From Wasps to whales – how do we choose what to save?
Profile Books, 17.02.2022 – 164 Seiten
A NEW SCIENTIST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022
It seems obvious: honeybees, organic farming and tree planting are all good for conservation. But not so fast. Honeybees can spread disease to native species, organic farming can take land from nature, and sometimes more carbon is stored in the soil if there are no trees. None of these cases are clear cut though, and they all come with trade-offs. Honeybees are excellent pollinators, and organic farms may have more wildlife within them.Such dilemmas are found everywhere in conservation, with some people and animals losing out from all the ways we ‘protect’ nature. So how do we decide what to do? Our intuition often fails us, and much of traditional conservation is built on myths that don’t stack up. Tickets for the Ark tells stories of people and wildlife from around the world, drawing on science and environmental philosophy to tackle fundamental questions about what we should save.
Discussion on Start the Week (Radio 4)
Nature Ecology and Evolution review
Discussion on Radio New Zealand
Discussion on the Wall Street Journal podcast and written interview
Advance praise:
Adam Hart, author of Unfit for Purpose
“A fascinating read for anyone interested in the future of the planet.”
Tom Ireland, editor of The Biologist
“A fantastic way to explore a range of really difficult questions faced by those who want to conserve the natural world.”
Chris Thomas, author of Inheritors of the Earth
“This book is essential – and enjoyable – reading for anyone interested in natural history and in the environmental choices we face.”
Ken Thompson, author of Do We Need Pandas?
“Tickets for the Ark answers crucial questions about conservation that it hadn’t occurred to most of us even to ask.”