A history of some major ecological literary discourses

Ecocriticism and the environmental humanities Ecofiction, novels based around environmental themes, and so-called Doomer Lit (stories about climate chaos, pandemics etc) are key cultural genres of the contemporary zeitgeist. Yet ecological discourses have played a major role in narrative literature since the invention of writing and are the main concern [...]

Book Review: Atlas of the Mammals of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

ATLAS OF THE MAMMALS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND Derek Crawley et al & The Mammal Society (Eds) Pelagic Publishing, 2020, 204 pages Hardback £35 ISBN: 978 1784 272 043 Review by Ian Bond Producing an Atlas ought to be one of those things your mother warns you against. [...]

Future stewardship of national landscapes: challenges and opportunities of the Glover report

The Landscapes Review It is just over seventy years since the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act established the framework for National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England and Wales. This initiated a novel role for government. As expressed by Sheail (2002, p.10) “A third [...]

Book Review: Untangling the Knot

UNTANGLING THE KNOT, BELUGAS & BEARS: My natural World on Film Mike Potts Whittles Publishing, 2020, 272 pages Paperback  £20.95 ISBN: 978 184995 444 0 Review by Alistair Crowle In Untangling the Knot, Mike Potts dips into 35 years of experiences as a professional wildlife cameraman. The first chapter sets [...]

Liberating nature: False hopes from the lockdown?

Is nature really gaining ground from the lockdown, or just being noticed more and getting temporary breathing space? In times of trial people tend to look for two things: the light at the end of the tunnel, and the silver lining. With normal life suspended some have suggested that for [...]

Admitting defeat: why I am quitting nature conservation

Disclaimer: while this piece refers to various conservation organisations and structures, I apologise in advance to my many friends and colleagues over the years who have worked hard within impossible structures to do their best. This rant is not aimed at you and especially not to those who are hanging [...]

Book Review: Irreplaceable

IRREPLACEABLE: The Fight to Save Our Wild Places Julian Hoffman Hamish Hamilton & Penguin, 2019, 416 pages Paperback  £9.99 ISBN: 9780241979495 Review by Janet Mackinnon At a time of much stress on the natural world and on us humans, it is a welcome relief to read this exceptionally well-written book [...]

Book Review: The Imagination of Plants

THE IMAGINATION OF PLANTS: A Book of Botanical Mythology Mathew Hall State University of New York Books, 2019, 298 pages Hbk  £79.11  ISBN: 978 1-4384-74 Review by Simon Leadbeater Matthew Hall’s book starts, as will I, with the Jason and the Argonauts (1963) scene in which the skeleton troop emerges [...]

Book Review: The Missing Lynx

THE MISSING LYNX: The Past and Future of Britain’s Lost Mammals Ross Barnett Bloomsbury, 2019, 352 pages Hbk  £16.99  ISBN:  9781472957344 Review by Peter Taylor This book is hard to like, but in the end, I do. It is short of illustrations and the attempts of a scholarly palaeontologist to [...]

Horses for Nature: Equids and extensive grazing in Britain Main Header
Horses for Nature: Equids and extensive grazing in Britain

Equids and extensive grazing in Britain: This article discusses the various issues associated with the use of horses in extensive grazing for nature conservation in Britain. [...]

Crisis talks: old wisdom meets new energy

Two eye-witness accounts of November’s ECOS/UCL mini-conference To mark our 40th anniversary, ECOS joined forces with University College London’s Conservation Society, for a mini-conference in November 2019 at the birthplace of ECOS.  The conference posed the very wide question ‘How do we address the environmental crisis?’, and brought together six [...]

Alison Parfitt – a brief tribute

Alison Parfitt sadly passed away on 17th December 2019. Those of us who were lucky enough to know her and call her friend will appreciate just how huge a loss this is.  Alison was a keen and active supporter of ECOS over the years and worked closely with the BANC team, as a [...]