The environmental movement is plagued by pessimism. And that’s not unreasonable: with so many complicated, seemingly intractable problems facing the planet, coupled with a need to convince people of the dangers we face, it’s hard not to focus on the negative

But that paints an unbalanced—and overly disheartening—picture of what’s going on with environmental stewardship today. There are success stories, and Our Once and Future Planet delivers a fascinating account of one of the most impressive areas of current environmental experimentation and innovation: ecological restoration. Veteran investigative reporter Paddy Woodworth has spent years traveling the globe and talking with people—scientists, politicians, and ordinary citizens—who are working on the front lines of the battle against environmental degradation. At sites ranging from Mexico to New Zealand and Chicago to Cape Town, Woodworth shows us the striking successes (and a few humbling failures) of groups that are attempting to use cutting-edge science to restore blighted, polluted, and otherwise troubled landscapes to states of ecological health—and, in some of the most controversial cases, to particular moments in historical time, before widespread human intervention. His firsthand field reports and interviews with participants reveal the promise, power, and limitations of restoration.

Ecological restoration alone won’t solve the myriad problems facing our environment. But Our Once and Future Planet demonstrates the role it can play, and the hope, inspiration, and new knowledge that can come from saving even one small patch of earth.

CONTENTS:

Preface

Chapter 1: Five Plots, Five Prairies, Reflooding a Delta

Chapter 2: The Cranes Are Flying—Again

Chapter 3: From Necedah to Zaragoza via St. Louis: A Restoration Learning Curve

Chapter 4: Greening the Rainbow Nation: Saving the World on a Single Budget?

Chapter 5: Awkward Questions from the Windy City: Why Restore? To What? For Whom?

Chapter 6: Keeping Nature Out? Restoring the Cultural Landscape of the Cinque Terre

Chapter 7: The Last of the Woods laid Low? Fragile Green Shoots in Irish Forests

Chapter 8: Future Shock: “Novel Ecosystems” and Climate Change Shake Restoration’s Foundations

Chapter 9: Dreamtime in Gondwanaland

Chapter 10: Restoration on a Grand Scale: Finding a Home for 350,000 Species

Chapter 11: Killing for Conservation: The Grim Precondition for Restoration in New Zealand

Chapter 12: The Mayan Men (and Women) Who Can (Re)Make the Rain Forest

Chapter 13: Making the Black Deserts Bloom: Bog Restoration on the Brink of Extinction

Chapter 14: Walk Like a Chameleon: Three Trends, One Story

Chapter 15: Conclusions: Why Restore?

Acknowledgments

Glossary

Notes

Bibliography

Index