Even though I was hooked
on to my passion for hiking, flying and skydiving during the course of my sojourn,
I found enough time at night to read. I got an opportunity to read a wonderful book
by landscape historian Prof Tom Williamson. The book was borrowed from a
British acquaintance.
Prof Tom Williamson
has authored an important, path breaking book. According to Dr Williamson far
from being 'natural', nature and the countryside have for centuries been
influenced by activities of humans. Because of this fact we need a better
understanding of the human history of important habitats in order manage them
into the future. The book examines the impact of social and economic organization
on the English landscape and biodiversity against backdrop of agricultural
revolution, landed estates, the formation of large-scale industry and the
growth of towns and suburbs. Even though the thrust is on England it has inputs
that matters the world over. The author dug in to game
books, diaries, churchwardens' accounts and even folk songs for his work. The
outcome is an original perspective on the complexity and ambiguity of
man/animal relationships in this post-medieval period.
Dr Williamson says “"What
remains certain is that nature has never existed outside of or independent from
the activities of men. The nature lies embedded in the social and the economic:
its history is largely, though not entirely, that of successive forms of
social, economic, and agricultural organization.
"We must accept
the essentially unnatural character of our natural heritage, and we must also
celebrate what some have evocatively termed the 'unofficial countryside', of
gravel pits, wasteland and sewage farms. But we must also strive to preserve
what remains of our 'traditional' countryside, for cultural reasons as much as
for biological ones." He also argues that recreating lost habitats needs
to be done with an historical perspective and warns of the danger of a one size
fits all approach.
Published: 05-12-2013 Format: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Extent: 296
ISBN: 9781441124869
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Illustrations: 25
Dimensions: 234 x 156 mm
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