In this informed, incisive and passionate commentary on the state of nature and conservation, Mark Avery reflects on our relationship with the wildlife around us. From the cats that pass through his garden to the chronic decline of farmland wildlife, from the Pasqueflowers he visits every spring to the proportion of national income devoted to saving nature – everything is connected, and everything is considered.
This book analyses what is wrong with certain ways we do wildlife conservation but explores some of its many successes too. How can we do better to restore wildlife to everybody’s lives? We know how to conserve species and habitats – it’s time to roll out conservation measures on a much bigger scale. This is a societal choice in which every nature lover can play their part. Reflections sets out what is needed, and what part the state, environmental charities and we as individuals can play in making that happen.
This highly personal work from a life embedded in and dedicated to nature does not shy away from the harsh realities we face, but its message, ultimately, is one of hope.
Table of Contents:
Preface
Some explanations
1 Glimpses of wildlife
2 The state of wildlife in the UK
3 What is wildlife conservation?
4 Wildlife conservation successes
5 Why are we failing so badly?
6 What wildlife needs (and how to provide it)
Recapitulation
Notes, references and further reading
Acknowledgements
Index
About the Author :
Dr Mark Avery is a senior UK conservationist with nearly four decades' experience of giving wildlife a better future. The author of numerous previous books, including Inglorious: Conflict in the Uplands (2015), Mark worked for the RSPB for 25 years before going freelance in 2011. He co-founded the campaigning organisation Wild Justice (with Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay) and was recently chair of the World Land Trust. He lives in rural Northamptonshire where he tries to grow tomatoes and to add bird species to his garden list - both with limited success. Twitter @markavery
Review :
...informative, inspiring, and optimistic, something we need right now.
If the British conservation movement were a forest, Mark Avery would be one of the ancient oaks... His latest book, Reflections, now pours that experience into a mission statement for all those who claim to prize UK wildlife. From the daisies he mows around on his lawn to the spiders in his bath, Avery’s love of the creeping, crawling, soaring world is evident on every page.
*Book of the Month* If you're interested in the politics of conservation, and what it means in practical terms, then this is for you.
This is the most insightful and accessible book we have on the current state of wildlife conservation in Britain and what we might do to improve things.
This is a good book and anyone interested in wildlife conservation should buy it. I found interesting and thought-provoking comments on every page.
The most insightful and accessible book we have on the current state of wildlife conservation in Britain and what we might do to improve things.
Given the immense challenges facing species in a 21st-century world of biodiversity collapse and climate emergency it is hard, sometimes, to find a place of agency and grounds for optimism. To his credit, Mark Avery manages both, and much more besides.
… a clear-eyed examination of the state of nature conservation in the UK today. … Read this be inspired that, if we all do our bit, we can indeed save our wildlife.
Mark Avery’s ‘narrative trajectory’ is a well-calculated one that is on target. It is as close as you will get to a common sense manual for putting our damaged wildlife back on track. His book should be recommended reading for those who want to make a positive difference.
I appreciated how the author travels from the micro to the macro, taking in small details and huge dilemmas, always with a sense of passion, keen insight and playful prose. The text is engaging, explanatory, hard-hitting and hopeful! Quite an achievement.
A conservation masterclass.
