Be(wilder): Journeys in Nature (Darryl Jones, NewSouth)

Ecologist Darryl Jones (Curlews on Vulture Street) travels across Australia and the world to study the lives of wild animals in urban environments and how humans and non-human animals can comfortably share space. In Be(wilder): Journeys in Nature, he pulls together a collection of true stories that highlight the resilience of nature and inspire curiosity about and admiration for our non-human neighbours. From the precision timing of rock ptarmigans arriving in the Arctic tundra for breeding season to the way bearded pigs actively shape the Bornean rainforest through their relationship with the trees’ seed production cycles, Jones invites us to gaze at these animals and the remarkable balance of their ecosystems up close. These insights aren’t just for enjoyment but also work to highlight how urbanisation and human-driven climate change continue to have enormous, irreversible impacts on natural systems that have been operating for aeons. Jones’s piece on the Compton Road overpass project in Brisbane brings these impacts much closer to home, giving readers a real, practical example of positive change and injecting a burst of hope into the book. He stays close to the surface of each of these stories, making Be(wilder) an accessible read and an ideal choice for those looking for a popular science title that doesn’t delve too deep, as well as for fans of nature writing with a personal element, such as Susan Orlean’s On Animals. 

Books+Publishing reviewer: Ash Davida Jane is a writer, editor and reviewer from Aotearoa, currently living in Naarm. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

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