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b"This event was recorded on the 10th of July 2018 in London\\nSPEAKERS FOR THE MOTION: Mark Cocker - Author and naturalist and George Monbiot - Guardian columnist, environmental campaigner and author of\\xa0Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet.\\nAGAINST THE MOTION: Minette Batters - President of the National Farmers' Union and Rory Stewart Former Conservative government minister, whose new book is\\xa0Politics On the Edge: A Memoir from Within\\nCHAIR: Jonathan Dimbleby - Broadcaster, documentary maker and author\\nImagine if swathes of the British countryside were allowed to be wild once again, if trees and rare plants could flourish and beavers, boars and white-tailed eagles could retake their place in the ecosystem. That\\u2019s the goal of the growing numbers of nature-lovers who support the idea of rewilding Britain\\u2019s uplands.\\nWe tend to think of these uplands as \\u2018wild\\u2019 and \\u2018natural\\u2019. But in fact, as the rewilders point out, they are entirely man-made, the result of clearances by man to make way for millions of sheep whose grazing over the last 200 years has rendered the land bare. Sheep farming, once a major source of Britain\\u2019s wealth, is now largely uneconomic and depends on billions of pounds of subsidies. But where rewilding is taking place, in Britain and in Europe, a boom in tourism is providing a more sustainable local economy. We must make space for wild nature in places where farming does not make sense.\\nThat\\u2019s romantic tosh, say the opponents of rewilding. People matter too, and the idea that we should do away with traditional ways of life for the sake of wild bilberries and wolves is getting things out of proportion. Get rid of the farms in the uplands and you will destroy not just the livelihoods of farmers, shepherds and vets, but also the village schools, shops and pubs that are at the heart of rural communities. Yes, upland sheep farms are subsidised but so is almost every other kind of agriculture. And do we really want rampant scrub to replace peaceful scenes of grazing sheep and gambolling lambs, and introduce dangerous animals who will all too soon encroach upon the outskirts of our towns and villages?\\nIntelligence Squared brought together four speakers who care passionately about the countryside but disagree profoundly on how we should manage it.\\xa0\\n\\u2014\\nWe\\u2019d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be.\\xa0\\nSend us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2.\\xa0\\nAnd if you\\u2019d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today.\\n\\nJust visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.\\xa0\\n\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices"