Restoring the ancient Caledonian Forest | Alan Watson-Featherstone | TEDxFindhorn

[@bigtsunami2000]

I joined one of the early work trips in 1991 to Glen Affric. It was so much fun! We cut down invasive pines, were mercilessly eaten by midgies (spelling?), swam in the rivers, slept in a bothy, and laughed a lot! I was 18 at the time. I accidentally came across this presentation - wonderful to see you again, Alan, and wonderful to see how the work has continued and bloomed. Makes my heart happy. All the best to you, the organisation, and the trees and communities of beings intermingled with them.

[@OnlyoneAlReid]

Thank you for this absolutely wonderful and inspiring talk. I was moved to tears. For my 50th birthday in July I asked people to fund planting trees via Trees for Life rather than buy me "stuff", this video explains so well, why I chose this "gift".

[@alanwatsonfeatherstone9676]

Many thanks for the feedback, Alasdair - I'm very touched by what you write, and by your support.

[@raulcalderon9571]

We should do this in every potential piece of land worldwide... congratulations!

[@dave8540]

Alan,I am Scottish born and live on the other side of the world in Australia.and also a Watson.I first read about the Glen Affric project in a magazine distributed by the Australian Conservation Foundation,it was deeply moving.The work your team over the years has done is nothing short of astounding ,and inspirational,this was a well presented video documentary and thankyou for your passionate work cheers mate

[@syedalishanzaidi1]

Hello Alan, greatly obliged for your presentation, and for the great import of your message. Just to say that I am a writer in the Urdu language, and have written during the last 40 years both poetry and prose on the subject of the environmental challenges facing all of us everywhere. It is to people such as you that we owe our increasing awareness (through books, documentaries and TV media) for this gathering pace of awareness worldwide. Much good work has been being done in recent years by individuals and groups everywhere, in all countries. Many thanks on behalf of all of us from other languages and landscapes.

[@isabellosada6328]

The most inspiring and moving talk I've heard in a long time. Just wonderful. Thank you Alan.

[@BeautifulNaturalDramatic]

Brilliant! Motivational! Empowering! The Way Forwards - Healing Ourselves and the Planet.

[@sayurikitamura7109]

I love the way he thinks and explains the relations

[@AshleyMillsTube]

Amazing. What an inspiration. I'm with you buddy.

[@alanwatsonfeatherstone8941]

Many thanks!

[@GlobalEarthRepair]

Thank you Universe for the beauty of this man; we are grateful to be hosting him (if we can raise the finds for air travel!) at our conference in May. Adding this to several playlists about reforestation and restoration.

[@JenniferLions]

Wonderful presentation, very inspiring, thank you.

[@alanwatsonfeatherstone9676]

Thanks for the feedback Jenna!

[@sleepinglea7958]

Thanks for this amazing speech! I am definitely going for a volunteering week with Trees for life this summer,and am also making this part of my Countryside management diploma research. I think I just found my meaning of life& way out of disenfranchisement with the world...

[@LisaSimpson2]

100% agree with everything you said. This is why I love nature and will campaign tirelessly for nature, animals and tree planting. I love my garden and walking through the forest. It can be very healing and spiritual and makes you feel connected with the earth and land that we live rather than disconnected and distant from it. We need more environmental change. I hope people realise before it's too late. Just remember trees are kind of important, I mean they only help us to all breathe and live lol. Thanks for doing this talk and to all who love and help nature :-)

[@raulcalderon9571]

Music to my ears!

[@iangpark]

Happy to say I volunteered for a week 2 years ago. Very much hope to return one day!

[@angelharris69]

it is the loss of natural predators like wolves that has allowed the deer to destroy the land

[@alanwatsonfeatherstone9676]

Thanks for your comment. The loss of wolves is part of the problem, but it's mainly down to people having cleared the forest in first place. Then subsequently, in the absence of wolves, deer numbers have both increased in numbers and have been undisturbed so can stay in ever smaller patches of forest and eat all the tree seedlings.

[@tybaltmoon2082]

One might consider eating the deer problem.

[@Jack13001]

@@tybaltmoon2082 unfortunately human hunters cannot replace lynx/wolves/bears. When we chase deer they don’t need to relocate often as humans are so slow. They can stay in one spot and overgraze the land comfortable in the knowledge that humans with guns are miles behind them and will likely take days to catch up. Also, when humans shoot a few deer they leave, so the deer lose some of the herd but are otherwise free to stay exactly where they are and destroy the vegetation in that spot.

[@charlieneilson1239]

Moving and motivating speech. Fully behind your work!! A1 on so many levels!

[@janeymckay1966]

What a fabulous talk. Thank you for making a difference.

[@janetbedford7562]

I am with YOU GOOD - HEARTED and sober-minded.........GOD-LOVING' TREE HUGGING.....&/or just praying for and 'voting' with your KIND AND STRONG WORDS.

[@ashanarchy7255]

I was thinking recently about the old growth forests in America, specifically the gaint redwood trees, Scotland would be a perfect environment for those trees to thrive.

[@LisaBeergutHolst]

Introducing alien species is always tricky. The Sitka spruce, for example, has become quite invasive in Norway.

[@FBanit]

Amazing. I really would like to do the same in my country of birth, Morocco. Where once lions used to live in the Atlas montains.

[@washserf2]

great video with very interesting information about restoring devastated landscapes where people have made decisions which have meant the resilience and diversity of what was the natural habitat has gone, but NOT FOREVER ! Natural sysemts can be assisted to return and this video explains how this has been done in Scotland. Truly excellent video based on sound principles to restore the previous natural balance with all the possibilities of a diverse nature that once flourished there.

[@michaelkendall2075]

Me and my wife say the same things about parts of Yorkshire and places like the lakes too, we have even taken Hawthornden other tree saplings and planted them over the years, it's a small step but?🤞🙏❤

[@starboardside2400]

We need to be caretakers and not destroyers. Thanks for the insight.

[@et.5950]

In addition to exclosure and plantation, you could think about reintroduction of natural predators of deer...

[@lieveguastavino6356]

Unfortunately there is a big problem in Scotland: only a very few landowners posses a huge part of the land, mainly for hunting! Scottish people would like to chance that but there is a long way to go! Wish them all the best!

[@nk53nxg]

It takes people like Alan Featherstone to see and understand what was under threat and take action. It was a very careing and unselfish act to start a charity to save the remains of an ecosystem nobody else at the time knew about or cared for. I hope someone else picks up the responsibility to save the Caledonian Forest when he retires.

[@douglasconnery55]

Excellent talk there Alan superb stuff, I have been so inspired with this, I have now donated and became a member of Trees for life now and I urge everybody else to do so :)

[@alanwatsonfeatherstone9676]

Hi Douglas, Many thanks for your feedback and appreciation of my talk - that's great. Thanks also for joining us as a member - that's wonderful!

[@alastairleith8612]

hey @TEDx Talks specifically what of this content do you take exception to on scientific terms? Flagging it without specifics is a bit unfair.

[@annamcquillan3994]

I’m a big fan of your work, thank you for everything you’re doing. I’m currently studying (well not literally, thanks corona) zoology so I can join in conservation soon :)

[@richardnolan27]

Anyone can do this start by going to a local nursery and get native species of trees bring them home and plant them start an ecosystem are micro climate in your own yard . I did slowly but Shirley got tree trimmers to drop off chips in my yard instead of them paying a landfill went to Starbucks they gave me lots of free coffee grounds great for nitrogen stop raking up all your leaves and burning them that’s your trees way of fertilizing itself and the ground around it . And if you do burn wood or leaves the ground needs the ashes spread a little around very good replicating nature . I know most of you know what I’m talking about this is for the people that don’t thank you !🌎💕

[@thedruiddiaries6378]

Im with you.

[@ashanarchy7255]

Bring back the wolves! The wolves eat the deer. The trees grow. If you watch the documentary about reintroducing wolves to yellow stone you see wanderous results.

[@ilvibos3512]

Or just let people hunt em

[@Less1leg2]

so how did the Elk fit in with the old forests of Scotland. Seems to be that deer are not good for the forest health, but post Ice Age Retreat, elk loved the old forest.

[@Chongmolangma]

Very encouraging. I'm grateful. Thank you. Just a little idea here. Perhaps there could be a gathering of scientists, environmentalists, ecologists, farmers, government officials, corporations to form a task group to bring about a dedicated area/region for conservation - bringing the area back to perhaps a thousand years ago when it was still wild. With apex predators such as bears, lynx, eg that were native to the region before going extinct. See the Yellowstone example in the US. Even in China, the Kubuqi desert project in Inner Mongolia and various projects on the loess plateau have brought about astound results. Large areas of degraded lands, denuded of vegetation have become forests, wetlands teeming with wildlife. Current numbers of elks and stocks are obviously not helping at all.

[@WilliamFergusMartin]

"We’ve flagged this talk... The speaker makes claims about ecology and plant biology that are not supported by legitimate scientific evidence." I find this statement disingenuous. it is an opinion stated as if it's a fact. There are plenty of scientists who would completely agree with what Alan Watson says in his video.

[@karlinasplantkitchen669]

I had to look up if they flagged Alan Savory's talk too and am somewhat relieved to find that they did. They even went so far as to add a bit of explanation for the most glaring problem with Savory's method.

[@alex29443]

I would bring back the national service and include stuff like this, you could do your military bit so you'd know how to shoot... at deer, then improve the land for nature and farming. I'd also have them help build wave and tidal power stations, roads etc. to say Scotland is under-utilising its land and sea resources is the understatement of the century.

[@matijevz]

Introducing wolfs back into forest would protect the forest from deer’s overgrazing. Have you explored that idea?

[@karlinasplantkitchen669]

I'm sure they would love too but that takes a whole different level of getting acceptance. That's why he proposes the Lynx. Smaller predator with greater public appeal.

[@matijevz]

Lynx is not sufficient if you want to control deer population. Have hunting deer been allowed?

[@רועילוי-ט6ו]

U.k needs to bring back wolves link's bear.

[@RayDoeksen]

What are the specific "claims about ecology and plant biology that are not supported by legitimate scientific evidence" I would like to know?

[@Simple_Simian]

I would too. Odd that Ted flags that but doesn't explain why.

[@jimmyfrench]

I wouldn't be surprised if it were spurious objections from the crowd that supports grouse moors and overgrazing. Like how fossil fuel and prescription drug companies produce research that attacks activities that would hurt their market value.

[@joydeepghosh1781]

Caledonia, from Cale Cailleach Kali.

[@gingerandthetramp]

We ain’t bringing back lynx, if the firearm and hunting regulations weren’t so strict then I’d be for it, but reinstating an apex predator alongside a human population without the ability to protect its self and its children from said monster is a bad idea. Unfortunately, I’d love to see his vision realised but we need to find a substitute for the big predators

[@Jean-vz8co]

J'ai vécu 30 dans les grandes forêts primaires ........ le problème est que certains (peu) arbres se reproduisent naturellement et d'autres bien qu'émettant des graines de bonne qualité germinative ne se reproduisent pas du tout!!!!..... on n'en trouve que quelques générations!!! (très) anciennes.....Le semis par l'homme donne des résultats très limités!!!...... j'ignore si aujourd'hui on trouvé une quelconque explication à ce douloureux phénomène..... By

[@Jean-vz8co]

je crois que les commentaires sont mélangés!!!...

[@AB-vb2mm]

Where did all the woods went gone? Building ships for the British empire?