At a time of unparalleled environmental change, there has never been a greater need for new ways of defending nature. In this forward-thinking work, Paul Jepson and Richard Ladle cover all aspects of modern conservation to provide a fascinating look into how we’re fighting for the earth’s species and habitats, as well as details on where conservation is heading, and how we can all contribute. Because, it’ll be far more than just a pity when we lose the polar bears, pandas, and parrots.

Paul Jepson started his in career in urban conservation before moving to Asia to set up conservation programmes. He is Senior Research Fellow in Conservation Practice at the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford.

Richard Ladle spent 15 years teaching conservation and ecology at the University of Oxford and other UK Universities. He now lives in Brazil and works as a science writer and conservation consultant.

An amazingly rich, readable, and insightful account of the conservation movement. Jeffrey Sayer, International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Science Advisor for Forests

A thoughtful book about how and why we care about nature's loss – and what we must do to prevent it. Stuart Pimm, Doris Duke Professor of Conservation at Duke University

Authoritative, succinct and clearly written – this book is the perfect primer not just on modern conservation, but on its historical roots and the future it might offer to our beleaguered planet. Mark Cocker, author, naturalist, and regular contributor to Country diary in The Guardian