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.
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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. 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 award winning Parrots of the World, Spix’s Macaw 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.His book, What has Nature ever done for us? was published in January 2013. 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 2003-2008 and was the Vice Chair of Friends of the Earth International from 2000-2008.Follow Tony Juniper on Twitter @Tony Juniper