Things aren’t looking good. Whilst we’re well aware of the environmental problems facing us, it’s often easy to feel that issues like climate change, deforestation and reduced fish stocks are so large and complex that individuals can’t really have any meaningful influence. But consider this: there are presently 10 million species living on our planet and approximately 10 thousand of these are lost annually. With the evolution of new species negligible, this means that at current rates planet earth will be entirely barren within the next thousand years. It’s clearly time for a change.
Change, and the immediacy of its implementation is the topic of Gaining Ground, a new title which reviews the state of global biodiversity and takes a pragmatic look at the future of conservation efforts. No punches are pulled and the issues are treated with the depth and consideration that a topic of such largesse commands. Whilst acknowledging that the planet is staring down the metaphorical barrel of a gun, the authors still maintain an air of hope, but emphasise the necessities and specifics of action if this hope is to last. Gaining Ground certainly deserves to find its way onto the bookshelves of conservation workers, for whom it was primarily written. But it also carries an accessible message for all those who aren’t simply content to sit back and watch as the planet goes to waste.