Nature’s Ghosts

Shortlisted for the 2024 Wainwright Prize for Writing on Conservation Sophie writes fantastically, chronicling the most important issues facing nature conservationists today. Chris Packham For thousands of years, humans have been the architects of the environment. Our activities leave an indelible mark on the places we inhabit - for good and for bad. 'Nature's Ghosts' examines how the earth would have looked before humans scrubbed away its diversity, from the primeval forests that emerged following the last ice age, to the eagle-filled skies of the Dark Ages, to the flower-decked farms of more recent centuries. It uncovers the stories of the people who have helped to shape our landscapes through time, seeking out their footprints - even where it seems there are none to be found - and looking at how timeworn knowledge of the natural world can help us to mend our own relationship with the earth. And it recounts the environmental detective work - archaeological, cultural and ecological - that has allowed us to reconstruct the details of our lost wild world.