A History of Nature Conservation in Britain

This history of the British nature conservation movement describes an organized movement which is now 100 years old. The text traces the early campaigns for an end to the millinery industry and for freedom to walk the mountains, the legislation for bird protection and access to the countryside, the battles against pesticides and pollution, farming and forestry, and the present concerns with global issues and the presumed greening of governments. The book questions governmental concern for the environment and the efficacy of the established conservation bodies. The author argues that the purchase of reserves and the saving of remnant populations is not enough; the movement must draw itself together in order to address the global issues which it has previously avoided.