Benedict Macdonald Keynote Speaker

Emmy-nominated wildlife producer for Our Planet, Earth at Night in Colour, and Incredible Animal Journeys.
Author of three books, including the acclaimed Rebirding, which received the Wainwright Prize and the Richard Jefferies Prize.
Founder and Director of Restore, managing over 70,000 acres of land for large-scale nature restoration.

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Benedict Macdonald's Biography

Benedict Macdonald is a renowned naturalist, conservationist, writer, and wildlife producer whose work has been instrumental in advocating for large-scale nature restoration and rewilding in the UK.

With a lifelong passion for the natural world, Macdonald studied at Christ Church, Oxford before embarking on a career in natural history filmmaking. His contributions to renowned series, including Netflix’s Emmy-award-winning Our Planet and Disney+’s Incredible Animal Journeys, have earned him global recognition.

Benedict’s work as an author has reshaped public discourse on rewilding and conservation. His debut book, Rebirding published in 2020, won the prestigious Wainwright Prize for Writing on Global Conservation and the Richard Jefferies Prize for its compelling call for large-scale ecological restoration in the UK. His subsequent works, Orchard: A Year in England’s Eden and Cornerstones, have received critical acclaim with Cornerstones becoming a finalist in the 2022-23 People’s Book Prize.

In addition to his writing and filmmaking, Benedict is a leading figure in practical conservation. He is the founder and director of Restore, the UK’s specialist nature restoration organization. Under his leadership, Restore has been at the forefront of efforts to work with landowners and farmers across Britain, managing over 70,000 acres dedicated to nature recovery, regenerative farming, and species reintroduction. Macdonald’s expertise in natural capital finance and land management positions him as a thought leader in the movement for sustainable ecological restoration.

A sought-after speaker and thought leader, Benedict combines scientific knowledge, storytelling, and practical solutions to inspire audiences to take action for a wilder, more biodiverse future.

Naturally Profitable: Restoring Nature to Farms & Estates

Explore how nature restoration is now scaling across the UK. Benedict charts the journey the UK is going on, from being one of the most nature depleted countries on Earth, to rapidly restoring large areas of land – as nature restoration becomes more profitable than extractive or intensive farming. Sharing first hand insights from rewilding estates like Castle Howard, creating a new ‘plain’ in Wiltshire and reintroducing beavers to farms, Benedict gives a unique insight into the workings of a nature restoration business – and how inspirational farmers and landowners are coming together to scale nature’s recovery.

Rebirding Britain: A Lifetime of Nature Restoration

Discover Benedict's insights about his journey towards restoring tens of thousands of acres of the British countryside to nature. Starting with his childhood experiences as a fledgling field naturalist, he explains how he then began work as a television director, to use nature documentaries to inspire and educate, from filming tool-using orangutans in Sumatra, for David Attenborough’s Our Planet, to filming cheetahs hunting under starlight for the first time.

Filming Wilderness Across The World: Learnings of a Wildlife Conservation Film-Maker

Learn more about the behind-the-scenes insights into creating Emmy-nominated wildlife documentaries and their impact on conservation awareness. Benedict shares his unique insights into what it takes to capture rare behaviour in some of the world’s most off-grid places, and the critical lessons he learned during his time as a film-maker about the different people that help protect the world’s last wilderness areas and their endangered species.