Natur

How do we distinguish between our ancestors' ideas of God and close encounters of an extra-terrestrial kind?

An illustrated visit to the tropical arctic of 205 million years ago when Greenland was green.

Over the last 20 years, there has been a huge increase in the number of scientific papers published on these remarkable creatures, and an authoritative synthesis is now timely. This accessible text goes beyond their natural history to describe the impacts on humans, conflict mitigation, animal husbandry, management, and conservation.

'It's a preposterous plan. Still, if you do get up it, I think it'll be the hardest thing that's been done in the Himalayas.' So spoke Chris Bonington when Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker presented him with their plan to tackle the unclimbed West Wall of Changabang - the Shining Mountain - in 1976. Bonington's was one of the more positive responses; most felt the climb impossibly hard, especially for a two-man, lightweight expedition. This was, after all, perhaps the most fearsome and technically challenging granite wall in the Garhwal Himalaya and an ascent - particularly one in a lightweight style - would be more significant than anything done on Everest at the time. The idea had been Joe Tasker's. He had photographed the sheer, shining, white granite sweep of Changabang's West Wall on a previous expedition and asked Pete to return with him the following year. Tasker contributes a second voice throughout Boardman's story, which starts with acclimatisation, sleeping in a Salford frozen food store, and progresses through three nights of hell, marooned in hammocks during a storm, to moments of exultation at the variety and intricacy of the superb, if punishingly difficult, climbing. It is a story of how climbing a mountain can become an all-consuming goal, of the tensions inevitable in forty days of isolation on a two-man expedition; as well as a record of the moment of joy upon reaching the summit ridge against all odds. First published in 1978, The Shining Mountain is Peter Boardman's first book. It is a very personal and honest story that is also amusing, lucidly descriptive, very exciting, and never anything but immensely readable. It was awarded the John Llewelyn Rhys Prize for literature in 1979, winning wide acclaim. His second book, Sacred Summits, was published shortly after his death in 1982. Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker died on Everest in 1982, whilst attempting a new and unclimbed line. Both men were superb mountaineers and talented writers. Their literary legacy lives on through the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature, established by family and friends in 1983 and presented annually to the author or co-authors of an original work which has made an outstanding contribution to mountain literature. For more information about the Boardman Tasker Prize, visit: www.boardmantasker.com

An illustrated look at corals and the reefs they build around the world, and the causes and dire consequences of their rapid disappearance Corals are among the most varied lifeforms on Earth, ranging from mushroom corals and leather corals to button polyps, sea fans, anemones, and pulse corals. Bridging the gap between plant and animal, these marine invertebrates serve as homes to reef fish and share symbiotic relationships with photosynthesizing algae, which provide corals with their nourishment. This stunningly illustrated book profiles the astonishing diversity of the world's coral groups, describing key aspects of their natural history and explaining why coral reefs are critical to the health of our oceans. Representative examples of corals have been selected to illustrate the broad range of species, and the book's lively and informative commentary covers everything from identification to conservation, making it an essential resource for marine biologists, divers, and anyone who is fascinated by these remarkable sea creatures.Features more than 200 exquisite color photosHighlights key aspects of corals and their natural historyFeatures representative examples from around the worldIncludes photos of rare and unusual species

Live life in full bloom. This beautiful book features your favourite flowers grouped by their purpose - for love, for joy, for luck, for calm, to console, and to celebrate.

What does it mean to be a part of-rather than apart from-nature? This book is about how we interact with wildlife and the ways in which this can make our lives richer and more fulfilling. But it also explores the conflicts and contradictions inevitable in a world that is now so completely dominated by our own species.Interest in wildlife and wild places, and their profound effects on human wellbeing, have increased sharply as we face up to the ongoing biodiversity extinction crisis and reassess our priorities following a global pandemic. Ian Carter, lifelong naturalist and a former bird specialist at Natural England, sets out to uncover the intricacies of the relationship between humans and nature. In a direct, down-to-earth style he explains some of the key practical, ethical and philosophical problems we must navigate as we seek to reconnect with nature.This wide-ranging and infectiously personal account does not shy away from controversial subjects-such as how we handle invasive species, reintroductions, culling or dog ownership-and reveals in stark terms that properly addressing our connection to the natural world is an imperative, not a luxury.Short, pithy chapters make this book ideal for dipping into. Meanwhile, it builds into a compelling whole as the story moves from considering the wildlife close to home through to conflicts and, finally, the joy and sense of escape that can be had in the wildest corners of our landscapes, where there is still so much to discover.

This new and comprehensively revised fourth edition provides a state-of-the-art analysis of the EU¿s environmental policies. The fourth edition addresses new systemic challenges such as Brexit, austerity and the rise of populism, with chapters covering hot political topics such as car emissions, pesticides and emissions trading.

__________________Our Earth is more beautiful and more diverse than we can possibly conceive of.The Book of Vanishing Species is a stunning homage to the planet's most mysterious, bizarre and wondrous creatures and plants. Their stories are captivating, from the eyeless and tiny dragonlike olm to the hawksbill turtle, whose gender will be determined by the temperature of the sand it is born in. These species may have survived for hundreds of thousands of years by cleverly adapting to their environments, but their future remains far from certain. The book brings to life red cranes as they dance and bow for the sheer joy of movement, trees that breathe out a haze of misty atmosphere for insects that only feast on one kind of flower, a deep-ocean snail quietly building its shell from iron... and each one of them is illuminated with an exquisite illustration. As you turn the pages, there emerges a network of life that stretches across and around the planet in a dazzling web of existence.This is both a love letter to life on Earth, and an urgent summons to protect what is precious and lovely in this world.

Sri Lankan Wildlife Guide - Expert wildlife advice including tips on identification, field guides, photography, rare endemics, national reserves and habitats. Also featuring suggestions for where to watch primates and turtles, nocturnal wildlife, underwater locations, birdwatching and scientific and behavioral information on numerous species.

This book is for anyone interested in Native American studies, environmental studies, and sustainability studies who wants to learn more about contemporary and historic examples of Indigenous peoples' ethical and practical relationship to land, place, and the environment.

True Colors, written by Keith Recker, presents the work and vision of 26 natural dye artists from around the world, opening a window into their culture, their lives, and the power of colour. The artist‿s stories are organized by colour and begin with white, traveling through the spectrum to blues, purples, reds, pinks, golds, arriving at varying hues of green. The colours are as extraordinary as the artists themselves: Handmade paper dyed with indigo in Ghana. Rare greens from a fungus-infested plant that grows in the Peruvian jungle. Blues that adorned ancient Briton warriors rediscovered in a Norwich studio. Purples from shellfish collected along the western coast of Mexico. Vivid coral dyes obtained from mushrooms foraged in northern California. New to this paperback edition is a chapter about Heartwear, a collaborative of artists and fashion designers who have created and supported indigo-dyeing projects from Benin to Morocco to India and beyond. Natural pigments aren‿t limited to cloth dyeing. They find their way into ceramic tile, glassware, pottery, artists‿ paints and pastels, all explored in Recker‿s lyrical narrative. Keith Recker is the perfect person to collect and share these timeless stories. His years of global travel, working with artisan groups and individuals as well as connecting them to influential designers in the fashion and interiors industries, put this book right on trend. Gorgeous, carefully curated photography connects the colours to ancient traditions and to the artists. True Colors provides an immersive visual experience and an inspiring travelogue of personal stories and practical information.

A global tour of energy--the catalyst of human civilization and one of the biggest challenges facing mankind today

An exploration into the untold lives of 50 of the most compelling fish living in our oceans and waterways.

An inspiring and practical look at the invisible world of chemical pollutants, revealing the harmful products that lurk inside your home, the damage they can cause and helpful swaps and tips to avoid them wherever you can.

Circular fashion is a supply chain model based on the principles of circular economy and sustainable development

From the authors of The Evolution and Extinction of the Dinosaurs, comes a general introduction to the study of dinosaurs for non-specialists, designed to excite readers about science by using the ever-popular animals - the dinosaurs - to illustrate and discuss geology, natural history and evolution. While it focuses on dinosaurs, it also uses them to convey other aspects of the natural sciences, including fundamental concepts in evolutionary biology, physiology, life history, and systematics. Considerable attention is devoted the nature of science itself: what it is, what it is not, and how science can be used to investigate particular kinds of questions. Dinosaurs is unique because it fills a gap between the glossy, fact-driven dinosaur books for younger readers, and the higher-level academic books, addressing the palaeontology of dinosaurs exactly as professionals in the field do.

The Alaska Journals of James A. Carroll, 1911-1922

The pollination of flowers by insects, birds and other animals is a crucial interaction that supports both the natural world and human society. Written by one of the world's leading pollination ecologists, this book offers a unique insight into the ecology and evolution of pollinators, and why they need conserving in a rapidly changing world.