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This is a very personal account of the author's experiences in the field of conservation. The book is divided into two distinct but related parts. In the first, he describes how some 40 years ago he acquired a bare field adjacent to his home in Cambridgeshire and transformed part of it into a private nature reserve with a wood, a large pond and rough grassland. He details his successes in trying to attract the wildlife which has subsequently colonized it as well as his failures. In his words: “many people wish to encourage wildlife on their land but do not know exactly what to do or what they can expect to achieve.” In the second part, he relates his own local experiences to the wider conservation scene. Most people are still unaware of the fundamental importance of wildlife or its connection with our own survival and they are also unaware of the urgency of the measures our generation can and must take. He considers how the failures of democratic governments to carry out crucial long-term measures might be overcome. The author's aims are to encourage farmers and owners of large gardens to create nature reserves by describing the pleasures which flow from such a project, as well as to stimulate debate on conservation policy and on the role of governments, nationally and internationally, in furthering the conservation of our own species as well as that of wildlife – currently a red-hot topic.

This volume contains a complete set of distribution maps, and information on all the resident and more frequent immigration dragonflies in Britain and Ireland. It takes a look at the present and changing status of dragonfly species, provides insight into their distribution, gives descriptions to aid recognition, and summarizes aspects of behaviour and details of habitat. The information for the atlas comes from the Recording Scheme set up at the Biological Records Centre 25 years ago which, apart from deepening our understanding of dragonflies, has focused attention on the need for conservation measures. This book includes important and notable discoveries made in the course of the research, and provides a history of conservation in Britain and Ireland and the context and rationale for future efforts. It is a book which should be of interest not only to amateur naturalists and fieldworkers but also students and professional biologists.

This is a very personal account of the author's experiences in the field of conservation. The book is divided into two distinct but related parts. In the first, he describes how some 40 years ago he acquired a bare field adjacent to his home in Cambridgeshire and transformed part of it into a private nature reserve with a wood, a large pond and rough grassland. He details his successes in trying to attract the wildlife which has subsequently colonized it as well as his failures. In his words: "many people wish to encourage wildlife on their land but do not know exactly what to do or what they can expect to achieve." In the second part, he relates his own local experiences to the wider conservation scene. Most people are still unaware of the fundamental importance of wildlife or its connection with our own survival and they are also unaware of the urgency of the measures our generation can and must take. He considers how the failures of democratic governments to carry out crucial long-term measures might be overcome. The author's aims are to encourage farmers and owners of large gardens to create nature reserves by describing the pleasures which flow from such a project, as well as to stimulate debate on conservation policy and on the role of governments, nationally and internationally, in furthering the conservation of our own species as well as that of wildlife - currently a red-hot topic.

This volume contains a complete set of distribution maps, and information on all the resident and more frequent immigration dragonflies in Britain and Ireland. It takes a look at the present and changing status of dragonfly species, provides insight into their distribution, gives descriptions to aid recognition, and summarizes aspects of behaviour and details of habitat. The information for the atlas comes from the Recording Scheme set up at the Biological Records Centre 25 years ago which, apart from deepening our understanding of dragonflies, has focused attention on the need for conservation measures. This book includes important and notable discoveries made in the course of the research, and provides a history of conservation in Britain and Ireland and the context and rationale for future efforts. It is a book which should be of interest not only to amateur naturalists and fieldworkers but also students and professional biologists.