Story telling in English Nature

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Ron.donaldson_at_english-nature.org.uk
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The complex natureofstory
Gurteen Knowledge Making knowledge work
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In the beginning

• On the third day God created the land, the seas
  and plant life
• On the fifth day God created fish birds
• On the sixth day God created cattle, creeping
  things and man

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Dave Snowden - Cynefin

• Story telling is a uniting and defining
  component of all communities

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3 Stories
The Yurt narrative patterns
Bat Milk springboard emergence
The Prisoner social complexity
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Stories about Coast Dene
Washed up dolphin
Fires and potatoes
Chased by a badger
Met her husband
Black Beaches
Rare Brown Argus
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Connectedness to Nature
0
100
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Northern Brown Argus

• Fragile Community
• Complex in its nature
• Encourage the conditions (patterns and
  attractors) needed for it to flourish

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Knowledge Ecology

• Nurturing a knowledge sharing culture
• Engendering trust
• Building communities

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Story 2
Bat Milk springboard emergence
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Meet James - 2002
- North Devon - Temporary contract - Agricultural
background
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Greater horseshoe batCommunity

• One of Europes rarest bats - populations have
  been stable or declining
• Require a landscape of grazed grasslands, hedges,
  copses
• Feed on large insects such as moths and dung
  beetles

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Research Radio tracking
4km forage radius Tree lines and hedgerows main
commuting routes Site protection alone not
adequate so need a landscape approach
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Strategy

• Target landowners in 4km radius of SSSI/SAC
  roosts in South Devon area
• Use Countryside Stewardship as delivery mechanism

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Farming Community
Riverford Farm Devon
Watson Family
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FeedbackBuilding Ownership

• Local seminars on progress
• 70 of agreement holders attended

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Key Benefits

• Bat Community has increased, plus wider wildlife
  benefits
• Local Community has greater knowledge and
  increased ownership of wildlife More
  sustainable?
• EN Bat Community has greater knowledge of such
  projects and a good story to tell

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..and the Bat Milk ?
From Farm to table the Riverford Way Our food is
produced naturally and sold locally
The land and cows are farmed organically
This provides abundant dung beetles for an
Internationally important population of greater
horshoe bats which feeds around our farm
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Organic vegbox franchise
www.riverford.co.uk
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Steve DenningSquirrel Inc

• Narrative unlike abstractions and analysis is
  inherently collaborative
• Storytelling helps strengthen connectedness with
  the world

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Story 3
The Prisoner social complexity
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Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve (NNR)

• is an example of chalk grassland characteristic
  of the southern Chilterns.
• Significant habitats and speciesThe Reserve sits
  on the steep west-facing scarp of the Chilterns
  and includes beech woodland typical of the area,
  together with species-rich chalk grassland, and
  scrub with juniper. There are a number of
  associated scarce plants, including Chiltern
  gentian and a wide variety of orchids, and the
  site has many species of butterflies, including
  silver-spotted skipper and chalkhill blue.
• The Reserve is particularly well known as one of
  the best places in England to see red kites.

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Meet Dominic - April 2005
- Chilterns - Assistant Site Manager -
Volunteering background
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StartingConditions
MultipleInteractions
Dominic Joined English Nature
Springhill Prison
Open Day
Set up Work on NNR
Sept 2004
Visitor audit
Prisoner Joe
Met Dominic
Progressive attitude
Flexible
Disconnected
Patient
Unqualified
Badgering
Bored
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Emergent Properties
Transferable skills
Dormouse boxes
Dominic Provided Tea lunch
Love Working With livestock
Juniper cuttings
Set up Work on NNR
Dislike Other tasks
Qualified Prison trainer
Putting In benches
Connected
Prison Horticultural service
National Proficiency ticket
Family Visits To NNR
Pride
Qualified
Disconnected
Prisoner Joe
TippingPoint
Bored
Unqualified
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How do wemake senseof these?
Gurteen Knowledge Making knowledge work
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Complexity
Brain Ants Estate agents
Emergent Properties
Emergence
Feedback
Local interactions
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Social complexity - Storyboard
Starting Conditions
Multiple Interactions
Attractor
Emergence
Feedback




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Social complexity - Storyboard
Prisoner
Starting Conditions
Multiple Interactions
Attractor
Emergence
Feedback
Visitor audit Volunteer experience Progressive
Prison Joe bored, unqualified unconnected
Open Day NNR work Clearing scrub Livestock Juniper
Fences Dormouse box Tea Lunch
Qualifications Horticultural Services Pride Fam
ily visits Sense of belonging
Praise Encouragement Transferrable Skills Enjoy
ment Sense of belonging
NNR Livestock Qualification Dominic Sense
of belonging
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Social complexity - Storyboard
Durham Grandparents
Starting Conditions
Multiple Interactions
Attractor
Emergence
Feedback
Local Wildspace Few fears Few Alternatives Sen
se of adventure
Games Exploring Camping out Cooking
fire Encountering nature
Ownership Wildlife Interest voles
Volunteering Sense of belonging
Encouragement Enjoyment Stories Sense
of belonging
Coast Nature Reserve gang Freedom Sense
of belonging
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Social complexity - Storyboard
Bat Milk
Starting Conditions
Multiple Interactions
Attractor
Emergence
Feedback
Bats in decline Roost Protection Hedge
removal Some organic farming
James Listening Talking to farmers
Farmer to Farmer stories Ownership Sustainabilit
y Bat Milk Sense of belonging
Research Customers Environmental Group
praise Profits Sense of belonging
Wildlife Benefits Health of Nation Profit Sense
of belonging
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Coming Soon

• Natural England

for people, places and nature
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THE END
And they all lived happily ever after ?
Thank you for listening to my stories
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Book Recommendations

• Squirrel Inc. by Stephen Denning
  (explanation of different story types)
• Emergence by Steven Johnson
  (easy to read introduction to Complexity
  theory)
• Story by Robert McKee
  (very detailed explanation of
  screenwriting and story construction)
• Agri-Culture by Jules Pretty
  (Good example of the use of stories to get
  your message across)
• The tipping point by Malcolm Gladwell
  (never really mentioning complexity easy
  to read examples of emergence)
• Stealing fire from the gods by James Bonnet
  (how great stories are written)
• The seven basic plots by Christopher Booker
  (the most amazing book ever written why we
  tell stories if you only buy and read one more
  book make it this one trust me)

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Website Recommendations

• http//www.stevedenning.com/ (springboard stories
  a lot more)
• http//www.cynefin.net (newly emerging resource
  of all things cynefin)
• http//web.lemoyne.edu/7Ehevern/narpsych.html
  (huge collection of narrative psychology
  resources)
• http//www.timsheppard.co.uk/story/storylinks.html
  (collection of story resources across the world)
• http//www.red3d.com/cwr/boids/ (a fantastic
  collection of complexity related research)
• http//www.empirecontact.com/ (good, simple
  introduction to screenwriting)
• http//www.gurteen.com (KM resource)
• http//www.knowledgeboard.com/ (KM resource)
• http//http//www.ecologyandsociety.org/viewissue.
  php?id45/ (wonderful collection of the
  importance of local knowledge in ecology papers)
• http//www.english-nature.org.uk/ (take a look
  at our newly launched virtual tours and nature on
  the map features)

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Ron.donaldson_at_english-nature.org.uk