Reimagining the Lake District

The Lake District is commonly viewed as an unspoilt, natural paradise, an idea supported by its historical connection with William Wordsworth, British Romanticism, John Ruskin and Beatrix Potter – all of whom are mentioned in the World Heritage (WH) inscription document of 2017. Yet there is little natural about the Lake District in its current form; it is a product both of the human imagination and of ways of seeing landscape. The Lake District has been modified by humans for a few thousand years, a mere ‘split-second’ when considered in a geological timeframe. Reimagining this landscape provides an opportunity to restore the dynamic landscape processes that have existed for millennia, and in the process create a landscape more suitable for our changing and challenging age. This creative reimagining is imperative in the context of climate breakdown and wildlife loss. Put simply, much of the Lake District is an ecological disaster zone.