitter 1923495834399781073 3 Twitter 1923495834399781073
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