Ecological science, the Biosphere Books

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR CONSERVATION 2023The Sunday Times Science Book of the YearAs seen on CountryfileIf anyone was born to save Britain's rainforests, it was Guy Shrubsole' Sunday TimesShortlisted for the Richard Jefferies Society Literary PrizeTemperate rainforest may once have covered up to one-fifth of Britain, inspiring Celtic druids, Welsh wizards, Romantic poets, and Arthur Conan Doyle's most loved creations. Though only fragments now remain, they are home to a dazzling variety of luminous life-forms.In this awe-inspiring investigation, Guy Shrubsole travels through the Western Highlands and the Lake District, down to the rainforests of Wales, Devon, and Cornwall to map these spectacular lost worlds for the first time.This is the extraordinary tale of one person's quest to find Britain's lost rainforests and bring them back.*Guy Shrubsole''s The Lost Rainforests of Britain was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2023-04-30*Trade Review‘Remarkable … Shrubsole has completely changed the way many people look at the temperate woodlands that remain in parts of western Britain’ Financial Times ‘If anyone was born to save Britain’s rainforests, it was Guy Shrubsole’ Sunday Times, The Sunday Times Science Book of the Year ‘Fascinating, lyrical … A celebration of these dazzling worlds and a plea to act before they are extinguished’ The Times ‘[The Lost Rainforests of Britain] could be a lament but instead it is suffused with the irrepressible positivity and cheerful enthusiasm of a born campaigner’ Patrick Barkham, Guardian ‘Enchanting and insightful … Wonderfully evocative’ Geographical ‘Excellent … Inspiring’ Unherd ‘A treasure chest full of woodland jewels, rare, precious and beautiful’Chris Packham ‘A magnificent and crucial book that opens our eyes to untold wonders’George Monbiot ‘A beautiful, lyrical and urgent book … I cannot recommend it enough’Nick Hayes, author of the Sunday Times-bestselling The Book of Trespass ‘Utterly enchanting, transporting and spellbinding … A rallying cry for restoring the rainforests of Britain urgently, and an inspiring and informative must-read for anyone interested in rewilding and ecological restoration’Lucy Jones, author of Losing Eden ‘Passionate, powerful, political and practicable, Guy Shrubsole gives us a blueprint for how to bring our missing rainforests back to life in all their riotous, tangled glory. Impeccably researched, convincingly argued and with generous measures of joyful discovery, this really is a spectacular book’Lee Schofield, author of Wild Fell

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewGrounding, calming, and quietly revolutionary. -- Robert MacFarlaneI give daily thanks for Robin Wall Kimmerer for being a font of endless knowledge, both mental and spiritual. -- Richard PowersGathering Moss is fantastic and offers an extraordinary point of view on the natural world -- Natalie PortmanSoulful, accessible... informed by both western science and indigenous teachings alike ... Kimmerer blends, with deep attentiveness and musicality, science and personal insights to tell the overlooked story of the planet's oldest plants * Guardian *Beneath your feet, barely visible to the eye, is another world: a rainforest in miniature ... Read Kimmerer's book and you're unlikely ever again to waste precious gardening time scraping moss from paving stones. -- Rachel Cooke * Observer *Beautiful ... Her scientific training and knowledge of plants from her Potawatomi heritage create a unique lens, teaching us how to look and watch... Reading this has made me stop to wondrously admire any patch of moss I come across. * Quietus *

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Book SynopsisThe epic that began with the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning classic DUNE continues ...Trade ReviewI know nothing comparable to it except The Lord of the Rings * Arthur C. Clarke on Dune *It is possible that Dune is even more relevant now than when it was first published * The New Yorker on Dune *An astonishing science fiction phenomenon * The Washington Post on Dune *One of the monuments of modern science fiction * The Chicago Tribune on Dune *Powerful, convincing, and most ingenious * Robert A. Heinlein on Dune *A novel of extraordinary complexity ... the work of a speculative intellect with few rivals in modern SF * The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction on Dune *A tight mesmerising fabric, interwoven with a potent element of mysticism ... intensely realised * Brian W. Aldiss on Dune *

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Book SynopsisFOYLES NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEARA SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLERTHE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING - HIGHLY COMMENDEDLONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTIONA BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE SUNDAY TIMES, TELEGRAPH, PROSPECT, THE NEW YORKER AND BBC HISTORY WATERSTONES NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH''The best book on the history of life on Earth I have ever read'' Tom Holland''Epically cinematic... A book of almost unimaginable riches'' Sunday TimesThis is the past as we''ve never seen it before. Otherlands is an epic, exhilarating journey into deep time, showing us the Earth as it used to exist, and the worlds that were here before ours.Award-winning young palaeobiologist Thomas Halliday immerses us in a series of ancient landscapes, from the mammoth steppe in Ice Age Alaska to the lush rainforests of Eocene Antarctica, with its colonies of giant penguins, to Ediacaran Australia, where the moon is far brighter than ours today. We visit the birthplace of humanity; we hear the crashing of the highest waterfall the Earth has ever known; and we watch as life emerges again after the asteroid hits, and the age of the mammal dawns.Otherlands is a staggering imaginative feat: an emotional narrative that underscores the tenacity of life - yet also the fragility of seemingly permanent ecosystems, including our own. To read it is to see the last 500 million years not as an endless expanse of unfathomable time, but as a series of worlds, simultaneously fabulous and familiar.Sunday Times bestseller, March 2023Trade ReviewThis book takes us through the natural history of previous forms of life in the most beguiling way. It makes you think about the past differently and it certainly makes you think about the future differently. This is a monumental work and I suspect it will be a very important book for future generations -- Ray Mears, Chair of the Wainwright Prize for UK Nature WritingThe word "original" is really overworked. But Thomas Halliday has produced a book the like of which I have never come across -- Jeremy PaxmanAn extraordinary history of our almost-alien Earth... Epically cinematic... The writing is so palpably alive. A book of almost unimaginable riches. It is a book that will make its own solid and lasting contribution. It could well be the best I read in 2022 - and I know it's only January -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times *A poet among palaeontologists -- David P. Barash * Wall Street Journal *A mesmerising journey into those vast stretches of Earth's pre-history that lie behind us, on such a scale that you experience a kind of temporal vertigo just thinking about it... [Halliday is] a brilliant writer, his lyrical style vividly conjuring myriad lost worlds... It's obviously a bit of a gamble choosing one's Book of the Year in March - but there's a very good chance already that mine will be Otherlands. Stunning -- Christopher Hart * Mail on Sunday *An impressive, tightly packed, long view of the natural world. In cinematic terms, this book would be a blockbuster... Riveting scientific reading; a remarkable achievement of imagination grounded in fact -- NJ McGarrigle * Irish Times *An immersive world tour of prehistoric life... Halliday never loses sight of the bigger picture, nimbly marshalling a huge array of insights thrown up by recent research. Each chapter gives not only a vivid snapshot of an ecosystem in action but also insights into geology, climate science, evolution and biochemistry... Mind-blowing -- Neville Hawcock * Financial Times *A sweeping, lyrical biography of Earth -- the geology, the biology, the extinctions and the ever-shifting ecology that defines our living planet -- Adam Rutherford * BBC Radio 4 Start the Week *Superb... [An] epic, near-hallucinatory natural history of the living earth... Dazzling -- Simon Ings * Telegraph *Remarkable... Ingenious... A work of immense imagination [...] rooted firmly in the actual science -- Stuart Kelly * Scotsman *A fascinating journey through Earth's history... [Halliday] is appropriately lavish in his depiction of the variety and resilience of life, without compromising on scientific accuracy... To read Otherlands is to marvel not only at these unfamiliar lands and creatures, but also that we have the science to bring them to life in such vivid detail -- Gege Li * New Scientist *Riveting... An intense and imaginative reading of fossils as runes that tell us about our own times, and possible future. Halliday is a Time Lord at heart, eager to lead us back to, say, the Permian or Oligocene epochs and unpack their lessons for 21st Century humanity. For all its scholarship, this is a very readable book, full of literary reference and accessible metaphor. Otherlands is also a wise manual for adaptive change rather than a prophecy of inevitable doom -- Matthew D'Ancona * Tortoise *Thomas Halliday offers a 550m-year tour of the incredible diversity of life that has existed on our planet... Halliday's trick is to tell his story in reverse. The first hominids exit early; the continents merge and drift and merge again; the sounds of the cretaceous forest fall silent as we pass beyond the evolution of birdsong. Life retreats from land to ocean, and the first eyes give way to the sightless world of the Ediacaran, an alien realm of crawling beings -- David Farrier * Prospect *A brilliant series of reconstructions of life in the deep past, richly imagined from the fine details of the fossil record... A real achievement... Reading Halliday's book is as near to the experience of visiting these ancient worlds as you are likely to get -- Jon Turney * Arts Desk *Writing with gusto and bravado [...] Halliday has honed a unique voice... Otherlands is a verbal feast. You feel like you are there on the Mammoth Steppe, some 20,000 years ago, as frigid winds blow off the glacial front... Along the way, we learn astounding facts -- Steve Brusatte * Scientific American *Vivid... An intricate analysis of our planet's interconnected past, it is impossible to come away from Otherlands without awe for what may lie ahead -- Amancai Biraben * Independent *Halliday takes us on a journey into deep time in this epic book, showing us Earth as it used to be and the worlds that were here before ours -- ‘The Hottest Books of the Year Ahead’ * Independent *This is a piece of nature writing that covers millions of years, from the very start of evolution, while capturing the almost unthinkable ways geography has shifted and changed over time. Epic in scope and executed with charming enthusiasm, Otherlands looks set to be a big talking point for fans of non-fiction in 2022 -- ‘The 15 New Novels And Non-Fiction Books To Read In 2022’ * Mr Porter *Palaeobiologist Thomas Halliday embraces a yet more epic timescale in Otherlands: A World in the Making, touring the many living worlds that preceded ours, from the mammoth steppe in glaciated Alaska to the lush rainforests of Eocene Antarctica. If you have ever wondered what sound a pterosaur's wings made in flight, this is the book for you -- 'The best science books coming your way in 2022’ * New Scientist *Full of wonder and fascination, exquisitely written, this is time travel of spectacular dimensions - a journey into our planet's evolution and the world in which we live. A compellingly important read -- Isabella Tree, author of WILDINGThe best book on the history of life on Earth I have ever read -- Tom Holland, author of DOMINIONThomas Halliday's debut is a kaleidoscopic and evocative journey into deep time. He takes quiet fossil records and complex scientific research and brings them alive - riotous, full-coloured and three-dimensional. You'll find yourself next to giant two-metre penguins in a forested Antarctica 41 million years ago or hearing singing icebergs in South Africa some 444 million years ago. Maybe most importantly, Otherlands is a timely reminder of our planet's impermanence and what we can learn from the past -- Andrea Wulf, author of THE INVENTION OF NATUREDeep time is very hard to capture - even to imagine - and yet Thomas Halliday has done so in this fascinating volume. He wears his grasp of vast scientific learning lightly; this is as close to time travel as you are likely to get -- Bill McKibben, author of FALTERAn absolutely gripping adventure story, exploring back through the changing vistas of our own planet's past. Earth has been many different worlds over its planetary history, and Thomas Halliday is the perfect tour guide to these past landscapes, and the extraordinary creatures that inhabited them. Otherlands is science writing at its very finest -- Lewis Dartnell, author of ORIGINSOtherlands is one of those rare books that's both deeply informative and daringly imaginative. It will change the way you look at the history of life, and perhaps also its future -- Elizabeth Kolbert, author of THE SIXTH EXTINCTIONThis stunning biography of our venerable Earth, detailing her many ages and moods, is an essential travel guide to the changing landscapes of our living world. As we hurtle into the Anthropocene, blindly at the helm of this inconstant planet, Halliday gives us our bearings within the panorama of deep time. Aeons buckle under his pen: the world before us made vivid; the paradox of our permanence and impermanence visceral. Wonderful -- Gaia Vince, author of TRANSCENDENCEStirring, surprising and beautifully written, Otherlands offers glimpses of times so different to our own they feel like parallel worlds. In its lyricism and the intimate attention it pays to nonhuman life, Thomas Halliday's book recalls Rachel Carson's Under the Sea Wind, and marks the arrival of an exciting new voice -- Cal Flynn, author of ISLANDS OF ABANDONMENTImaginative -- Andrew Robinson * Nature *This study of our prehistoric earth is "beyond cinematic", James McConnachie says. "It could well be the best book I read in 2022 -- Robbie Millen and Andrew Holgate, Books of the Year * Sunday Times *It's phenomenally difficult for human brains to grasp deep time. Even thousands of years seem unfathomable, with all human existence before the invention of writing deemed 'prehistory', a time we know very little about. Thomas Halliday's book Otherlands helps to ease our self-centred minds into these depths. Moving backwards in time, starting with the thawing plains of the Pleistocene (2.58 million - 12,000 years ago) and ending up in the marine world of the Ediacaran (635-541 mya), he devotes one chapter to each of the intervening epochs or periods and, like a thrilling nature documentary, presents a snapshot of life at that time. It's an immersive experience, told in the present tense, of these bizarre 'otherlands', populated by creatures and greenery unlike any on Earth today -- Books of the Year * Geographical *Each chapter of this literary time machine takes us further back in prehistory, telling vivid stories about ancient creatures and their alien ecologies, ending 550 million years ago -- The Telegraph Cultural Desk, Books of the Year * Telegraph *The largest-known asteroid impact on Earth is the one that killed the dinosaurs 65?million years ago, but that is a mere pit stop on Thomas Halliday's evocative journey into planetary history in Otherlands. Each chapter of this literary time machine takes us further back into the deep past, telling vivid stories about ancient creatures and their alien ecologies, until at last we arrive 550?million years ago in the desert of what is now Australia, where no plant life yet covers the land. Halliday notes the urgency of reducing carbon emissions in the present to protect our settled patterns of life, but adds: "The idea of a pristine Earth, unaffected by human biology and culture, is impossible." It's an epic lesson in the impermanence of all things -- Steven Poole, Books of the Year * Telegraph *The world on which we live is "undoubtedly a human planet", Thomas Halliday writes in this extraordinary debut. But "it has not always been, and perhaps will not always be". Humanity has dominated the Earth for a tiny fraction of its history. And that History is vast. We tend to lump all dinosaurs, for example, into one period in the distant past. But more time passed between the last diplodocus and the first tyrannosaurus than has passed between the last tyrannosaurus and the present day. A mind-boggling fact. This is a glorious, mesmerising guide to the past 500 million years bought to life by this young palaeobiologist's rich and cinematic writing -- Ben Spencer, Books of the Year * Sunday Times *A book that I really want to read but haven't yet bought - so I hope it goes into my Christmas stocking - is Otherlands: A World in the Making by Thomas Halliday. It sounds so amazing - a history of the world before history, before people. He's trying to write the history of the organisms and the plants and the creatures and everything else as the world grows from protozoic slime or whatever we emerged from. It sounds like an absolutely incredible effort of imagination. I think that Christmas presents should be books you can curl up with and get engrossed in and transported by - and Otherlands sounds like exactly that -- Michael Wood, Books of the Year * BBC History Magazine *But, of course, not all history is human history, Otherlands, by Thomas Halliday, casts its readers further and further back, past the mammoths, past the dinosaurs, back to an alien world of shifting rock and weird plants. It is a marvel -- Books of the Year * Prospect *

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Book SynopsisAccording to Schauberger, water is akin to blood in the human body - the most important life-giving and energy-empowering substance on the planet. Yet, with incorrect, ignorant handling, it becomes diseased, affecting human, animal and vegetable life alike, causing physical decay and, in the case of people, their moral, mental and spiritual deterioration as well. Schauberger was a fearless exponent of natural energy and a fascinating polemicist, revelling in doing battle with contemporary orthodox scientists. Sadly, the same extractive and water management policies which brought devastation and widespread pollution in his day have even greater consequences today. Themes addressed in this book include: The natural pulsation of water and how to maintain it How minute differences in temperature affect the natural function of water in the earth, in plants and rivers. How to regulate rivers without damaging their vitality and health The natural conversion of sea-water into fresh water The consequence of sterilisation and chlorination of water

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Book SynopsisThe oceans are our planet''s most distinctive and imposing natural habitat. They cover 71 per cent of its surface; support a remarkably diverse and exquisitely adapted array of life forms, from microscopic viruses, bacteria, and plankton to the largest existing animals; and possess many of Earth''s most significant, intriguing, and inaccessible ecosystems. In an era in which humans are significantly altering the global environment, the oceans are undergoing rapid and profound changes. The study of marine biology is thus taking on added importance and urgency as people struggle to understand and manage these changes to protect our marine ecosystems. Healthy oceans produce half of the oxygen we breathe; stabilize our climate; create ecosystems that protect our coasts from storms; provide us with abundant food; and host diverse organisms that provide us with natural products for medicine and biotechnology. In this Very Short Introduction, marine biologist Philip Mladenov provides an accessible and up-to-date overview of marine biology, offering a tour of marine life and marine processes that ranges from the unimaginably abundant microscopic organisms that drive the oceans'' food web to the apex predators that we exploit for food; from polar ocean ecosystems to tropical coral reefs; and from the luxurious kelp beds of the coastal ocean to deep-ocean hydrothermal vents where life exists without the energy of the sun. Throughout the book he considers the human impacts on marine life including overfishing, plastic and nutrient pollution, the spread of exotic species, and ocean warming and acidification. He discusses the threats these pose to our welfare, and the actions required to put us on a path to a more sustainable relationship with our oceans so that they can be restored and protected for future generations. Mladenov concludes with a new chapter offering an inspiring vision for the future of our oceans in 2050 that can be realised if we are wise enough to accelerate actions already underway and be bold with implementing new approaches.The next decade will decide the state of the oceans that we leave behind for future generations. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewMarine Biology represents a useful "very short introduction" for students looking to develop their understanding of the marine field and for enthusiasts and conservationists looking to dive further into the oceans and the life they hold. * Conservation Biology *Broken into logical and easily digestible chapters and aided by intuitive easy-to-read diagrams, the author makes numerous complex ideas and theories easily comprehensible. * Society for Conservation Biology *Authoritative yet tender, this is a first-rate introduction to the mysteries of life in the ocean - and a glimpse of how that life is changing as humans damage the very chemistry of the sea around us. * Alanna Mitchell, author of Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis *Dipping a toe into any chapter of this Very Short Introduction is like diving into the complex, wonderful world of ocean life. You're quickly and fully immersed in every topic. * Professor Stephen Palumbi, Stanford University *Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsList of illustrationsList of tablesList of abbreviations Introduction 1: The oceanic environment 2: Marine biological processes 3: Life in the coastal ocean 4: Polar marine biology 5: Marine life in the tropics 6: Deep-ocean biology 7: Intertidal life 8: Food from the oceans 9: The future of our oceansFurther readingIndex

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Book SynopsisIn the growth rings of every tree are ingrained and encrypted the stories of the tree, its environment and the changes through which it has lived. Growing archives of tree-ring samples allow us to read and decode these natural timelines in ever greater detail. In the Circle of Ancient Trees narrates the stories of ten ancient trees, considering why they grew where they grew; how they reflect their habitat; and the events to which they bore witness. Valerie Trouet curates chapter essays by ecologists with specialist knowledge of each tree, exploring how human and environmental history share common roots, while drilling down into the ecology, persistence and resilience of each species. Illustrated with commissioned wood- engravings and tree-ring infographics that visualise each tree's chronology and geography, In the Circle of Ancient Trees uses circular narratives beginning and ending with the tree's relationship to its location and environment that consider what lessons for our future might be discovered in our planet's past.

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Book SynopsisIf you want to know how we know what we know about dinosaurs, read this book!' Steve BrusatteTrade Review'Undoubtedly a useful contribution to the corpus of popular books on dinosaur biology … the narrative is consistently interesting' - School Science Review'New science has transformed the way we understand the lives and evolution of the dinosaurs … Mike Benton has brought together all the latest information in this succinct and well illustrated book to challenge previously accepted ideas, and succeeds in bringing these fascinating creatures back to life for another generation' - Richard Fortey'I defy anyone who is, like me, a non-scientist to read it and not feel a sense of wonder' - Tom Holland, Guardian'Fascinating … a bold reiteration of the scientific method itself' - Scotland on Sunday'The Dinosaurs Rediscovered is easy to recommend. Benton’s enthusiasm is infectious, and his skill at packing so many exciting developments into this book speaks of his deep involvement in this field … now is a very exciting time, indeed, to be a palaeontologist' - Leon Vlieger, Natural History Book Service'Fascinating' - Dinosaur SocietyTable of ContentsPreface • 1. Origin of the Dinosaurs • 2. Making the Tree • 3. Digging Up Dinosaurs 4. Breathing – Brains – Behaviour • 5. Jurassic Park • 6. From Baby to Giant • 7. How Did They Eat? • 8. How Did They Move and Run? • 9. Mass Extinction • 10. Afterword

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Book SynopsisForage more than 100 delicious edible plants straight from your backyard with this useful, engaging, beautifully illustrated guide. Nature-lovers, gardeners, and foodies can turn their backyard into a bounty with tips for identifying wild plants, advice for beginner and experienced harvesters, and more than 600 ideas and recipes to bring the wild into the kitchen.

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Book SynopsisUnderstanding how our living environment works is essentially a study of ecological systems. Ecology is the science of how organisms interact with each other and with their environment, and how such interactions create self-organising communities and ecosystems. This science touches us all. The food we eat, the water we drink, the natural resources we use, our physical and mental health, and much of our cultural heritage are to a large degree products of ecological interactions of organisms and their environment. This Very Short Introduction celebrates the centrality of ecology in our lives. Jaboury Ghazoul explores how ecology has evolved rapidly from natural history to become a predictive science that explains how the natural world works, and which guides environmental policy and management decisions. Drawing on a range of examples, he shows how ecological science can be applied to management and conservation, including the extent to which theory has shaped practice. Ecological science has also shaped social and cultural perspectives on the environment, a process that influences politics of the environment. Ghazoul concludes by considering the future of ecology, particularly in the light of current and future environmental challenges. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewOverall, this is a good starting point to get acquainted with ecology by being synthetic and easy to read; it would be a good resource also for undergraduate students. * Conservation Biology *This is a good starting point to get acquainted with ecology by being synthetic and easy to read. * Society for Conservation Biology *Table of ContentsPreface List of illustrations 1: What is ecology? 2: History of ecology 3: Principles and theories 4: The big questions 5: Applied ecology 6: Ecology in culture and politics 7: The future of ecology Further reading Index

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Book SynopsisWINNER of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Author of the New York Times 2023 "Notable Book" Crossings Washington Post “50 Notable Works of Nonfiction” Science News “Favorite Science Books of 2018” Booklist “Top Ten Science/Technology Book of 2018” "A marvelously humor-laced page-turner about the science of semi-aquatic rodents…. A masterpiece of a treatise on the natural world.”—The Washington Post In Eager, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb reveals that our modern idea of what a healthy landscape looks like and how it functions is wrong, distorted by the fur trade that once trapped out millions of beavers from North America’s lakes and rivers. The consequences of losing beavers were profound: streams eroded, wetlands dried up, and species from salmon to swans lost vital habitat. Today, a growing coalition of “Beaver Believers”—including scientists, ranchers, and passionate citizens—recognizes that ecosystems with beavers are far healthier, for humans and non-humans alike, than those without them. From the Nevada deserts to the Scottish highlands, Believers are now hard at work restoring these industrious rodents to their former haunts. Eager is a powerful story about one of the world’s most influential species, how North America was colonized, how our landscapes have changed over the centuries, and how beavers can help us fight drought, flooding, wildfire, extinction, and the ravages of climate change. Ultimately, it’s about how we can learn to coexist, harmoniously and even beneficially, with our fellow travelers on this planet.Trade Review“Written with clarity, intelligence, and humor, this engaging book will appeal to basically everyone.”―Forbes“Eager takes us inside the amazing world of nature’s premier construction engineer…and shows us why the restoration of an animal almost driven to extinction is producing wide-ranging, positive effects on our landscapes, ecology, and even our economy.”―National Geographic"Impressively researched, charmingly written, absolutely persuasive book. . . .Goldfarb makes his argument with a quiet power and deceptively breezy writing that paints a vivid picture of how the various inhabitants of the natural world rely on one other. Take one vital piece out and the whole thing could collapse."—The Seattle Times"This book lodges itself among the ranks of the best sort of environmental journalism.”―The Boston Globe“Eager is a passionate, captivating love letter to the beaver.”―The Christian Science Monitor "Goldfarb’s writing shines with beautiful language and colorful stories.”―Science News“Engrossing and elegantly written…. Within its wide scope, Eager includes nuggets sure to make you the most fascinating conversationalist at your next party.”―Scientific American“A revelation! If we only let them live, beavers are the solution to many of our nation’s ecological problems. . . . Goldfarb’s wonderful book might just tail-slap a politician or two into realizing how much we need them to restore our critical wetlands.”—Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus “This witty, engrossing book will be a classic from the day it is published.”—Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature“European settlers who cut, plowed, and shot their way west also trapped the country nearly clean of mammals. . . . Now, though, beavers are on the rebound, and the how and who of that story, as told in Eager, will give you a new and completely different concept of the continent.”—Carl Safina, New York Times bestselling author of Beyond Words“[Goldfarb] writes eloquently of the return of this industrious, habitat–enriching animal, its conflicts with humans and their property, and of the ways both elegant and Rube Goldbergian in which beaver and human needs can be balanced.”―Booklist, Starred Review"[Goldfarb] shares his findings in lucid and entertaining prose….Filled with hard facts and fascinating people (and animals), [Eager] is an authoritative, vigorous call for understanding and action."―Kirkus, Starred Review"In this diverting volume, environmental journalist Goldfarb sings the praises of beavers. . . . An affectionate portrait of these 'hardy rodents.’"―Publishers Weekly“This comprehensive book provides a well-rounded consideration of a frequently misunderstood species….Even if you don’t think you have an opinion on beavers, this engaging book will make you a beaver believer."―Library Journal"Lively and educational….Eager offers rare insight into the history of beavers and their behavior, qualities, and characteristics. Even more importantly, [it] explores the animals’ complex relationship with humans, and the essential role they play in developing ponds and streams that support wildlife."―Foreword ReviewsChoice Reviews— "A thought-provoking book for anyone interested in ecosystems science." Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Nature’s Engineers 2. Dislodged 3. An Uneasy Truce 4. Embracing the Pest 5. The Beaver Whisperer 6. California Dreamin’ 7. Making the Desert Bloom 8. Too Far Gone 9. Going Global 10. Future of the Dammed

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Book SynopsisEcology: Concepts and Applications was written for students taking their first undergraduate course in ecology. The authors have assumed that students in this one-semester course have some knowledge of basic chemistry and mathematics and have had a course in general biology, which included introductions to evolution, physiology, and biological diversity.Table of Contents1 Introduction to Ecology: Historical Foundations and Developing FrontiersSection I Natural History and Evolution 2 Life on Land 3 Life in Water 4 Population Genetics and Natural Selection Section II Adaptations to the Environment5 Temperature Relations 6 Water Relations 7 Energy and Nutrient Relations 8 Social Relations Section III Population Ecology9 Population Distribution and Abundance 10 Population Dynamics 11 Population Growth 12 Life Histories Section IV Interactions13 Species Interactions and Competition 14 Exploitative Interactions: Predation, Herbivory, Parasitism, and Disease 15 Mutualism Section V Communities and Ecosystems16 Species Abundance and Diversity 17 Species Interactions and Community Structure18 Primary and Secondary Production19 Nutrient Cycling and Retention 20 Succession and Stability Section VI Large-Scale Ecology21 Landscape Ecology 22 Geographic Ecology 23 Global Ecology

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Book SynopsisTwo hundred million years ago the earth consisted of a single vast continent, Pangea, surrounded by a great planetary sea. Continental drift tore apart Pangaea, and for millennia the hemispheres were separate, evolving almost entirely different suites of plants and animals. Columbus's arrival in the Americas brought together these long-separate worlds. Many historians believe that this collision of ecosystems and cultures - the Columbian Exchange - was the most consequential event in human history since the Neolithic Revolution. And it was the most consequential event in biological history since the extinction of the dinosaurs. Beginning with the world of microbes and moving up the species ladder to mankind, Mann rivetingly describes the profound effect this exchanging of species had on the culture of both continents.

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Book SynopsisThis handbook provides an overview on wood science and technology of unparalleled comprehensiveness and international validity. It describes the fundamental wood biology, chemistry and physics, as well as structure-property relations of wood and wood-based materials. The different aspects and steps of wood processing are presented in detail from both a fundamental technological perspective and their realisation in industrial contexts. The discussed industrial processes extend beyond sawmilling and the manufacturing of adhesively bonded wood products to the processing of the various wood-based materials, including pulp and paper, natural fibre materials and aspects of bio-refinery. Core concepts of wood applications, quality and life cycle assessment of this important natural resource are presented. The book concludes with a useful compilation of fundamental material parameters and data as well as a glossary of terms in accordance with the most important industry standards. Written and edited by a truly international team of experts from academia, research institutes and industry, thoroughly reviewed by external colleagues, this handbook is well-attuned to educational demands, as well as providing a summary of state-of-the-art research trends and industrial requirements. It is an invaluable resource for all professionals in research and development, and engineers in practise in the field of wood science and technology.Table of ContentsA survey to forests and wood production.- PART A: Wood science.- Wood biology.- Wood biodeterioration.-Wood chemistry.- Physics of woods and wood-based materials.- Modeling the mechanical behavior of wood materials and structures.- Part B: Fundamentals of wood technology.- Basic processes.- Cutting and disintegration.- Drying and steaming.- Joining and reassembling.- Surface treatment and functionalization.- Preservation.- Reshaping and densification.- Measurement and quality assessment.- Part C: Industrial processes and materials.- Saw milling.- Lumber drying and steaming.- Wood-based materials.- Bioinspired materials.- Pulp and paper.- Natural fibre-based materials.- Utilization of wood for energy.- Wood biorefineries.- Process organization, automation and optimization.- Part D: Wood product development.- Wood product design.- Environmental impacts and life cycle analysis.- Part E: Important data.- Physical properties.- Relevant standards.- Chemical composition for selected species.- Thermal properties.

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Book SynopsisNature produces energy by slow, cool, implosive means - by a centripeta inward motion, while our presnt culture uses explosive centrifugal (outwards) movement, which is wasteful and many times less powerful and effective. It aslo uses up the Earth's resources and pollutes her ecosystems. This volume describes different kinds of energy machines which depend on the principle of implosion: a spring water-producing machine a tornado home energy generator a Klimator which produces mountain-quality air the biotechnical submarine a technique for producing power from ocean deeps

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Book SynopsisA funny and beautifully written welcome to the enigmatic, weird and wonderful world of wasps' DAVE GOULSON, author of SILENT EARTHThere may be no insect with a worse reputation than the wasp, and none guarding so many undiscovered wonders.Where bees and ants have long been the darlings of the insect world, wasps are much older, cleverer and more diverse. They are the bee's evolutionary ancestors flying 100 million years earlier and today they are just as essential for the survival of our environment. A bee, ecologist Professor Seirian Sumner argues, is just a wasp that has forgotten how to hunt.For readers of Entangled Life, Other Minds and The Gospel of Eels, this is a book to upturn your expectations about one overlooked animal and the wider architecture of our natural world.With endless surprises, this book might teach you about the wasps that spend their entire lives sealed inside a fig, about stinging wasps, about parasitic wasps, about wasps that turn cockroaches into living zoTrade Review‘Sumner's tale is thrilling, warm and scholarly in equal measure, and brilliantly repairs the reputation of wasps – most beautiful and wonderful as they truly are’Adam Rutherford, author of How to Argue with a Racist ‘A book I never knew I needed that is an absolute delight to read … Finally, a cure for our irrational fear of this unfairly demonised insect … A book that draws us in to the strange beauty of what we so often run away from’Robin Ince ‘If you’ve ever wondered “why do wasps exist?” you must read this book. There is so much more to them than you ever imagined. A funny and beautifully written welcome to the enigmatic, weird and wonderful world of wasps’Dave Goulson, author of Silent Earth ‘I thought I knew about wasps – I was wrong … A tremendously good read that left me buzzing with excitement and reminded me why I became an entomologist’George McGavin ‘Sometimes the most perfect books are those that shine a light on surprising, neglected subjects. Endless Forms is just such a book. Summer writes lucidly and entertainingly about this most fascinating of creatures’Will Storr ‘You also shouldn’t miss Endless Forms … which explains why you shouldn’t, on any account, go squashing these remarkable creatures to a pulp … [A] marvellous, revelatory natural history’Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller, Editor’s Choice ‘Contains splendidly vivid descriptions of modern techniques of entomological heredity and genomics, as well as insect-scale neuroscience … it would be a tetchy soul who did not begrudgingly admire them a bit more’Telegraph ‘Sumner’s vivid enthusiasm for wasps is contagious … with every animated description of the daily lives of a wasp family, my prejudices melt away’Guardian ‘Sumner is an exuberant guide to the world of wasps and may even persuade you not to whack the next one you find in your kitchen’Daily Mail

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Book SynopsisAn exploration of the invisible connections sustaining the entire natural world from the bestselling author of The Hidden Life of Trees Did you know that trees can influence the rotation of the earth?Or that wolves can alter the course of a river?Or that earthworms control wild boar populations?The natural world is a web of intricate connections, many of which go unnoticed by humans. But it is these connections that maintain nature’s finely balanced equilibrium.Drawing on the latest scientific discoveries and decades of experience as a forester, Peter Wohlleben shows us how different animals, plants, rivers, rocks and weather systems cooperate, and what's at stake when these delicate systems are unbalanced. ‘Peter Wohlleben doesn't merely look, he sees. Let's all learn as much from him as we can, and quickly’ Rosamund Young, author of The Secret Life of CowsTrade ReviewPeter Wohlleben doesn't merely look, he sees. Let's all learn as much from him as we can, and quickly. -- Rosamund Young, author of THE SECRET LIFE OF COWSFascinating… Wohlleben is right to remind us that everything is joined up -- Julian Glover * Evening Standard *A fascinating read * BBC Wildlife *Praise for The Hidden Life of Trees: ‘Marvellous’ -- John Banville * Irish Times *Praise for The Inner Life of Animals: 'Always fascinating… Wry, avuncular, careful and kind' -- Richard Kerridge * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisAn updated edition of an underground classicThis is the 4th edition of a self-published book that no respectable publisher would touch with a ten-foot shovel. The 1st edition was published in 1994 with a print run of 600 copies, which the author expected to watch decompose in his garage for the rest of his life. Now, 24 years later, the book has sold over 65,000 print copies in the U.S. alone, been translated in whole or in part into 19 languages and been published in foreign editions on four continents.The previous editions won numerous awards, including the Independent Publisher Outstanding Book of the Year Award, deeming the book Most Likely to Save the Planet. The book has been mentioned on such diverse media outlets as: Mother Earth News, Whole Earth Review, Countryside Journal, The Journal of Environmental Quality, Natural Health, NPR, BBC, CBC, Howard Stern, The Wall Street Journal, Playboy Magazine, Organic Gardening Magazine, the History Channel, Tree House Masters, and many other national and international venues.The 4th edition is a completely revised, expanded, and updated version of what has become an underground classic bestseller. The author draws from 40 years of research, experience, and travel, to expand and clarify your knowledge and understanding of... your poop!Not only does the book address what to do with human turds, but it is also a priceless manual for anyone involved in composting or gardening, or looking for basic survival skills. There is no other book like this in print!Trade Review"This is a cult classic which might strike those without an outhouse as disgusting. But the methods outlined within have the potential to change the ecological fate of the world."–New Yorker Magazine"Despite all the books on manure and how to use it, human manure composting is not covered elsewhere, making the Humanure Handbook a fine reference for any who would learn these basics. If you're an avid composter, there's nothing like this on the market."–Midwest Book Review"Finally we have a comprehensive book on recycling human excrement without chemicals, high technology, or pollution. Well written, practical, and thoroughly researched . . ."–Whole Earth Review"Almost certain to become a classic in its field. This book should be required reading. . . ."–Countryside Journal"We think The Humanure Handbook ranks right up there with Rachel Carson's Silent Spring . . ."–HortIdeas

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Book SynopsisVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, InspiringSymbiosis, the sustained and intimate associations between unrelated life forms, is now recognized as a ubiquitous phenomenon, one that has shaped evolution since the origin of life and that continues to affect all species. This overview of symbiosis starts with a quick history of relevant early discoveries and researchers, and considers why symbiosis was so long neglected as a respectable topic of biological research and why it was a controversial topic. Today, symbiosis is widely appreciated as being everywhere in nature and as a pervasive influence on ecological communities. One chapter explores the fundamental drivers that lead to symbiotic associations, using examples ranging from sap-feeding insects to marine flatworms to coniferous forests to illustrate the nature of services exchanged between symbiotic partners. Another considers the evolutionary stability of symbiotic partnerships, which can quickly decay in the face of symbiotic cheating.Certain symbioses that have had an outsized impact on life on Earth, and on Earth itself, are given particular attention. A full chapter is devoted to the most consequential of all symbioses: the origin of the complex (eukaryotic) cell, and the origin of chloroplasts and green plants. Other triumphs of symbiosis described include the root-fungus associations that enabled plants to colonize land 450 million years ago, gut microbial communities that empower animals to utilize a wide range of foods including plant fiber wood and sap, and coral-algal symbioses that resulted in the rise of coral reefs.Analyses of genomic DNA have been important in symbiosis research, and this Very Short Introduction describes these molecular approaches, explaining how they sparked discovery of previously unknown symbionts, including those in our own bodies. Molecular data also have enabled us to understand the roles of symbionts within hosts, and the ages of symbiont-host associations, which range from hundreds of millions of years to very recent.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

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Book SynopsisCharles Krebs is Emeritus Professor of Zoology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He received his B.S. from the University of Minnesota and earned both his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia. In addition to teaching ecology for 40 years, he works extensively on the population of rodents in Northern Canada, the United States, and Australia, trying to understand the mechanisms behind population fluctuations. He has published three ecology textbooks including Ecology: The Experimental Analysis of Distribution and Abundance, Sixth Edition and Ecological Methodology, Second Edition both published by Benjamin Cummings.Table of ContentsGlossary 1. Introduction to the Science of Ecology 2. Evolution and Ecology 3. Behavioral Ecology 4. Analyzing Geographic Distributions 5. Factors That Limit Distributions I: Biotic 6. Factors That Limit Distributions II: Abiotic 7. Distribution and Abundance 8. Population Parameters and Demographic Techniques 9. Population Growth 10. Species Interactions I: Competition 11. Species Interactions II: Predation 12. Species Interactions III: Herbivory and Mutualism 13. Species Interactions IV: Disease and Parasitism 14. Regulation of Population Size 15. Applied Problems I: Harvesting Populations 16. Applied Problems II: Pest Control 17. Applied Problems III: Conservation Biology 18. Community Structure in Space: Biodiversity 19. Community Structure in Time: Succession 20. Community Dynamics I: Predation and Competition in Equilibrial Communities 21. Community Dynamics II: Disturbance and Nonequilibrium Communities 22. Ecosystem Metabolism I: Primary Production 23. Ecosystem Metabolism II: Secondary Production 24. Ecosystem Metabolism III: Nutrient Cycles 25. Ecosystem Dynamics under Changing Climates 26. Ecosystem Health and Human Impacts Appendix: A Primer on Population Genetics Appendix: Instantaneous and Finite Rates Appendix: Species Diversity Measures of Heterogeneity Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisFor millennia, trees have offered renewal and inspiration.  They have provided for humanity on every level, from spiritual sanctuary to the raw material for our homes, books, and food. In this beautiful and revealing book, National Geographic combines legendary photography with cutting-edge science to illuminate exactly how trees influence the life of planet Earth—from our personal lives to the weather cycle. Beautifully illustrated essays tell the stories of the world’s most remarkable trees, from Tane Mahura in New Zealand, the ancient Maori 'lord of the forest,' to Pando, a single aspen spreading over 100 acres: Earth’s largest living thing. You’ll also discover how an astronaut carried tree seeds to the moon and back; the reason 'microdosing' on tree gas is a sure way to boost your immune system; and why playing in the dirt boosts serotonin, happiness hormone.   For nature and science enthusiasts, as well as phot

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Book SynopsisIn this inspiring collection of essays, acclaimed author David Quammen journeys to places where civilization meets raw nature and explores the challenge of balancing the needs of both.For more than two decades, award-winning science and nature writer David Quammen has traveled to Earth’s most far-flung and fragile destinations, sending back field notes from places caught in the tension between humans and the wild. This illuminating book features 20 of those assignments: elegantly written narratives, originally published in National Geographic magazine and updated for today, telling colorful and impassioned stories from some of the planet’s wildest locales. Quammen shares encounters with African elephants, chimpanzees, and gorillas (and their saviors, including Jane Goodall); the salmon of northeastern Russia and the people whose livelihood depends on them; the lions of Kenya and the villagers whose homes border on parks created to preserve

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Book SynopsisViktor Schauberger was one of the first genuine environmentalists. In the 1930s he was predicting ecological catastrophe when no-one else could see it coming. He foresaw: Global warming and its devastating consequences Increasing violence and lawlessness as the direct result of destructive methods which block Nature's energies and balance. The destruction of the world's forests and ecosystems. This, and the fact that he developed free energy machines through harnessing the magical processes of Nature, has made Viktor Schauberger truly a man of our times. Nature as Teacher details Schauberger's thinking about environmental catastrophe. It includes correspondence with contemporaries and, in particular, his feelings of frustration at the blindness of those in mainstream science who seemed to him to be more concerned with their own welfare and pride than with the fate of humanity. This volume gives tremendous insight into what is happening on the Earth today and presents practical solutions on how we may yet save our precious world.

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Book SynopsisYou step out of the back door into the garden. There may be a few birds flitting around, perhaps butterflies or bumblebees on the wing, but often the garden can seem very still. However, if you look beyond the superficial inactivity there is an ecological web of wildlife to explore, to understand and then to encourage more biodiversity. The Science of Garden Biodiversity: The Living Garden shows how data and science can help to dispel myths, such as that wildlife gardens are great for wildlife (and other gardens aren’t), that a garden fit for wildlife must be ‘wild’ and that you must grow native plants. It also provides an understanding of how diverse life can be in gardens and how gardens work. And along the way there are scientific ‘signposts’ to better wildlife gardening. Julian Doberski explains the role of 'small things' - microorganisms and invertebrates - that are fundamental to the ecological functioning of gardens. Learning more about the ecology of a garden helps us understand what makes a garden a refuge for wildlife and how following the science may lead to a more thoughtful and constructive approach to gardening, garden design and garden planting.Trade Review"Brings an informed, academic element that will satisfy serious growers and nature lovers." * The English Garden *"Meticulously referenced with the latest research, this book will appeal to all gardeners who want to please the local wildlife and better know the scientific basis of what they're doing." -- Ken Thompson, plant ecologist and lecturer * The Garden *"Community ecology is so important in the garden habitat but the information in the academic literature almost never escapes into the gardening media. Julian Doberski has undertaken several small but important meta-analyses that are very revealing. It`s a terrific work, and deserves every accolade it will undoubtedly receive." -- Dr Jolyon Kirby, Garden Ecologist

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisAstrobiologists study the origin and evolution of life on Earth and the possibility of life beyond Earth; a question that has fascinated scientists for hundreds of years. In this Very Short Introduction, David C. Catling introduces the latest scientific understanding of astrobiology, incorporating aspects of microbiology, geology, and astronomy.Trade ReviewAlthough this is a very short introduction, it is very comprehensive. The subject is introduced and pursued with a workman-like manner, getting down to the essentials directly. * The Skeptic, Norman Hansen *Table of Contents1. What is astrobiology? ; 2. From stardust to planets, the abodes for life ; 3. Origins ; 4. From slime to sublime ; 5. Life: a genome's way of making more and fitter genomes ; 6. Life in the solar system ; 7. Far-off worlds, distant suns ; 8. Controversies and prospects

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Book SynopsisToday there is no place on Earth that does not harbour invasive exotic species. Invasive plants and animals can be found on every continent, including Antarctica, and within all waterbodies, including all oceans. In our increasingly connected world, with speedy commercial and recreational travel and the global movement of biological matter for food, invasive species are showing up at such a fast rate that there is no way to accurately count how many currently exist or how many are likely to emerge in the coming decades. Monitoring these species and controlling their spread is essential, as we increasingly understand the negative impacts they pose: their threat to our health; the toll they take on our commercial production; and the threat they pose to native ecosystems. This Very Short Introduction provides a clear definition of an invasive species, and considers the myriad ways they are moved around the globe, and the ecological, social, and economic impacts they often impose. Exploring the way Earth''s biodiversity is being affected by global change, Julie Lockwood also discusses policy and management approaches to combating the ill-effects of invasive species, and how invasive species fit within the broader context of environmental change. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsList of illustrations 1: What is an invasive species? 2: Invasion pathways 3: Establishment 4: Spread 5: Ecological impact 6: Socio-economic impact 7: Policy and management 8: Future of invasion science Future reading Index

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Book SynopsisWith our world torn by climate change, deforestation, land degradation, hunger, malnutrition, poverty, loss of wildlife habitat, zoonotic pandemics, illegal migration and social injustice, this book seeks to find a practical and pragmatic way forwards. Based on the author's extensive experience of tropical agriculture and forestry around the world, as well as his combination of practical and academic agricultural qualifications, the second edition of Living with the Trees of Life presents a unique and positive perspective on resolving these big global issues. It aims to identify principles, strategies, techniques, and skills to find a path through the maze of options for sustainable living in the tropics and subtropics. The book specifically draws heavily on a single case study which involved working to resolve the failure of tropical and subtropical agriculture to feed, sustain and support the needs of rural communities. To address the 'big picture' facing society, the work identif

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Book SynopsisTake The Handbook of Nature-Study with you wherever you go with these handy new editions from Living Book Press.Each volume features the author''s classic Introduction to Nature-Study, an invaluable guide to help parents and teachers both understand the importance and benefits of studying nature and introduce this wonderful skill to their children. New full-color photos are included for those times that you''re unable to see nature up close. This volume features the section on Birds along with the author''s lesson questions, suggested readings, and teacher''s stories. Grab this book along with a field guide specific to your area and enjoy delving into the endlessly fascinating world that is nature-study.

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Book SynopsisThis volume focuses on practical applications of the principles that can be transferred from nature to our design space. It is thereby supported by the regulation and control systems as described by the science of cybernetics.Table of ContentsThe inexhaustible wealth of evolutionary optimal solutions.- Principles of nature or survival in an open "cooking pot".- Multidisciplinary developmental works.- Central operating principles of evolution.- Eight basic biocybernetic rules according to Frederic Vester.- Ways out of the trap of human short-sighted design routines.- Application of basic strategic principles of nature in the human design space.- Application of central operational principles of nature in the human design space.- Eight basic operational biocybernetic rules.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A first rate book that deserves a place on the shelves of every naturalist. But don't just leave it there; take it down and use it often."---David Gascoigne, Travels with Birds"As soon as you look at this book you know that itis going to be fascinating."---Claire Waring, Country Smallholder"Well written and nicely illustrated."---Choice, D.A. Brass

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Book SynopsisNautilus Award Gold Medal Winner, Ecology & Environment In Matter and Desire, internationally renowned biologist and philosopher Andreas Weber rewrites ecology as a tender practice of forging relationships, of yearning for connections, and of expressing these desires through our bodies. Being alive is an erotic process—constantly transforming the self through contact with others, desiring ever more life. In clever and surprising ways, Weber recognizes that love—the impulse to establish connections, to intermingle, to weave our existence poetically together with that of other beings—is a foundational principle of reality. The fact that we disregard this principle lies at the core of a global crisis of meaning that plays out in the avalanche of species loss and in our belief that the world is a dead mechanism controlled through economic efficiency. Although rooted in scientific observation, Matter and Desire becomes a tender philosophy for the Anthropocene, a “poetic materialism,” that closes the gap between mind and matter. Ultimately, Weber discovers, in order to save life on Earth—and our own meaningful existence as human beings—we must learn to love.Trade Review“The most powerful antidote to our pernicious culture of excessive material consumption is the creation and nurturing of communities, finding happiness in human relationships rather than seeking it in material possessions. At the very heart of community, at all levels of life, we find a fundamental impulse to establish connections. The author of this beautifully written book identifies this yearning for connections with the essence of love. In his philosophical meditations, Andreas Weber deepens the recent scientific advances toward a new systemic understanding of life by investing them with a vital emotional dimension. While the experience of being fully alive is, for him, an erotic experience, it has also been recognized as the very essence of spirituality. An important and inspiring book!”—Fritjof Capra, author of The Web of Life; coauthor of The Systems View of Life“Andreas Weber is an indispensable voice in ecological and philosophical thought. With fearless probity and autobiographical intimacy, Matter and Desire composes the symphonic grand design of desire, relationships, the metaphysics of the body—and much more—as page by page we experience Weber’s elegant subversion of all convenient ways of looking at the natural world. This is a timeless yet urgent, and splendid book.”—Howard Norman, author of I Hate To Leave This Beautiful Place“Andreas Weber offers us the best medicine I know for a culture benumbed by dead-end pursuits. Pulsing with life, his work delivers us from the centuries-long dichotomies between mind and matter that have robbed us of vitality, joy, and true purpose. It brings us home to the fertile reciprocities that link us with all forms and levels of life; in so doing, it reflects and reinforces great spiritual teachings of our planet.”—Joanna Macy, author of Coming Back to Life“A slow tidal wave of change is gathering force and will take us beyond the mechanistic world of Newton toward one of becoming. Andreas Weber’s Matter and Desire is a passionate evocation of intermingled life surging. He writes with the poetry, care, and insight that urges us forward.”—Stuart Kauffman, professor emeritus, biochemistry and biophysics, University of Pennsylvania; and MacArthur Fellow“With a dazzling blend of biological rigor and poetic grace, Andreas Weber explains the principles of erotic connection that lie at the heart of life on Earth. It is a journey that transcends the reductionist taxonomies of modern science and explains the transformational role of desire, interdependence, and meaning in the glorious unfolding of natural ecosystems—and in our own lives. Be prepared for a bracing adventure!”—David Bollier, author of Think Like a Commoner“When Andreas Weber looks on a meadow, he sees ‘part of our body, folded outward, ready to be strolled through.’ The ocean’s tides are ‘the way the Earth perceives the moon,’ and gravitation is ‘the Earth’s tender longing for us.’ With such graceful, lucid lines, Weber invites us to see a world filled with delight and one that yearns, as we do, for contact: the erotics of encounter. Part scientific reflection, part philosophical reverie, part lyrical benediction for the stones and swifts and plants and water ouzels of his beloved Ligurian countryside, Matter and Desire is a deeply felt book from a profoundly humane writer.”—Fred Bahnson, author of Soil and Sacrament; director, Food, Health, and Ecological Well-Being Program, Wake Forest University School of Divinity“Every page of Weber’s deeply illuminating new book is a passionate journey into the experience of being alive and in relationship. As an emergent ‘erotic ecology,’ this book is urgently needed medicine for a planet suffering from a shortage of love.”—David Lukas, author of Language Making Nature“Two hundred years ago, John Keats complained that modern science would ‘unweave a rainbow.’ This visionary and poetic discourse by Andreas Weber achieves the near-miraculous task of reweaving the stunning beauty of the natural world back into the realm of science. Transcending conventional barriers between categories of Western thought, with a style reminiscent of Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Weber explores some profound implications of modern biology and physics, presenting his vision of biology as the erotic science with the recognition that to truly experience love, we need to be fully connected to the creativity of life.”—Jeremy Lent, author of The Patterning Instinct“To read this marvellous book is to enter a secret garden where you’ll discover a natural world far more alive, sentient, and meaningful than science has so far dared suppose. With luminous prose Weber’s ‘erotic ecology’ charts a path into a new scientific understanding in which atoms, organisms, and entire ecosystems overflow with purpose, interiority, and psyche, lighting up your life, helping you experience reality with freshness and depth of vision. A masterpiece.”—Dr. Stephan Harding, author of Animate Earth“A stunning piece of writing, as existential as it is experiential, Matter and Desire delves into the ‘science of the heart’ in compelling prose that frequently dances on the edge of poetry. The book provides vivid depictions of a big love: a near-mystical practice of discovering who we are through the creative energies that surround us and dwell within us. Andreas Weber ably guides his readers on this relational journey, articulating ecological intuitions that may have gone unnoticed yet were always on the tips of our tongues. From the forces of desire within molecules to the mistle thrush’s song vibrating in the evening air, Weber offers a bold and convincing case for the physicality of feeling and the ‘biology of love.’ The result is a profound meditation that bravely explores the subjectivity of a living biosphere and our particular relations within it. If philosophy literally means the love of wisdom, then in Matter and Desire, Weber presents the wisdom of love, a reflective account of his intentional free-fall into the embrace of matter.”—Gavin Van Horn, director, Cultures of Conservation, Center for Humans and Nature“If what Andreas says is anything to go by—that love permeates all things so intrusively that the world can only be conceived in terms of relationship—then holding this book in your hand is an outrageous act of lovemaking, the breadth and depth of which you will never know! This is a gasp of a book.”—Bayo Akomolafe, author of These Wilds Beyond our Fences

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Book SynopsisA completely up-to-date introduction to the most common group of bees in Britain.Bees, for most people, mean honey or bumble bees, but in fact these social species make up only a small proportion of the species that live in Britain. Open your eyes to the so-called solitary' bees, and discover a wonderfully diverse population miners, leafcutters, carpenters and masons many of which can be found in your own back garden.Solitary bees come in a variety of colours and sizes, with some as large as bumblebees and some only a few millimetres long, and many are key pollinators for our crops and wildflowers. This comprehensive book will tell the story of how these bees live, reproduce and thrive: discover the numerous strategies used by male bees to find females and persuade them to mate; follow the females as they build their nests or in the case of cuckoo' species, sneak into the nests of their neighbours and watch as the new generation appears. Explore the interactions between flowering pTrade ReviewPraise for New Naturalist Solitary Bees:‘This stands out as my book of the year, and if you are only going to have one New Naturalist book on your shelves or you are an avid collector of the series, this book is a must have and I thoroughly recommend it.’ Steven Rutherford FBNA, Honorary Chairman, British Naturalists Association Reviews of Ted Benton’s previous volumes in the New Naturalist Series – Bumblebees and Grasshoppers & Crickets: ‘The most authoritative work on British bumblebees ever published.’Independent ‘This book is an inspiration. It will fascinate and arm you with everything you need to know to help you save our bumblebees. Buy it, enjoy it, and keep it safe.’BBC Wildlife ‘Ted Benton's entomological opus [New Naturalist] Grasshoppers & Crickets led me into the weird world of British orthoptera, with their edible nuptial gifts, "mate-guarding", harems and extraordinarily complex songs. No field or meadow will seem or sound the same again’ Robert Macfarlane, ‘Books of the Year 2012’, Guardian

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Book SynopsisThis book focuses on the European otter, describing its life history, including fresh information and providing details of survey methods and the state of populations throughout the range. Otters have decreased substantially in numbers and range during the present century through a combination of pollution, habitat destruction and direct persecution. The otter, at the top of the food chain, is a vulnerable animal in a vulnerable environment - the river - and can be seen as an indicator of a healthy environment; a good otter population indicates a properly functioning river ecosystem. The research of the authors highlights the fact that successful conservation of this familiar though elusive animal depends upon public education and sympathy as much as upon detailed ecological knowledge. This account will appeal to amateur naturalists, teachers of natural history and biological sciences and students of animal ecology and conservation. It also provides an important reference for professioTable of Contents1. Introduction; 2. Lutra Lutra; 3. Distribution and Status; 4. Factors Affecting Otter Survival; 5. Conservation; 6. The World's Otters; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Anyone lucky enough to be visiting this region of Australia should have a copy of the book."--Frederic H. Brock, Wildlife ActivistTable of Contents*Frontmatter, pg. 1*Contents, pg. 3*About this book, pg. 7*How to use this book, pg. 8*Maps of the Top End, pg. 10*Geography and geology of the Top End, pg. 12*Weather and seasons of the Top End, pg. 14*Habitats of the Top End, pg. 16*How to watch wildlife, pg. 20*Where to find wildlife, pg. 22*Birds of Wetlands and Beaches, pg. 24*Raptors: Hawks, Eagles and Falcons, pg. 80*Birds of the Forest: Mangroves and Monsoon Forests, pg. 94*Birds of Open Areas Woodlands and Grasslands, pg. 120*Mammals, pg. 196*Reptiles and Amphibians, pg. 220*Further reading, pg. 264*Acknowledgements, pg. 264*Photo credits, pg. 265*Index, pg. 267

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Book SynopsisWhere do camels belong? In the Arab world may seem the obvious answer, but they are relative newcomers there. They evolved in North America, retain their greatest diversity in South America, and the only remaining wild dromedaries are in Australia. This is a classic example of the contradictions of 'native' and 'invasive' species, a hot issue right now, as the flip-side of biodiversity. We have all heard the horror stories of invasives, from Japanese knotweed that puts fear into the heart of gardeners to brown tree snakes that have taken over the island of Guam. But do we need to fear invaders? And indeed, can we control them, and do we choose the right targets? Ken Thompson puts forward a fascinating array of narratives to explore what he sees as the crucial question - why only a minority of introduced species succeed, and why so few of them go on to cause trouble. He discusses, too, whether our fears could be getting in the way of conserving biodiversity, and responding to the threat of climate change.Trade ReviewThompson makes his case in a lively, readable style, spiced with a healthy dose of sarcasm towards "aliens = bad" fundamentalists. Better yet, he bolsters his argument with plenty of citations from the scientific literature, which adds welcome heft. -- Bob Holmes * New Scientist *Lively and punchy...You walk away from this book feeling flushed and a bit bruised. -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times *Ken Thompson...challenges us to look at the issue dispassionately and logically...a well put together book about the science and the philosophy surrounding invasive species. -- Simon Barnes * Times *An important and thought provoking book that deserves widespread exposure. At risk of hyperbole, I'd say it is to ecology what Darwin's Origin of Species was to evolution. -- Brian Clegg * popularscience.co.uk *

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Book SynopsisFrom the peat bogs and woodlands that help to secure our water supply, to the bees and soils that produce most of the food we eat, Britain is rich in 'natural capital'. Yet we take supplies of clean water and secure food for granted, rarely considering the free work nature does for Britain. In fact for years we have damaged the systems that sustain us under the illusion that we are keeping prices down, through intensive farming, drainage of bogs, clearing forests and turning rivers into canals. As Tony Juniper's new analysis shows, however, the ways in which we meet our needs often doesn't make economic sense. Through vivid first hand accounts and inspirational examples of how the damage is being repaired, Juniper takes readers on a journey to a different Britain from the one many assume we inhabit, not a country where nature is worthless or an impediment to progress, but the real Britain, the one where we are supported by nature, wildlife and natural systems at almost every turn.Trade ReviewPraise for Tony Juniper: 'He is by popular consent the most effective of Britain's eco-warriors * Independent *One of the top ten environmental figures of the last thirty years * The ENDS Report *[Tony Juniper] is among the 100 people who are making the decisions that affect your life * Country Life *What Nature Does for Britain, a fine book from Tony Juniper, demonstrates the many ways in which good management of our national natural assets promotes all kinds of economic and social benefits. It's a must-read for any one who is concerned about the way we run our country. -- Simon Barnes * Independent on Sunday *Partly a vision of a sustainably managed British landscape, and partly a tour of British businesses that have made a success of going green ... Juniper wants us to practise common-sense domestic economy -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times *Juniper provides an excellent summary of the UK's evolving ecological crisis -- James Attlee * Independent *Part research round-up, part manifesto, this treatise on Britain's 'natural capital' is a model of pragmatism. -- Barbara Kiser * Nature *Juniper's book is excellent ... no one is better qualified to tell us what is happening to our world, or what is being done and could be done to put things right. -- Colin Tudge * Literary Review *A cogent, persuasively argued book, Juniper shows how nature sustains us, from the peat bogs and woodlands that help to secure our water supply to the huge variety of insects that pollinate our plants. -- Eithne Farry * Sunday Express *Demonstrates the economic benefit of the mountains, moorland, hedgerows and wildlife that we love ... But this book isn't a diatribe. Despite climate change, Juniper doesn't take the we're-all-doomed view of the natural world. -- Clive Aslet * Daily Telegraph *Asks serious questions of our hopelessly myopic politicians, and suggests practical measures that would make the world a much better place. -- Stephen Moss * Guardian *Nature Books of the Year: If you only have time to read one book about our natural world, make it this one -- Andrew Sells, Chairman of Natural England * Country Life *

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