Less Green and Pleasant Land

Norman Maclean is Emeritus Professor of Biology at the University of Southampton and a lifelong wildlife enthusiast. He has visited and studied wildlife in more than 50 countries around the world and has given numerous radio and TV interviews on the subject. He is the editor of Silent Summer (Cambridge University Press, 2010).

• Foreword Chris Packham; Introduction; 1. Living with change; 2. A short dose of Earth history; 3. Climate change; 4. Down on the farm and into the woods; 5. Plant and animal introductions (and recent arrivals); 6. Our overcrowded isles – human population and aspiration; 7. The availability of fresh water; 8. Hunting, shooting and fishing: the enigma of field sports and wildlife; 9. Wildlife conservation at home and overseas; So how is our wildlife faring? The details: 10. Mammals; 11. Birds; 12. Reptiles and amphibians; 13. Freshwater fish; 14. Butterflies and moths; 15. Other insects – dragonflies, beetles, bees etc.; 16. Other invertebrates – spiders, snails, crayfish etc.; 17. Trees, shrubs and flowering plants; 18. Fungi; 19. Life in the open sea; 20. Where sea meets land; 21. Top wildlife sites; 22. What does the future hold?; Further reading; Abbreviations; Glossary; Latin names of species; Index.

'I hope that you will read, consider, mull and mould all [the book's] ideas in your minds and then feel empowered and motivated to help move wildlife conservation in the UK into a new era … before it is too late.' Chris Packham, naturalist, wildlife photographer and TV presenter, from the Foreword