Allen & Unwin What Nature Does For Britain book History English Paperback 288 pages

Ecology meets economics head on in Tony Juniper's valuation of the UK's natural capital.

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.

Tony Juniper is an independent sustainability and environment adviser, including as Special Advisor with the Prince's Charities International Sustainability Unit and as a Senior Associate with the University of Cambridge Program for Sustainability Leadership, and he is a founder member of the Robertsbridge Group that advises international companies. He speaks and writes on many aspects of sustainability and is the author of several books, including the bestselling What Has Nature Ever Done for Us?, the award-winning Parrots of the World and How Many Light Bulbs Does It Take To Change A Planet? He was a co-author of Harmony, with HRH The Prince of Wales and Ian Skelly. He began his career as an ornithologist, working with Birdlife International. From 1990 he worked at Friends of the Earth and was the organisation's executive director from 2003-8 and was the Vice Chair of Friends of the Earth International from 2000-8. www.tonyjuniper.com, twitter:@tonyjuniper.com