Influenced by his older brother Zac, he has a passion for the environment inherited from their father, who, towards the end of his life, was one of Europe's most prominent founders of green causes, including campaigns against genetically modified food.
As well as providing venture capital to the European clean technology sector,[8] WHEB established a listed equities fund management business.
The book explored how, struggling to comprehend the shocking death of his teenage daughter Iris, Goldsmith found solace, meaning and hope in the dramatic rebounding of nature on his Somerset farm.
[11][12][13] He described EFN as being "designed to facilitate discussion and foster collaboration" among those interested in funding environmental initiatives, particularly those addressing large-scale problems like global warming.
In 2008, Goldsmith set up The Conservation Collective, a growing global network of local environmental foundations rooted in their communities covering regions from Devon and Tuscany, islands such as Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera and Lamu and countries including Pakistan and Barbados.
[17] Since 2010, he has developed a reputation for providing strategic and financial support to disruptive environmental leaders such as Derek Gow, who has led work to restore formerly missing native species to Britain, including beavers, water voles, white storks and wild cats.
This proved controversial as he had previously donated cash to Conservative MP Michael Gove's Surrey Heath constituency[22] and the selection process for the job was overseen by Sir Ian Cheshire, who is chairman of Goldsmith's investment firm, Menhaden.
[22] Complaints about the appointment included comments that Goldsmith is a member of the "urban elite", and that though interested in the environment he had no experience with environmental issues facing farmers in the United Kingdom.
The Act replaces unconditional subsidies for farming, under the EU's Common Agriculture Policy, with a new Environmental Land Management Scheme which rewards farmers directly for the stewardship and restoration of soil and nature.
Goldsmith helped to advance government policy to recognise beavers as a native species and give them legal protected status in England in 2022.
The aim of Nattergal is to acquire agriculturally marginal land on which to facilitate nature recovery at scale using rewilding, based upon the learning of over 20 years at Knepp Wildland, while demonstrating a sustainable financial return.
Upon his appointment as vice chair of the new taskforce, Goldsmith said "From green rooftops to pocket parks, nest boxes for peregrines and swifts, rewiggling streams and reintroducing long lost native species, our plan is to weave wild nature back through the very fabric of our city.
[33] Goldsmith was a key signatory to a petition sent to Prime Minister Theresa May and Michael Gove urging them to ban all crop spraying and pesticide use in UK rural residential areas.
[citation needed] On 2 June 2012, it was reported that Rothschild, a music producer, had been having an extramarital affair with rapper Jay Electronica for a year.