In this opening episode of season five, I had the pleasure of speaking with Alan Watson Featherstone, an ecologist, nature photographer and inspirational public speaker.
The founder of Trees for Life, an award-winning Scottish conservation charity for which he was executive director for almost 30 years, Alan’s pioneering work to restore the Caledonian Forest in Scotland and the 10,000 acre Dundreggan Estate in Glenmoriston, has become a flagship project for native woodland recovery.
In this conversation, we explore some of the unexpected paths that can lead us towards regenerating the natural world, and what can be achieved even in the absence of any physical resources. From finding ways to harness our inner power, to the journey of transformation within our personal lives, we explore how we can start to create the kind of worlds our hearts can believe in – from the inside out.
Join in the conversation #hivepodcast
Recorded on 30th October 2020.
ALAN WATSON FEATHERSTONE
Through his work for Trees for Life, Alan’s vision has provided inspiration for many other ecological restoration projects, from Dartmoor and the Scottish Borders, to the creation of the Yendegaia National Park in Tierra del Fuego, Chile. Also the founder of Restoring the Earth project, he has worked to promote the restoration of the planet’s degraded ecosystems as the most important task for humanity in the 21st century.
Alan regularly contributes articles to various professional and popular publications, and his photographs have appeared in many volumes, from Time magazine to the Encyclopedia Britannica. Currently working on a high quality photographic book project about the endangered Araucaria (monkey puzzle tree) forests of Chile, Alan has given lectures at events and conferences in more than 20 countries worldwide.
His pioneering work has been recognised through a number of awards, from the UK Conservation Project of the Year awarded to Trees For Life in 1991, to the Schumacher Award in 2001, the Spirit of Scotland Environment Award in 2012 and the RSPB Nature of Scotland Outstanding Contribution Award in 2013.
Alan has been vegan for over 40 years and lives in an energy-efficient ecologically designed house in the Findhorn Community in northeast Scotland.
RESOURCES
TEDx Restoring the ancient Caledonian Forest
Website alanwatsonfeatherstone.com
Blog alanwatsonfeatherstone.com/blog
Twitter @AlanWatsonFeat1
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/alan-watson-featherstone
Forests Forever Calendar Buy the calendar here!
Produced by Caro C. Written & recorded by Nathalie Nahai © 2020.
