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UNSAVORY : African Stories of Wildlife, War, and the Birth of Holistic Management - Savory

UNSAVORY

African Stories of Wildlife, War, and the Birth of Holistic Management

By: Savory

Paperback | 15 February 2026

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In the wild heart of Africa, one man's fight to save the land nearly cost him everything. 

In the mid-1950s, Allan Savory was a young biologist in a corner of Africa where the bush reverberated with trumpeting elephants and bellowing hippos, and the politics were as dangerous as the wildlife. Over the next three decades, he would become a soldier and tracker in a brutal civil war, a member of Parliament fighting to end it, and an exiled ecologist challenging the world's most sacred environmental beliefs. Savory's insistence that livestock-not their removal-could heal degraded land sparked both breakthroughs and outrage. Branded a heretic, pursued by political enemies, and scarred by personal loss, he pressed on, convinced the future of humanity depended on restoring our life-supporting habitat. UnSavory is the untold story behind Holistic Management-woven through encounters with man-eating lions, political betrayal, and a lifelong battle with the "common sense" that destroys the natural world. It is a front-row seat to Southern Africa's turbulent history and one man's stubborn, improbable quest to change the fate of the earth. 

Industry Reviews

"An extraordinary tale from a truly extraordinary human being. I daresay, you may discover and learn more about the Earth (and the earth) than you could ever have imagined."

-Paul Hawken, author of Carbon: The Book of Life

"A fascinating memoir of a man whom history may well regard as one of the most influential of his generation. This is a must read for anyone who cares about our environment and its ability to sustain us."

-Jamie Blackett, Country Life (U.K.)

"UnSavory is Allan Savory in his own words,a breathtaking compendium of stories that exalt, move,and intrigue-some funny, some exhilarating, some tragic."

-Gretel Ehrlich, author of The Solace of Open Spaces

"Savory freely admits his life has been a mistake-ridden journey-as is generally the case with outstanding contributors. Yet those mistakes have led to the regeneration of vast swathes of denuded landscapes across the world. In time, Allan Savory-ecologist, warrior, and visionary-will be properly recognized as one of The Greats."

-Dr. Charles Massy, author of Call of the Reed Warbler: A New Agriculture, A New Earth

"UnSavory is filled with terrifying and joyous encounters with elephants, lions,leopards, hippos, rhinos,crocodiles, buffaloes, and mambas, and cobras. There are also human moments of love, generosity, greed,and stupidity. More than most,Allan has workedto craft actualsolutions

to our very real dilemmas.And now in this book he tries to pass on that learned wisdom,like sharing a flickering torch that might light our way. He preaches a revolution of the heart."

-Dave Chapman, co-director, Real Organic Project

"May we all be inspiredby this extraordinary journey of discovery; not a discovery of a new planet or mathematical truth, but a discovery of a new way to see. Savory's life is one of genuine meaning and experiences woven together by the all-too-rare thread of integrity, courage, and grit-softened by a mischievous wit."

-John Fullerton, author of Regenerative Economics

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