Rewild your life – Sarah Stirling

This book gives you 52 different activities to do relating to nature and also includes stories of Sarah’s own adventures and activities she’s done in nature. I loved reading about her stories of for instance the dawn chorus and jam making, having then done them myself and feeling as though I could share the experience with her, albeit through the pages.

Connections with nature – Kate Stephenson (and others)

This small book shares the story of 50 different environmentalists, animal lovers and wildlife bloggers and their various connections with nature. Written when the pandemic was in full swing it comes to highlight the positive impact nature has on our wellbeing and how vital it is to us all. Some of the stories are an inspiration to us all and the whole book really comes to highlight just how important a connection with nature is.

How to give up plastic – Will McCallum

Will shows us throughout the book the simple acts we can all make to reduce our own plastic. He also gives meaningful actions we can all take against larger corporations, to help tackle the problem and gives us hope with various success stories from people’s actions in the past.

How to save the world for free – Natalie Fée

This book shows the various actions each of us can all take, while not having to splash the cash. All too often the planet gets left behind with thoughts of but the more eco friendly option is more expensive, but Natalie goes to show us how we can all take meaningful action without it needing to break the bank.

Diary of a young naturalist – Dara McAnulty

This beautiful autobiography follows Dara, a keen conservationist and activist, through the year navigating life, school, the environment and all the challenges they bring. Dara is a true inspiration to us all and his passion for the natural world shines through everything.

Nomad century- Gaia Vince

In this recent release, Gaia walks through migration and this shift of people due to climate change. She mentions the pros and cons of people moving to and from areas, their drivers and how to overcome any issues that may be encountered. It is a great book explaining how migration is going to happen and that we should learn to embrace it and work with ‘migrants’ for the benefit of all. Vince uses a number of case studies to truly showcase narratives and ideas presented.

Rebirding- Benedict McDonald

Rebirding changed my view of how the countryside looks, how it should actually look and what it takes to get there. Benedict does a great job at explaining all of the faults in modern ‘countryside’ with issues in aspects such as hedgerows and back garden cleanliness. He portrays ways and then reasons for changes that should happen to restore the ecosystems back to their former glory.

From looking at evidence of the previous avifauna, appreciating the positives of Red Kite reintroduction to looking at evidence and the feasibility of further ideas like Dalmatian Pelicans, McDonald explores many different aspects of nature past, present and future in the UK giving a wide scope to the book and interesting points for anyone to engage with. He also mentions numerous different possibilities in which UK’s ecosystem can be restored and where and why they are best used. It is a compelling book that I recommend to all.

The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times- Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams

This book is written as a delightful set of conversations between Abrams and Jane Goodall, someone who brought together the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu and a leading chimpanzee expert and one of the most influential environmental activists of our generation. With so much to dwell on surrounding the environment, there are four themes that Jane outlines reasons to be positive about our chance to restore the planet; they are ‘The Amazing Human Intellect’, ‘The Resilience of Nature’, ‘The Power of Young People’, and ‘The Indomitable Human Spirit’ and each is presented with brilliant narratives behind Jane’s reasoning to be positive. Overall, it fills the reader with courage to help and I personally felt hope just from the sheer passion that Jane has.

Wilding- Isabella Tree

As one of the most talked about conservation approaches, rewilding is viable attempt to restore ecosystems and Knepp Estate in Sussex is the UK’s leading example. As the owner of Knepp, Tree talks through the initial ideas and vision, inspiration and then the process in returning Knepp to a fully functioning ecosystem. They’ve had great success there and I will be interested to see how they progress and continue to shape the conservation sector.

This book does a great job catering for both those looking to learn more about the process as well as those who are new to concept and I think this book and Knepp will continue to be a blueprint for nature conservation for decades.

Bringing Back the Beaver by Derek Gow

This book follows the progress of the reintroduction of the Eurasian beaver into Britain, and it shows how the movement has advanced over the years. It also explains beaver's crucial role in ecosystems as Keystone species, helping our efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change. Derek Gow is a farmer and nature conservationist who managed a European wildlife park in central Scotland, before developing two nature centers in England, and he played a significant role in the reintroduction of the Eurasian Beaver into Britain.

I read this book as part of the research for my EPQ on the reintroduction of Eurasian beavers into Britain. I found the book very insightful since it discusses the history of trying to reintroduce beavers into Britain before beavers were found on the river Otter in 2014. During my research I found that this time period had limited resources on the subject, and therefore this book gave me an insight I could not find elsewhere.

I would definitely recommend this book if you want to learn more about the reintroduction of Eurasian beavers into Britain!

Tickets for the Ark by Rebecca Nesbit

Rebecca Nesbit is an ecologist and author who writes about science and the ethical questions it can pose. This book discusses a series of debates, from the purpose of different animals to ethics/views surrounding certain topics. This includes bees vs wasps, bison vs Siberian larch trees and the animal rights vs animal welfare discussion. I found the animal rights vs animal welfare discussion very interesting, as it forces you to think about your position in the argument – which I personally had not greatly considered in the past.

Rebecca connects all of these debates to the future and explains how we can use the natural world to help us limit the impacts of climate change and create a better future for ourselves. She discusses initiatives such as ‘Pleistocene Park” and other strategies which can be used to combat climate change rather than more simple initiatives. This book is truly mind stimulating and will have you questioning your existing views and supplying you with ideas you might never have considered.