Ben is a leading advocate in Britain for the recovery of nature. In particular, Ben has been a long-standing campaigner for rewilding, including the reintroduction of lost species such as beavers, wild boar, wildcats and lynx to Britain.
In 2023 Ben published a widely-acclaimed memoir, God is an Octopus, exploring how time spent in nature, and the rewilding of his family farm in south Somerset, brought solace, meaning and hope in the wake of the devastating loss of his teenage daughter Iris in an accident four years earlier.
Ben was a government advisor and non-executive director of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2018–2022.
During that time he played a significant role in the reform of farm subsidies in England, away from unconditional subsidies to a new system built on the principle of ‘public money for public good’, whereby payments are directly linked to the stewardship and restoration of soils and nature.
He was also instrumental in bringing to fruition the 25-year environment plan, the Environment Act (2021), the Fisheries Act (2021) and the Species Reintroductions Taskforce.
“My greatest heroes are those people who devote their lives to the proactive restoration of nature – healing landscapes, reintroducing species, and winning hearts and minds by the magic of their work. They are, thankfully, not held back by caution or criticism.”
The largest dam removals in history just took place on California’s Klamath River. In this episode Ben Goldsmith talks with Chuck Bonham, Director of California Fish and Wildlife, about this iconic moment and the recovery of salmon, beavers, wolves and other wildlife in the Golden State. This podcast was recorded before the wildfires happened in California (January 2025). Our thoughts are with all the victims of these tragic events.
Read his views and opinions on the latest issues, sent directly to your inbox.
