John Ryder is a naturalist, woodsman and wildlife tracker, both founder and Head Instructor at The Woodcraft School. He has also worked and taught in arboriculture, conservation and habitat management. He is certified through CyberTracker conservation as a Senior Tracker. He is the first, and currently the only person at this level and therefore the highest qualified wildlife tracker in Northern Europe. He is qualified as an arborist and also hold a certificate in Species Identification and is endorsed as an instructor in natural navigation techniques through Tristan Gooley and his school of natural navigation. He is regarded as one of the most experienced authorities in the field of bushcraft in the UK and his experience includes being appointed as chief instructor for Ray Mears.