Tickets for the Ark: From wasps to whales – how do we choose what to save?

Review Thought-provoking and topical ... an illuminating analysis of where human efforts may best be directed ― Observer Amazing ... important ― Birdwatching Thought-provoking ... Nesbit challenges some widely held assumptions, many I held myself, and is skillful in doing so ... a welcome antidote to the simplistic and divisive thinking that can sometimes taint the well-meaning world of conservation. -- Katie Burton ― Geographical Conservation often requires tough decisions. Rebecca Nesbit takes an entertaining and unflinching look at one of the toughest decisions of all - what do we save if we can't save everything. A fascinating read for anyone interested in the future of the planet -- Adam Hart, author and BBC science presenter Praise for Rebecca Nesbit: Clear-headed and with a strictly fact-based view of the issue, it highlights the complexities inherent in understanding the multiple ways in which plant genetic engineering can and has been used in the real world. If you want to get beyond post-truth on the issue of GMOs, Nesbit's book is a great place to start -- Mark Lynas Tickets for the Ark expertly navigates us through innumerable conservation dilemmas, trilemmas and quadrillemas, and forces us to contemplate our own underlying assumptions about the natural world. Why do we want to protect wildlife, for whom, and how can we reach agreement when entirely reasonable people take differing perspectives? -- Chris Thomas, author ― Inheritors of the Earth Tickets for the Ark answers crucial questions that it hadn't occurred to most of us even to ask -- Ken Thompson, author ― Where Do Camels Belong? Makes you question why you care about the things you care about - and why you don't care about things you should ... a fantastic way to explore a range of really difficult questions faced by those who want to conserve the natural world -- Tom Ireland, editor ― Biologist Product Description A NEW SCIENTIST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022 'A fascinating read for anyone interested in the future of the planet' Adam Hart, author and BBC science presenter Our planet hasn't seen the current rate of extinction since the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, and global conservation efforts are failing to halt this. As a society, we face choices which will determine the fate of Earth's estimated 8.7 million species, including humans. As wildlife declines, conservation needs to make trade-offs. But what should we conserve and why? Are we wrong to love bees and hate wasps? Are native species more valuable than newcomers (aka invasives)? Should some animals be culled to protect others, and what do we want the 'natural world' to look like? There are many surprising answers in Rebecca Nesbit's lively, stimulating book, which sows the seeds of a debate we urgently need to have. Book Description A popular science title about conservation. What should we conserve and why in this age of extinctions? Who should get tickets for the ark? About the Author Rebecca Nesbit is an ecologist and author, writing on science and the ethical questions it raises, in particular in relation to conservation. She is the author of Is that Fish in your Tomato?, which explored the benefits and the risks of genetically modified foods. After graduating from Durham University, she worked in scientific research, chiefly on butterfly migrations, before working on a program training honeybees to detect explosives. She has worked for the Royal Society of Biology and Nobel, and is a contributor to Scientific American, The Biologist and Popular Science.