Patrick Galbraith

We are well on the way to losing far to many of our British bird species, in many cases birds that have been common, even over-abundant, for centuries. Galbraith takes ten of these species, and makes it his business to go to their favoured habitats, and find out why from the people who know, and have strong opinions. He talks to people from all parts of the environmental debate, whether experts in the academic sense, or experts because they've lived and worked in the area affected. He makes no judgements about the people with whom he spends time, and thereby demonstrates how very complex a subject conservation is. Are conservation efforts which are right for one species in some cases spelling danger for others?

I think this is a book I will feel more warmly towards as I distance myself from it. Galbraith presents the arguments, the complexities of the various debates well and fully. And while I appreciated the character sketches of the people whom he met, I sometimes found his anecdotes irritatingly inconsequential and meandering. Nevertheless, it's a book I am glad to have read, and it made me aware of how rarely conservation arguments can be presented in black and white.… (plus d'informations)