Human, Nature

A Naturalist’s Thoughts on Wildlife and Wild Places

Ian Carter (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

224 Seiten

2025
Pelagic Publishing (Verlag)
978-1-78427-541-9 (ISBN)

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What does it mean to be a part of—rather than apart from—nature? This book is about how we interact with wildlife and the ways in which this can make our lives richer and more fulfilling. But it also explores the conflicts and contradictions inevitable in a world that is now so completely dominated by our own species.

Interest in wildlife and wild places, and their profound effects on human wellbeing, have increased sharply as we face up to the ongoing biodiversity extinction crisis and reassess our priorities following a global pandemic. Ian Carter, lifelong naturalist and a former bird specialist at Natural England, sets out to uncover the intricacies of the relationship between humans and nature. In a direct, down-to-earth style he explains some of the key practical, ethical and philosophical problems we must navigate as we seek to reconnect with nature.

This wide-ranging and infectiously personal account does not shy away from controversial subjects—such as how we handle invasive species, reintroductions, culling or dog ownership—and reveals in stark terms that properly addressing our connection to the natural world is an imperative, not a luxury.

Short, pithy chapters make this book ideal for dipping into. Meanwhile, it builds into a compelling whole as the story moves from considering the wildlife close to home through to conflicts and, finally, the joy and sense of escape that can be had in the wildest corners of our landscapes, where there is still so much to discover.

Ian Carter took early retirement after twenty-five years as an ornithologist with Natural England. He was closely involved with the Red Kite reintroduction programme and wider work on the conservation of birds of prey, bird reintroductions and wildlife management. The cultural and philosophical aspects of nature conservation have always fascinated him, especially their influence on our attitudes towards the natural world. He has written articles for wildlife magazines including British Birds, British Wildlife and Birdwatch, and has co-authored papers in scientific journals. He wrote The Red Kite (Arlequin Press 2007) and, with Dan Powell, The Red Kite’s Year (Pelagic Publishing 2019), and has been on the Editorial Board of the journal British Birds for over twenty years. He keeps a wildlife diary and has written something in it (however dull) every day for over thirty-five years.

Acknowledgements

Introduction

CLOSE TO HOME

The island effect

The late-summer lull

Man’s best friend?

A rat’s life

Local patch wildlife

Familiar species

All-time favourite

HUMAN NATURE

Number conundrum

Mario or mud pies?

Splitting headaches

The naming game

Missing from the list

A love of birds?

Unwelcome wildlife

The sound of silence

Health-enhancing House Martins

Adopt a species

Wanted: dead or alive

The state of nature

Urban wildlife

CONFLICTS

Recent arrivals

Rescuing wildlife

The culture of killing

A tale of two raptors

Meddling with wildlife

Moving things around

WILD PLACES

The pursuit of wildness

Seabirds at sea

Western Isles refuge

A change of scene

Western Isles revisited

Index

Erscheint lt. Verlag	13.5.2025
Zusatzinfo	4 Illustrations, black and white
Verlagsort	Exeter
Sprache	englisch
Maße	127 x 178 mm
Themenwelt	Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte
Themenwelt	Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik ► Natur / Ökologie
ISBN-10	1-78427-541-7 / 1784275417
ISBN-13	978-1-78427-541-9 / 9781784275419
Zustand	Neuware