Thursday 11 March 2021

The Secret Network of Nature by Peter Wohlleben

 

 This is the third in a trilogy (following on from The Hidden Life of Trees and the Inner Life of Animals). It is a fascinating exploration of the interconnections between different elements of nature. Wohlleben shares examples from across the world, including the well known study of how reintroducing wolves into Yellowstone National Park had a remarkable positive effect on the ecology of the area. In general the book focuses on Germany (which is where the author lives and works) and many UK readers may feel the lack of familiar places and habitats in the text. He explores the worlds of forests, ants, bark beetles, large carnivores and beavers among others and looks in detail at the human impact on the natural world through land management practices and the effects of climate change. 

His writing style strikes a good balance between being informative and readable, though can become annoying at times.

The Secret Network of Nature by Peter Wohlleben translated by Jane Billinghurst, published (2018) by Penguin


3 comments:

Jeff said...

I read "The Secret Lives of Trees" a few years ago and didn't know he had a trilogy in the making.

https://fromarockyhillside.com

Carruthers said...

Interesting. The title, The Inner Life of Animals, got me thinking. Since we're animals, I guess we know quite a lot about it to start with, if we listen to ourselves.

RG said...

Fun! Jane B. lives where I do and gives great talks too.