Benedict Macdonald Interviewed by Lucian Hudson

Naturalist and writer and filmmaker Benedict Macdonald argues that restoring vital cornerstone species that shaped Britain could help to combat the threats to our natural ecosystems and protect us from catastrophic climate change.

Macdonald introduces the cornerstone species that range from boar and birds of prey to whales, bees, trees, and humans. He explains how beavers craft wetlands, save fish, encourage otters, and prevent flooding, how boar are butterfly conservationists, why whales are the key to restoring seabird cities, and how lynx could help save trees. Humans, he says, could become the greatest stewards of the natural world.

Macdonald has worked on programmes such as The One Show, Springwatch, and The Hunt, and was a field director for the Emmy-award winning Our Planet. His first book, Rebirding, on the need for mass-scale nature conservation in the UK, won the Richard Jefferies Prize and the inaugural Wainwright Prize for Writing on Global Conservation. Here he talks to Professor Lucian Hudson, director of advancement, marketing and communications at Durham University, chair of Earthwatch Europe, and the festival’s strategic advisor.