book_coverA new e-book, Prophet and Loss, celebrates the wildness legacy left by the founder of UK nature conservation, Charles Rothschild. It’s written by Simon Barnes reveals and illustrated by wildlife artist Nik Pollard, and is s a must-read says the Wildlife Trusts.

Barnes re-visits seven of the 284 special places which Charles Rothschild and his colleagues deemed ‘worthy of preservation’ a century ago, to see how they have fared. He begins at Woodwalton Fen which Rothschild bought in 1910 and is now part of a project to create a 3,700 hectare wetland. Barnes evokes the wildness of shingle beaches, seabird islands, sand dunes, and grasslands and revels in marsh harriers soaring above the reeds at Woodwalton Fen, corkscrewing ravens at Kynance Cove, squadrons of gannets at Bass Rock and shingle flora at Aldeburgh, insect showers and mating dragonflies at Kenfig, and red kites and brown argus of Hartslock Wood. Kynance (c) Nik PollardBarnes urges everyone to

Go to one wild place after another the length and breadth of this country and look about. Look about and you will understand the extent of Rothschild’s achievement and more importantly, you will also understand a great deal more about

nature.” There is extensive detail about Rothschild’s work on the Wildlife Trusts website.

You can download Prophet and Loss for £1.

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