Framing Nature: Conservation & Culture by Laurence Rose

Description In lockdown Britain the unfamiliar quiet was filled with the previously unnoticed sounds of birdsong. In Indian cities, children were astonished to discover that the sky was blue. Among the dark tragedy of a pandemic, we are discovering a new hope for the natural world. British wildlife conservationist, Laurence Rose, spent two years exploring the cultural roots of our relationship with the rest of nature in order to map out its future. In Framing Nature, he describes his encounters with wildlife in exquisite language and vivid detail – from the magnificent white-tailed eagles of Orkney and Mull to the fascinating world of ants and crickets on the southern heaths. This is a book about the complexity and vulnerability of nature, and the unexpected connections between people and wildlife. While his writing builds on decades of experience as a leading conservationist, this is literary non-fiction at its finest and Laurence’s passion shines from every page. Taking the form of a series of essays, part one of Framing Nature depicts our relationship with nine individual species, including the nightingale, the otter and the badger, celebrating their heritage and telling their fascinating stories from past to present. Part two of Framing Nature presents alternative ways of thinking about the protection of wildlife and touches on the impact of current factors at play, including government policy, HS2, Brexit and Covid. Drawing together the themes of the book, Laurence offers solutions for a future of tolerant coexistence between our species and others. Conserving wildlife requires a cultural shift, and Framing Nature is unflinching in questioning whether we are prepared to commit to it. Ultimately the book offers a message of hope to rebuild a mutually-beneficial relationship with nature. But we need to act urgently. “Rose is excellent on the science that informs our understanding …. Impressive.” – Mark Cocker, New Statesman on The Long Spring by Laurence Rose