Description

The RSPB’s Book of the Season

The distinctive white-tailed sea eagle was driven to extinction in Britain more than 200 years ago, but this immense predator is making a return to our skies, thanks to Roy Dennis, an ornithologist, conservationist and arguably the driving force behind the UK’s reintroduction agenda.

Roy was instrumental in returning the Osprey, red kite and golden eagle to the British Isles, but the road to reintroduction isn’t an easy one. In what will surely be the seminal book on British reintroductions, Roy details the painstaking process of returning the Goldeneye to Scotland, one duckling at a time, the die-hard determination needed to make a dazzling success of the red kite reintroduction and the leap of faith we will all need to make to accept sharing our forests and skies with large carnivores again. He also illustrates all that we have to gain by restoring our ecosystems to balance.

Filled with a lifetime’s worth of stories from the front lines of conservation, Reintroduction offers an eye-opening insight into the complexities of reintroducing extinct animals to Britain. It’s also an intimate portrait of these apex predators and a reminder of why we need them.

Publisher Review

'A wonderful book, steeped in knowledge and experience of nature and of the more practical ends of nature conservation ... No one else could write this book from personal experience - it's a treat ... A joy to read, and gives plenty of information but also food for thought.' Mark Avery Praise for Cottongrass Summer by Roy Dennis 'Roy is not just a brilliant conservationist but a superb naturalist too ... These beautiful essays are also positive and pragmatic about the future ... absolutely joyous' Chris Packham 'A cracking book full of beautifully descriptive prose and thought-provoking sentiments by a man who, more than anyone else, has been there, done that and got the T-shirt' Iolo Williams 'A breath of fresh air among the mountains of doom and gloom reads about the environment, the climate and wildlife. Without skirting the problems he has faced in his long wildlife conservation career, Roy manages to leave you with a sense of hope' Erik Meijaard, Mongabay 'This book reminds me strongly of Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac which is a classic of the ecological literature, and I can think of no better comparison to give you an idea of its content and of this book's quality and worth ... Exceptional value - buy two and give one to a friend' Mark Avery 'I can't think of a more important book that's been written about British wildlife in the past 20 years. That's partly down to who the author is: Roy Dennis, the UK's pre-eminent conservationist of the past half century. When he speaks, we all should listen. ... But it's also because he writes with such conviction, clarity, insight, depth and purpose. He understands better than anyone how times have changed..... In just a sentence or two, he cuts to the quick. The talons of his typewriter rip open the carcass, laying bare the truth of why British wildlife is in the state it is. If you read any book about the environment this year, read this' James Fair, Countryfile magazine