The Nature Library: how stories connect people with nature, with Christina Riley

10/06/22 • 22 min

In this episode NatureScot staff Fiona Leith and Claire Gordon chat to Christina Riley the founder of the Nature Library, a pop-up nature library which travels to festivals and events around Scotland.

Christina explains how the book collection has evolved, and why taking stories to local communities is helping more people appreciate and make space for nature, particularly during Scotland’s Year of Storytelling 2022.

Christina also explains how now, more than ever, as the climate and nature crises become more apparent, nature writing is touching all of our lives and why we all need to take immediate action and make a difference.

Previous Episode

Getting started with foraging, with Elli Carlisle and Kat O'Brien

Foraging Fortnight, a series of events celebrating Scotland’s natural environment and wild food, recently took place across the country. Following on from this festival, we chatted with two NatureScot colleagues, Elli Carlisle and Kat O’Brien, about the easiest and safest ways to experience the best of Scotland's natural larder.
From brambles and chanterelles to wild garlic and hazelnuts, which food is ripe for picking depends on the time of year, and it’s vital we eat only those wild plants and mushrooms safe for human consumption. Responsible wild harvesting means taking only what you'll use and picking carefully to have minimal impact on the plant.
Read more:
Foraging Fortnight
More about foraging
Foraging wild plants
Scottish Wild Mushroom Code
Scottish Outdoor Access Code

Next Episode

Taking action to help peatlands, with Ben Inglis-Grant and Sue White

In this episode we chat with Peatland ACTION Project Officers Ben Inglis-Grant and Sue White. Both are based on Scottish islands; Sue works with Shetland Amenity Trust and Ben is with Carloway Estate Trust on the isle of Lewis.

We hear about their varied work with Peatland ACTION, the national programme helping to restore damaged peatlands in Scotland, led and funded by Scottish Government and delivered by NatureScot and partners.

They explain the importance of peatlands and how restoring these vital carbon stores can provide a range of benefits for people and nature, and help tackle climate change.