STILL SHAPING THE WILD? - DIGWYDDIAD / EVENT
Banner: David Elias - dispatchesfromtheundergrowth.com
EVENT / DIGWYDDIAD
DYDD MERCHER / WEDNESDAY
MEDI 17 SEPTEMBER
6.30 (lluniaeth / REFRESHMENTS)
7PM BYDD YN DECHRAU AM
SENEDD-DY OWAIN GLYNDŴR
HEOL MAENGWYN
MACHYNLLETH, SY20 8AJ
pen'rallt@siop lyfrau'r senedd-dy
‘STILL SHAPING THE WILD?’
To mark the publication of Shaping the Wild in paperback, its author, David Elias, will be in conversation with Tom Kistruck of RSPB to consider where we are now with farming, nature conservation - and no doubt much else besides.
There will be ample time for questions and comments.
David Elias is a retired warden and lifelong conservation enthusiast, whose roles took him from Malawi to the Berwyn Mountains.
Tom Kistruck has been warden at RSPB Ynys Hir since 2017 having previously worked on large wetland reserves in east Anglia.
His work in the east included time at the RSPB’s Ouse washes reserve as a stock person, helping to look after the 2,000 beef cattle that graze there.
He currently chairs RSPB Cymru’s wetlands and estuaries nature recovery group
“Last week, in the worst kind of lambing weather, soaking, endless rain, a friend of mine called by for a cup of tea and a chance to warm up by the fire before returning to the next shift in the shed.
He picked up ‘Shaping the Wild‘ and smiled, saying: ‘Boi iawn yw David Elias,’ the highest praise in this neck of the woods.”
“His grounding in the locality allows him to explore how land management issues have evolved and their impact on habitats, species, farming methods and local identity.”
‘Shaping the Wild: Wisdom from a Welsh Hill Farm’, by David Elias is published by Calon
"[...] Shaping the Wild’s subtitle, Wisdom from a Welsh Hill Farm, accurately describes this thoughtful, balanced account of the uncomfortable intersection between farming and nature, viewed through the prism of one upland farm. [...]"
– James Robertson, British Wildlife 35(1), October 2023
"I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys nature and the outdoors, has an interest in farming and conservation, or any reader who revels in beautifully written prose. I would also recommend that any relevant politician or decision maker should read this book from cover to cover."
– Iolo Williams, broadcaster and conservationist
"Shaping the Wild is a captivating masterpiece from which those on both sides of the gulf that sometimes divides farming and conservation can learn much."
– Nick Fenwick, Farmers' Union of Wales
"On the one hand, an extraordinary personal account of nature and its loss, where all the factors contributory to species' decline are anthropogenic, on the other, a celebration of generations of commitment to landscape; both populated with contemporary facts and figures. It is a story written with love and respect but where our knowledge as to how to act effectively is still in its infancy. Yet, in the end, the author says, "Craig-y-tân has fed my soul." Thank you, David, it fed mine too."
– Jane Davidson, author of #futuregen: Lessons from a Small Country
“Shaping the Wild: Wisdom from a Welsh Hill farm, will quickly become a classic of Welsh nature writing, a loving yet challenging evocation of a unique environment.”