Darryl Jones in Conversation with Dave Witty

From the bestselling author of Getting to Know the Birds in Your Neighbourhood and Curlews on Vulture Street comes another fun and inquiring journey through nature, exploring how our interactions with wildlife can help answer life’s big questions. In (Be)wilder, acclaimed urban ecologist Darryl Jones explores how people around the world interact with wildlife. He spends time with bearded pigs in Borneo, rock ptarmigans in the Arctic, birdwatchers in Iowa and conservationist farmers in Australia’s Snowy Mountains. Along the way, Jones asks some big questions. Is it possible for farming and conservation to work together? How can urban landscapes be redesigned to enhance biodiversity? What happens when a local community turns centuries of traditional land use over to wildlife? And can birdwatching help save the planet? ‘I have been thinking about and observing how people and wildlife interact for most of my life,’ says Jones. ‘I’ve been going out of my way to see wild animals all over the world, both the familiar and the very rarely seen. This has included some dramatic and dangerous encounters, as well as genuinely moving moments I can still hardly believe. Each one of these events revealed something about our (human) nature and ‘nature’ itself; how we can engage with wild animals in the ways that benefit us and don’t impact the creatures.’ As Jones accompanies us on these extraordinary journeys in nature, he reveals the overwhelming evidence that humans need regular exposure to nature, in whatever form it is available. It doesn’t have to be in the form of vigorous hiking; even small amounts of time in any green space can contribute to feeling healthy and mentally balanced. Jones shows us the many ways that we are undeniably and inextricably part of nature – but to remain so, we need to learn to take our respectful place among the creatures we share the planet with.

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