Watch out for Watch out for... Some things to enjoy over the coming months Book
A Life on our Planet: My Witness Statement and
Vision for the Future David Attenborough Published by Witness Books ISBN 9781529108279 Hardcover RRP £20
COULD there be a more qualified witness of the damage wrought on the natural world by mankind? In his new book, Sir David Attenborough, at the age of 94, reflects on an extraordinary life that has seen him explore the natural world in all its colour and glory – and observe at first hand a staggering decline in the planet’s biodiversity.
As he writes in his sleeve notes: “As a young man, I felt I was out there in the wild, experiencing the untouched natural world – but it was an illusion. The tragedy of our time has been happening all around us, barely noticeable from day to day – the loss of our planet’s wild places, its biodiversity.”
Urgent and impassioned, this is a book borne of a lifetime’s experience. It is a record of the mistakes made in the past and, in places, presents a harrowing view of the future that awaits if humans continue to live how we do. But it is also
Television
A Perfect Planet BBC One, January
AS WELL as authoring an important new book (see review above), Sir David Attenborough returns to our screens in January to present A Perfect Planet – a new, five-part series that explores how the intricate forces of nature shape and support the place we all call home. The underlying premise is that our planet could not be more suited to life. It’s perfect, a one in a million. Earth orbits at the optimum distance from the sun; it tilts at just the right angle and has a decent-
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sized moon to hold it in place. Meanwhile, its day-to-day workings create the conditions for plants and animals to survive: a global weather system circulates and distributes fresh water to all corners, while a cycle of marine currents delivers nutrients to even the deepest parts of the ocean. As a result, life is possible almost everywhere. The first four episodes focus on how weather, ocean currents, solar energy and volcanoes drive diversity of life. This series concludes with an episode exploring the impact of the world’s most recent global force of nature: us.
Book
Antlers of Water: Writing on the Nature and Environment of Scotland
Edited by Kathleen Jamie Published by Canongate Books ISBN 9781786899798 Hardcover RRP £20
IT IS testament to the award-winning editor, Kathleen Jamie, that the range of contemporary styles captured in the pages of this book are as diverse as the Scottish landscapes and wildlife that feature within. This is the first ever collection
a book full of hope, as this giant of natural history film-making describes how we can begin to turn things around, if we have the collective will to do so. “This is my witness statement, and a vision for the future,” he writes. “It is the story of how we came to make this, our greatest mistake – and how, if we act now, we can yet make it right.” Essential reading.
of contemporary prose, poetry and photography on Scotland’s nature and landscapes and, with contributions from well-known names such as Jim Crumley and Amy Liptrot, it showcases some of the very best nature writing that Scotland has to offer. With 23 contributors providing comment on everything from walking to wild swimming, red deer to wasps, and remote islands to windowsills, most readers will find something that they can connect with but, as is the nature of anthologies, few will enjoy everything.
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