Peter Smith

Conservationist Peter Smith wove together a remarkable narrative connecting the legacy of Hastings-born imposter Grey Owl, the lifelong obsessions of Richard Attenborough, and the radical economic philosophy of Thomas Paine. At the heart of this convergence is a solution to Britain’s ecological crisis: the reintroduction of the beaver and the implementation of a Land Value Tax. The Legacy of Grey Owl The story begins with Archie Belaney, a young man from Hastings who, despite a lack of academic focus, possessed a deep, instinctive connection to nature. He spent his youth wandering the local woodlands of Fairlight Glen and potentially Mallydams, famously carrying grass snakes in his pockets. Dreaming of the Canadian wilderness, Belaney emigrated, fought in the First World War, and eventually reinvented himself as “Grey Owl,” adopting a Native American persona. Living on the margins of society as a trapper, Grey Owl underwent a profound transformation. Upon discovering two orphaned beave...

 Recent winters have brought calamitous flooding to the UK, demonstrating the raw power of nature. While it is convenient to attribute these disasters solely to climate change or freak rainfall events, a deeper look reveals a more uncomfortable truth: we have fundamentally mismanaged our land. For decades, conservationists have warned that by tampering with floodplains and industrialising our uplands, we are creating the very problems we now seek to solve with expensive concrete defences. The “Sheep-Wrecked” Landscape The history of the British landscape is one of ecological decline. Over the last few centuries, we have effectively “sheep-wrecked” our uplands. Areas that should be complex, sponge-like ecosystems capable of absorbing vast amounts of water have been stripped bare. In places like Boscastle, devastating floods were not necessarily caused by unprecedented rainfall, but by the degradation of the catchment area above the town. Where once there were trees and deep soils, t...

The current state of nature is one of muted devastation. Despite numerous efforts to conserve our environment, the sad reality is that these measures are simply not working. Year upon year, more nature disappears, to the point where Britain is now arguably the most nature-depleted country in the world. There is a profound disconnect in how we understand this loss. We have created a society that seemingly rewards the destruction of nature, taking it away from current and future generations. While this reality causes justified anger, there is a path forward. Science is advancing, and a growing number of people are beginning to understand exactly what has been lost: the true complexity of nature. The Self-Willed Landscape A harsh truth remains: nature does not need man; we are often just a burden upon it. When we encounter a truly wild place—a “self-willed” environment—the contrast with our managed landscapes is stark. A wild place is bursting with life. It is filled with birdsong, mosses...