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Chris MSc
Founder, How to Rewild
Chris D'Agorne MSc is a passionate individual with a lifelong dedication to wildlife conservation and rewilding initiatives. With a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Psychology and Zoology from the University of Bristol, Chris's academic background has a strong focus on animal behavior. Subsequently, he pursued a Master of Science (MSc) in Biotechnology at Oxford Brookes University, where he excelled with a Distinction (80%) grade.
Chris's career journey led him through various roles in the TV industry, working on natural history filmmaking projects that culminated in roles such as BBC1 TV Editor at Icon Films and Camera/Edit Assistant at BBC. However, disillusioned with the commercialization of natural history TV, Chris shifted his focus towards a deeper understanding of ecology and conservation.
With a diverse professional background that includes positions such as Digital Marketing Executive at Candide Gardening, Freelance Writer, Photographer, and Videographer at Skip Media, and Communications Officer at Cokethorpe School, Chris has honed his skills in digital marketing, content creation, and communication strategies.
Chris's passion for wildlife conservation was reignited through volunteering with Somerset Wildlands, a rewilding charity, which prompted him to establish his own rewilding advice website, How to Rewild. Drawing from his experience in various conservation and marketing roles, Chris is committed to promoting rewilding practices and biodiversity conservation through his platform.
In addition to his professional endeavors, Chris has a diverse background that includes experiences as a Home Renovator, Early Years and Primary Educator, Researcher in Plant Cell Dynamics & Microscopy, and various technical roles in the TV and film industry. His multidisciplinary experiences have equipped him with a unique skill set that blends scientific knowledge with creative communication and marketing expertise.
Highlights
Is it possible to film an entire #rewilding walkthrough in your underpants? Well, it's the middle of a #heatwave, so jumping into a pond seemed like a great idea. After all, some people spend a lot of money to get covered in mud. Why not do it for free?!
I filmed take 1 standing in the pond, then I realised the reflections were rather revealing, and something bit my toe. So this version is a bit more nimble.
In the video, I walk through how disturbance can be good, when it creates diversity. Yes - it's the '3 D's of rewilding'... diversity, disturbance and dispersal.
In this case, I have a 3 pond system - I've cleared bulrushes out of 2 of the ponds, disturbing the status quo and restoring an open water habitat. The third will remain half uncleared this season, then I'll try to rotate this each year. We'll see how that goes.
Some species love a reedy pond, but others like open water, so having a mix of habitats available creates more diversity within the same space. Not just under the water, but also for species like Shelduck, Mallard and Little Egret, which visit this space, and Swallows, House and Sand Martins, which I regularly watch swooping down to drink from these long pools.
This habitat can act as a refuge for local species, and a source to replenish degraded ecosystems nearby - dispersal! It's also a great stopping off point for species on migration who need a top up or safe place to feed, drink and/or rest.
If you want a, ahem, deeper dive on ponds, then just like any major British habitat, there's a detailed, evidence-based guide for landowners at howtorewild.co.uk - in fact, I also did a talk on ponds for the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM), and you can watch that over on Ecosulis' YouTube channel if you're a real nerd: https://lnkd.in/ewJDDg3p
So, what did I find while I was clearing these ponds out? An eft - a baby newt - which swam up to the water surface every so often to breathe air, an absolute buttload of diving beetles, some cool baby dragonfly larvae, a terrifyingly-huge shed skin of a dragonfly larva, lots of damselflies, and a few adult dragonflies.
I've learned some of what I know about pond restoration from Nick May, and I recommend taking a look through his posts for an interesting glimpse into how freshwater habitats can be brought back to life.
Nick just started a new job over at Practicality Brown Ltd - it's probably worth mentioning that they offer hedging and trees for landscapers. I know I have some in my audience, so do take a look at pracbrown.co.uk if that's your bag!
⚠️ As with any 12 minute long stream of consciousness, there are a few errors - here are the ones I caught:
- 'Vicia faba - Hairy Tare' is actually 'Vicia cracca - Tufted Vetch'. I'm not great with vetches, sorry!
- I hadn't found a toadpole - it was a tadpole. But that's still cool as it's the first in any of my ponds!
#environment #nature #gardening #outdoors #ecology
What does a rewilding project look like, 3 years in? Down on my field, it’s peak flowering season, as the tall umbellifers and purple stands of knapweed really kick off. Not far behind them will be dense thickets of yellow fleabane, which attract hundreds of butterflies.
This is a real mix of different habitats, and a testbed for some of the advice I’m giving over at howtorewild.co.uk (though this is also checked against the scientific literature). I’m finding that some widely-held ideas are not necessarily holding up to scrutiny.
My project is just over 3 acres, and infested with horsetail - a beautiful native plant which looks like it’s better-suited to a dinosaur habitat. It has survived for so long thanks to some pretty potent levels of toxins, which can be dangerous for most grazing animals. That means I can’t easily graze the site.
Instead, I’ve been using brushcutter. Given the lumpy ground and dense tree planting, it’s not really suitable for anything else. But I’m just one person, so many areas have gone uncut for a few years now. The conventional wisdom is that these should have ‘gone over’ to grass. This kind of habitat is described as ‘rank grassland’.
What I’m actually finding is the opposite in many places - more wildflowers over time - especially species suited to long grasses. Fleabane and umbellifers stand tall and grow quickly, with high flowerheads. They’ve been growing since the start of the project, but patches have increased in size and vigour over time.
I’ve also had new species appearing - things like Agrimony, which I hadn’t spotted before - a lovely yellow flower. It’s also a long grass specialist, and has begun to grow now in two places on the field.
Beyond the flowers, the air is thick with the sound of grasshoppers throughout the summer. With such abundant seedheads, there is a rich food source here, and that is attracting birds, too. Rodents continue to enjoy the cover provided by the dense grasses and though I haven’t seen the barn owl as much lately (the green corridor to my land is mostly degraded now), it has been back a few times this summer.
Don’t get me wrong - I’m still cutting the grass - not just to manage the habitat, but also to make it useable as a family space. My kid and I play football here most weekends, and I always remove the cuttings from the pitch, piling them up in mounds for grass snakes to use.
It’s interesting to have a bit of land to ‘play’ with and test things out. I feel lucky to have this privilege - especially at this time of year.
#rewilding #environment #ecology #science
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