Mark Avery, a prolific author, senior UK conservationist, and independent campaigner, is well-known for writing book reviews on his blog. Those, like me, who read his reviews in search of their next book might be saddened by the fact that it would be awkward for Mark to write a review of his own work. So, someone else had to do it. You’re welcome.
From what I can tell, about half of my audience are big fans of Mark and his work, and the other half wouldn’t have a positive opinion about his campaigning efforts and by extension about the man himself. I also know that the way people present themselves on social media might be misleading as we’re mostly looking at imagined personas rather than real people. So, I decided to pick his book not so much to learn about the state of nature in the UK but as a way to learn more about the author himself. The book titled “Reflections” should give plenty of hints on what he really thinks!
In the opening chapter, Mark states that despite the ruinous state of nature in the UK the book was meant to be “hopeful but realistic”. That was a welcome intention that made me eager to read on. Unfortunately, the book falls short of this promise. Not so much the author’s fault but rather because of the realities of the state of nature in the UK. While reading it I had the impression that it’s story after story of species decline. The phrases like “wildlife crisis” and “wildlife decline” are repeated throughout the book. I guess, there is no escaping from such facts when you reflect on the UK’s state of nature and wildlife.
Despite the negativity built into the subject, the book is enjoyable to read. Its style reminded me slightly of Ian Carter’s books which I enjoyed for their tone and approach. As you would expect from such an experienced writer the use of language is careful, precise and deliberate. For example, I was delighted with the part where Mark explains why he prefers to use the word “extirpated”, when it comes to wildlife no longer present on our landscape, over “extinct” or “locally extinct”. I thoroughly agree with that as I feel the word extinct is a bit over-dramatic for those circumstances. So, definitely points for language use although describing keeping pets like dogs as enslavement was, I felt, a step too far.
The book contains one of the most comprehensive explanations of what a shifting baseline syndrome is. It casually tells the reader stories and gives examples in such a way that one almost feels like the author moved onto another subject, only to unexpectedly return to the concept of shifting baseline again. This powerfully drives the point home about what it is and why it can sneak up on us. In the same vein, I was impressed by the insights the author gives on the meaning of cultural loss and cultural importance as it pertains to wildlife. We hear about cultural heritage a lot these days but I’m not sure many understand this concept. Mark gives a personal example of his family’s connection to the Nightingale Wood and the subsequent loss of nightingales from the wood. Impressive, well-crafted writing!
Not everything is so great in the book though. The author purposely conflates the concepts of animal welfare with animal rights. I was baffled as to why Mark had chosen to do so, especially in the chapter where he juxtaposes conservationists, and their philosophy, with people whom he amusingly refers to as “animal welfarists”. Like most of my listeners and readers, I’m also well aware that both concepts, animal welfare and animal rights, are on a spectrum but at the ends of the spectrum they are radically different. Wildlife conservation in turn has only some overlap with this spectrum of ideas. Sometimes aligned, sometimes at odds. So, I’m not sure what the utility of approaching the problem in this way was. Suffice to say, I didn’t like it. Which probably says as much about me as it does about the author.
Another questionable view comes in the chapter where Mark states that the climate crisis and biodiversity crisis are not only unrelated but are not even connected. The author goes as far as to say that connecting them is unhelpful for the efforts to address them. In fairness, he provides some arguments to back his point of view but I found them unconvincing. Since writing his book, he has read and reviewed Simon Mustoe’s “Wildlife in The Balance” which he described as one of his blog’s best books of the year. In his book, Mustoe gives evidence that leaves no doubt that biodiversity and climate crisis are one and the same, so perhaps Mark changed his mind on this subject since he wrote his book.
I don’t want to give the impression that “Reflections” is a bad book or one not worth reading. In fact, the opposite is true! It is also one of the few books about wildlife that describes in great detail how the UK’s political system around nature and wildlife conservation works and how to influence it. It encourages people to get more politically active for the benefit of nature and wildlife. He recognises that conservation organisations and environmental NGOs are failing in their mission for wildlife. Mark held no punches, describing them as “timid” and pointing out their failure to engage politically in any meaningful way.
Mark finishes his book with a list of practical proposals on what readers can do for wildlife. That is another unusual and highly valuable aspect of his book. The suggestions are well thought out and practical. And I must admit, that some of them are aligned with my own thoughts, especially when it comes to evaluating the benefits (for nature) of one’s membership in various environmental NGOs. Mark is bang-on there. I guess, this list of actionable points does the heavy lifting for classifying his book as hopeful. To paraphrase a well-known saying, it’s not the hope we need but the hope we deserve.
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In this informed, incisive and passionate commentary on the state of nature and conservation, Mark Avery reflects on our relationship with the wildlife around us. From the cats that pass through his garden to the chronic decline of farmland wildlife, from the Pasqueflowers he visits every spring to the proportion of national income devoted to saving nature – everything is connected, and everything is considered.
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