From the peat bogs and woodlands that help to secure our water supply, to the bees and soils that produce most of the food we eat, Britain is rich in 'natural capital'. Yet we take supplies of clean water and secure food for granted, rarely considering the free work nature does for Britain. In fact for years we have damaged the systems that sustain us under the illusion that we are keeping prices down, through intensive farming, drainage of bogs, clearing forests and turning rivers into canals. As Tony Juniper's new analysis shows, however, the ways in which we meet our needs often doesn't make economic sense.
Through vivid first hand accounts and inspirational examples of how the damage is being repaired, Juniper takes readers on a journey to a different Britain from the one many assume we inhabit, not a country where nature is worthless or an impediment to progress, but the real Britain, the one where we are supported by nature, wildlife and natural systems at almost every turn.
Industry Reviews
Praise for Tony Juniper:
'He is by popular consent the most effective of Britain's eco-warriors * Independent *
One of the top ten environmental figures of the last thirty years * The ENDS Report *
[Tony Juniper] is among the 100 people who are making the decisions that affect your life * Country Life *
What Nature Does for Britain, a fine book from Tony Juniper, demonstrates the many ways in which good management of our national natural assets promotes all kinds of economic and social benefits. It's a must-read for any one who is concerned about the way we run our country. -- Simon Barnes * Independent on Sunday *
Partly a vision of a sustainably managed British landscape, and partly a tour of British businesses that have made a success of going green ... Juniper wants us to practise common-sense domestic economy -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times *
Juniper provides an excellent summary of the UK's evolving ecological crisis -- James Attlee * Independent *
Part research round-up, part manifesto, this treatise on Britain's 'natural capital' is a model of pragmatism. -- Barbara Kiser * Nature *
Juniper's book is excellent ... no one is better qualified to tell us what is happening to our world, or what is being done and could be done to put things right. -- Colin Tudge * Literary Review *
A cogent, persuasively argued book, Juniper shows how nature sustains us, from the peat bogs and woodlands that help to secure our water supply to the huge variety of insects that pollinate our plants. -- Eithne Farry * Sunday Express *
Demonstrates the economic benefit of the mountains, moorland, hedgerows and wildlife that we love ... But this book isn't a diatribe. Despite climate change, Juniper doesn't take the we're-all-doomed view of the natural world. -- Clive Aslet * Daily Telegraph *
Asks serious questions of our hopelessly myopic politicians, and suggests practical measures that would make the world a much better place. -- Stephen Moss * Guardian *
Nature Books of the Year: If you only have time to read one book about our natural world, make it this one -- Andrew Sells, Chairman of Natural England * Country Life *
