What is NetworkNature Reads?
#NetworkNatureReads is inspired by #ReadingRainbow and the #NewYorkTimes #ByTheBook series, both of which spread a love of reading by highlighting stand out books and the people who love them. Our goal is to do the same, but with a #naturebasedsolutions flavor. Every month, we will feature one book selected by a NetworkNature member.
We believe that literature widens perspectives and can foster connection with human and environmental communities. Read Wild Geese by Mary Oliver if you aren’t sure what we mean.
This month’s interviewee is Adam Oliver, a Communications Expert for the Mobility team at ICLEI Europe. Didn't know that mobility was relevant for nature-based solutions? Check out the work that CLEVERCities did at the Tibaldi Station in Milan and think again!
Want to get involved? Contact hello@networknature.eu to suggest a book!
Tell us about yourself! What role do nature and reading play in your life?
Nature has always played a really important role in my life. I grew up in a very small village, with far more wildlife and farm animals than people! Since moving to larger cities to pursue my studies and work life, seeking out green spaces has always helped me to find peace and clear my mind from the struggles and stresses of daily life. Similarly, reading has always been a great source of comfort for me, either as a way to learn more about the world around me, or, when needed, to get lost in the world of imagination.
Which book did you pick and why?
I’ve chosen the book ‘The Lost Rainforests of Britain’ by Guy Shrubsole. The book follows Shrubsole’s journey from someone simply interested in nature and an explorer of the British countryside, to him passionately trying to unearth the ‘true’ natural state of Britain. Shrubsole shows how, through exploitation and habitat destruction, large swathes of temperate rainforest have been lost and forgotten about. He further explains that hope for recovering this lost biodiversity is often broken under the feet of trampling feet and the munching teeth of sheep. I’ve chosen this book because it is hugely important that we learn to recognise the true extent of biodiversity loss around us, taking this into account when looking for solutions to the ecological problems that we currently face.
Can you share a specific moment from the book that resonates with you personally? How does it connect to your work with Nature-based Solutions projects?
A couple of chapters into the book, Shrubsole describes an area of countryside that he has visited, rolling hills with sheep and cattle grazing upon it, with farmers proudly describing the work they do to look after the land. The next chapter goes on to detail the sad realities of this land, which despite often the best of intentions, has been damaged nearly beyond repair. This affected me deeply on a personal level, having grown up in this exact same kind of habitat. This particular section of the book really made me take a pause and question my own understanding of nature. It was not an easy process to go through, looking back on childhood memories and, perhaps on an even deeper level, acknowledging that our own societal pride in ‘our nature’ is flawed, with the ecological realities having been mostly lost in the cultural collective memory.
I work within the sustainable mobility field, so the book’s content can feel quite far removed. However, the key message remains, that we should keep nature and its needs in mind when considering our sustainability projects and interventions. In the EU Horizon funded REALLOCATE project, part of the CIVITAS Initiative for sustainable urban mobility, which my team is involved in, our partner cities Warsaw and Utrecht both take Nature-based Solutions into account when planning their activities. It’s nice to be involved in a project which can combine both issues close to my heart.
In what ways do you see the themes or lessons from the book aligning with the goals of conservation and the challenges we face in combating biodiversity loss today?
The Lost Rainforest of Britain, highlights a really important moral issue that we from a Western perspective must address when considering our conservation goals and challenges. Before having read this, when someone would ask me to think about a rainforest, I would think about places such as the Amazon or Borneo. These thoughts were often accompanied by anger and sadness over the ongoing habitat destruction taking place. While these emotions remain, I now also reflect upon the ecosystems, such as the rainforests, that we have lost closer to home. By shifting this narrative to include our own lost biodiversity, we can learn to understand the processes taking place in the Global South and look to provide proactive solutions, rather than just critiquing. Biodiversity loss is a global threat and the solutions to this should also be global.
If you were recommending this book to a colleague or a friend within the conservation community, what key takeaway or message would you highlight?
My main takeaway is that it is crucial to recognise and learn from our own history of environmental degradation and work towards rectifying it. Through initiatives like rewilding, or, in the urban landscape creating wildlife corridors, we can restore and preserve what is left and help heal the scars of ecological loss within our own localities and neighbourhoods, reconnecting with and regenerating our local natural ecosystems.
Related Projects
REALLOCATE and CIVITAS