Paul Jepson

Cain Blythe

The ground-breaking science behind ambitious new schemes for restoring lost natural systemsNature conservation in the 21st century has taken a radical new turn. Instead of conserving particular species in nature reserves as �museum pieces', frozen in time, the thinking now is that we should allow landscape-sized areas to �rewild' according to their own self-determined processes. By fencing off large areas and introducing large herbivores, along with apex predators such as wolves, dynamic new habitats are already being created. These �self-willed' areas will develop in ways that cannot always be predicted, and they may not conform to our traditional ideas of wildlife habitats, but they will form a robust and rich ecology which will be strong enough to withstand future climate changes and species shifts. In this highly topical book, the first popular account of rewilding, practising ecologists Paul Jepson and Cain Blythe explore the ongoing scientific discoveries that are emerging from this fascinating field.

The Radical New Science of Ecological Recovery

Rewilding

How rewilding has transformed the conservation movement, combining radical scientific insights with practical innovations. Progressive scientists and conservation professionals are pursuing a radical new approach to restoring ecosystems: rewilding. By recovering the ripple effect generated by the interactions among plant and animal species and natural disturbances, rewilding seeks to repair ecosystems by removing them from human engineering and reassembling guilds of megafauna from a mix of surviving wild and feral species and de-domesticated breeds, including elk, bison, and feral horses. Written by two leaders in the field, this book offers an abundantly illustrated guide to the science of rewilding. It shows in fascinating detail the ways in which ecologists are reassembling ecosystems that allow natural interactions rather than human interventions to steer their environmental trajectories. Rewilding looks into a past in which industrialization and globalization downgraded grasslands, describes current projects designed to recover self-willed ecosystems, and envisions the future with ten predictions for a rewilded planet. It shows how rewilding is shaking up conservation science and policy, bringing new hope and renewed purpose to efforts to revive essential ecological processes. Color illustrations capture moments of beauty in nature and offer enlightening infographics and visualizations.

The Radical New Science of Ecological Recovery: The Illustrated Edition

A dazzling illustrated edition of a 'hugely useful and fascinating resumé of rewilding' (Isabella Tree, author of Wilding) 'Compelling ... succinct and objective' Financial Times Rewildingreveals the ways in which ecologists are restoring the lost interactions between animals, plants, and natural disturbances that are the essence of thriving ecosystems. It looks into a past in which industrialization and globalization have downgraded our grasslands; at present projects restoring plants and animals to their natural, untamed state; and into the future, with ten predictions for a rewilded planet. This illustrated edition combines beautiful natural history images with infographic flow-charts depicting the 'trophic cascades' of biodiverse ecosystems, to explore a brave new world repopulated with wild horses and cattle, beavers, rhinos, and wolves. 'A masterly job, explaining the science behind rewilding in an accessible, honest and compelling way. It deserves to be widely read and become a book of great influence.' Isabella Tree, author of Wilding

Paul Jepson

About

Books

Join the club