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One Planet: 11/06/2009

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11/06/2009

BBC World Service - One Planet, 11/06/2009

Mike meets wild boar, interviews a sceptical economist, and learns of rewilding.

It's called "rewilding", and it's a big idea among many conservationists at the moment. The idea is not just to reintroduce the odd one or two extinct species to an area they once roamed, but to overhaul the whole ecosystem - put it into a time machine and take it back to what it looked like centuries ago, before the hand of industrialisation put its firm thumb print on the land.

In this week's One Planet, Mike heads up to the highlands of Scotland to visit an estate where they are planning that exact brand of conservation. It will involve replanting thousands of trees and plants, as well as introducing species such as elk, wild boar and even grey wolves.

It's a fascinating idea, but one that scares some locals (Mike meets a nearby sheep farmer in the local pub), and concerns academics who worry over humans trying to play God. We explore all these issues with the estate owner Paul Lister, and speak to a South African land owner pursuing a similar scheme of "rewilding".

Also in this week's show, we speak to the controversial social economist Bjorn Lomborg, who is among the most vocal opponents of efforts to tackle climate change via international promises on cutting harmful emissions. Technology is the answer, he argues. And we visit a forest in Southern Africa discovered by a man on the internet in West London.

As ever, we want to hear your views and pictures. So drop us an email at oneplanet@bbc.com, or send us a postcard. The address is Mike Williams, One Planet, BBC, Bush House, London, WC2B 4PH, UK. We read every message that drops on our doormat or into our email box, so join the debate. And don't forget you can always find us on Facebook if you're a fan, just search for One Planet BBC, or follow the link below.

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