This book is about how we have treated nature in some of the most valued landscapes in Europe. Combining social and cultural history with ecology and geography, T.C. Smout has written an environmental history that is both profound and accessible.The Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland, the Lake District and the northern moors and plains of England form a natural region. The crags, moorland, woods and wetlands have been both treasured for their beauty and biodiversity and reviled as unproductive deserts to be improved and reclaimed. The fields have been made more fertile for production and the waters tapped for industrial use, but at a certain cost. The contest between two views of nature - conservation versus development; use versus delight - is at the centre of the book. The author begins by taking a hard look at our encounters with the natural world. He shows how the Scots and the northern English never shared the southerner's view of their environment as intimidating, and describes how conflict between using and enjoying the land gradually arose and gave birth to modern conservation ideas. He reveals how the history of the woods - especially the 'Great Wood of Caledon' - is quite different from popular myth, and examines the history and fate of the soil and the fields; of the rivers, lakes and lochs; of the hills and mountains; and of the modern quarrel over the countryside.'By the end,' the author writes, 'I hope to have presented on my theatre a dramatic tale that tells us a fair amount not only of northern Britain, but something about the globe and the European west as a whole over the last four hundred years.'

An authoritative two-volume overview of the distribution of the wild plants of Great Britain and Ireland Plant Atlas 2020 presents the results of field surveys by the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, building on past atlas surveys undertaken by the Botanical Society in the early and late twentieth century. Drawing on the work of thousands of botanists who covered the entirety of Britain and Ireland between 2000 and 2019, this two-volume book features introductory chapters that provide a detailed assessment of the changes to the region’s flora over the past hundred years. Distribution maps and accompanying text and graphics display the phenology, altitudinal range, and time-series trends for 2,616 native and alien species and 247 hybrids. With more than 30 million records gathered during the project, Plant Atlas 2020 will serve as an essential resource for the study and conservation of these wild plants and their vitally important habitats for decades to come. The most in-depth survey of British and Irish flora ever undertaken, based on more than 30 million individual records Covers 2,616 native and alien species and 247 hybrids Features a wealth of distribution maps and infographics, accompanied by informative text A must-have reference book for botanists, field naturalists, conservation organizations, government agencies, and anyone interested in the diverse plant life of Great Britain and Ireland

Explores the geography, ecology, and antiquity of 'open ecosystems' which include grasslands, savannas, and shrublands.

This book presents up-to-date information about Scotland's native woodlands. It draws upon professional experience of scientific research, survey and management, where the author has studied many important native woodlands in Scotland and beyond.