SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE WEEK

Regeneration by Andrew Painting, Birlinn, £20

Andrew Painting is a lifelong naturalist. Having grown up and studied in the south of England, he moved to Scotland to volunteer with the RSPB and since 2016 has been assistant ecologist at the Mar Lodge Estate, situated in the heart of the Cairngorms. Regeneration is Painting’s first book and judging by its all-round execution, this should not be his last.

In 1995, the National Trust for Scotland acquired Mar Lodge Estate. Over the centuries, the estate had crossed many hands, from royalty to American millionaires, with the intention of being a place where environmental conservation and sport hunting could exist in harmony. However, the landscape was dying – and fast.

Regeneration tells the story of 25 years of hard work that has been put into Mar Lodge Estate to help restore it to its former glory.

Featuring an array of people who have helped make it all happen, Painting and his co-workers’ passion for their hard work is both heartwarming and inspiring.

The estate’s main habitats (woodlands, moors and mountains) make up the three sections of the book, with each delving into their own specific challenges along the way. Interestingly, the theme of sacrifice crops up throughout much of the conservation work and this beckons many existential thoughts and questions to rise.

Rewilding, deer management and raptor persecution are just some of these sacrificial topics that the team on the estate face during its regeneration, which ultimately poses thoughts of the relationships we have as humans with the environment, as well as what we should see when we look at our wild places.

“Nature is the most complicated word in language,” says Painting, but thanks to his excellent writing abilities, the book is highly accessible and at no point is there too much jargon to try to wrap your head around.

Instead, plenty of notes and references are included for those keen to explore the extra details, while the running narrative is consistently kept thoroughly engaging, making for an educational and entertaining read.

Painting’s personality and enthusiasm for nature shines through this book. He’s highly knowledgeable on his field of work but above all, his love for what he does is felt the most.