The Lie of the Land: Who Really Cares for the Countryside

(Hardback)

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The Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lost Rainforests of Britain reveals how landowners wreck the countryside, and how the public can restore it
For centuries weve been sold a lie: that you need to own the land to care for it.

Just 1% of the population own half of England, and this tiny landowning elite like to present themselves as the rightful custodians of the countryside. Theyre even paid billions of pounds of public money to be good stewards. But what happens when they just dont care

A small number of landowners have laid waste to some of our most treasured landscapes, leaving our forests bare, our rivers polluted, our moorlands burned, and our fenlands drained. Here Guy Shrubsole journeys all over Britain to expose the damage done to our land, and meet the communities fighting back: the river guardians, small farmers and trespassing activists restoring our lost wildlife. Full of rage and hope, this is a bold vision for our nations wild places, and how we can treat them with the awe and attention they deserve.

Its time to demand better for nature. We can start by replacing the lie of the land with a profound truth: that any of us can care for the countryside, regardless of whether you own it.

Reviews

Brave and brilliant. Guy Shrubsole tackles a subject as crucial as it is neglected, and succeeds magnificently George Monbiot

This book beautifully subverts the central orthodoxy of England, that owning land is the only way to care for it. Rather than being against landowners, its message is one of hope and inclusion for every one of us, that the welfare of the land has always been the interest, expertise and responsibility of its communities Nick Hayes, author of The Book of Trespass

Guy Shrubsole has done it again, shining his blazing torch on the injustice and greed that twists the natural world out of shape. Exhilarating, insightful and bristling with rightful indignation, this is a book that will ignite the debate about our broken relationship with the land like never before Lee Schofield, author of Wild Fell

'Shrubsole sets out a bold, new social contract between landowner and landless to address the challenges of the 21st century. Authoritative and well-researched, this is a most important book, essential reading for anyone who cares about the future of an environment we must somehow all share' Marion Shoard

'A groundplan to recover Englands green and pleasant land' Alastair McIntosh, author of Soil and Soul

Author Bio

Guy Shrubsole is a writer and environmental campaigner. He has worked for Rewilding Britain, Friends of the Earth, the UK government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and New Zealand's Ministry of Agriculture. He has written widely for publications including the Guardian and New Statesman. His first book, Who Owns England, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller.