Chris Packham

Television presenter and wildlife expert Chris Packham has thrown his weight behind a new campaign group that wants to see lynx, bison, beavers and even wolves reintroduced into Britain.

Writing on the blog run by Rewilding Britain, the outspoken zoologist says the country’s conservationists are too timid.

He said current conservation is ‘a noxious blend of ignorance, ludicrous antipathy and insidious vested interests’.

The newly formed charity gained its inspiration from writer and campaigner George Monbiot, who praised Chris Packham’s intervention.

Mr Packham said: “We have an arsenal of techniques and practices which we have researched, tried and tested. We could be implementing them all to make our backyard a better place for life.

“How long do we have to wait? How much more of our natural heritage needs to be destroyed before we accept that in plain terms conservation as we currently ply it is simply not working?

“From my point of view, Rewilding Britain represents a real, brave, imaginative and intelligent solution to so many of our problems.

“I urge you to stop pretending it’s all going to be okay in the end, to stop waiting for a miracle and join us in this vision for a better wilder Britain.

“Never has there been such a need to assemble a passionate, driven, caring collection of people to summon the conviction to stand up and actually get on with making a difference.”

George Monbiot, whose book Feral: rewilding the land, sea and human life helped to inspire the new charity, and who is a supporter of the group, said: “We are delighted Chris has put his name behind our charity. Since launching last week, we’ve certainly managed to raise the profile of the issue.

“We’re heartened by the welcome we’ve received from existing conservation organisations. We hope this will turn into support for rewilding actions on the ground. We need everyone onboard to stop the catastrophic decline of nature in Britain.

“We’ll keep working to ensure this hugely important issue remains on the agenda and we get closer to making rewilding a reality.”

Chris Packham’s article can be seen on the Rewilding Britain website.