Nature’s Ghosts

by Sophie Yeo

For thousands of years, humans have been the architects of the natural world. Our activities have permanently altered the environment – for good and for bad.

In Nature’s Ghosts, award-winning journalist Sophie Yeo examines how the planet would have looked before humans scrubbed away its diversity: from landscapes carved out by megafauna to the primeval forests that emerged following the last Ice Age, and from the eagle-haunted skies of the Dark Ages to the flower-decked farms of more recent centuries.

Uncovering the stories of the people who have helped to shape the landscape, she seeks out their footprints even where it seems there are none to be found. And she explores the timeworn knowledge that can help to fix our broken relationship with the earth.

Along the way, Sophie encounters the environmental detectives – archaeological, cultural and ecological – reconstructing, in stunning detail, the landscapes we have lost.

Today, the natural world is more vulnerable than ever; the footprints of humanity heavier than they have ever been. But, as this urgent book argues, from the ghosts of the past, we may learn how to build a more wild and ancient future.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science, History, Environment, Audiobook, Conservation

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 23, 2024

Reviews

[Andy Weston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was shortlisted for the Wainwright Conservation Prize though didn’t go on to win it, which makes me keen to read the winner, Czerski’s The Blue Machine: How the Ocean Works, as if it’s as informative and entertaining as this, I will be in for another treat.

Yeo explores extinction and environmental loss making an impassioned plea for conservation from an angle not usually heard. Interested by rewilding, she investigates when exactly the planet ceased to become wild. She discusses how letting nature take its course might not always be the best way forward, referring to the historical ecologist George Peterken who believes that nature can exist on a spectrum. It fits in with the amount of times our landscapes have changed and evolved over time.

In the past I have struggled to enjoy books that concern the history of the natural world, but Yeo writing is sympathetic with details of her research as well as other anecdotes punctuating the narrative at exactly the right times.

I’ll highlight a couple of examples. There’s a chapter on a Finnish project called the Snowchange Cooperative which she praises as a world-leading conservation project. She spends time in North Karelia, by coincidence where I was just a couple of weeks ago, and relates her meetings with two of the Cooperative’s leading lights.
She considers foraging and wonders why in the UK it is so unfashionable, when elsewhere in Europe at the appropriate time of year so many people head out into the woods with their baskets. The Latvians, it seems, are continent’s leaders; a head’s up for me, as I will be there in a couple of weeks.

Most interesting though are the last couple of chapters which concern folklore and myth..

The psychoanalyst Carl Jung was particularly concerned about the impact of the loss of myth on the human psyche. 'Thunder is no longer the voice of an angry god, nor is lightning his avenging missile. No river contains a spirit, no tree is the life principle of a man, no snake the embodiment of wisdom, no mountain cave the home of a great demon. No voices now speak to man from stones, plants, and animals, nor does he speak to them believing they can hear,’ he wrote in Man and his Symbols, just before his death in 1961. 'His contact with nature has gone, and with it has gone the profound emotional energy that this symbolic connection supplied.’
His contact with nature has gone. The sentiment seemed to strike at the heart of the matter. Somewhere down the line, we became detached from the living world. In felling the forests, we evicted the gods that dwelled in the trees. In allowing our streams to fill with sewage, we supplanted healing with sickness. In killing so many animals, we banished the basis of future fables. The erosion of the wild from our daily lives means that the potential for otherworldly experiences has diminished.

This is where the book excels. Yeo is speaking my language. I spend a minimum of three hours wandering the hills and forests daily, and this is a big part of why I do it.

The Lake District, for instance, was recently made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To keep this status, the park authority must maintain the existing character of the landscape, which was built around the farming cultures of the past 400 years. The beauty of the open fells, however, is marred by the ecological damage wrought by sheep. If we are to preserve this landscape for its history and traditions, could we not also make room for the Neolithic axe-makers, who would have passed through wildwood as they sought out precious greenstone among the peaks of Great Langdale? For the Wild Boar of Westmorland, which supposedly had a den on Scout Scar and terrorised pilgrims during the reign of King John?
For the wolves immortalised in place-names? Farming is far from the only story inscribed upon this corner of the north.

She continues with a warning though, that tales told to children of trolls, elves and goblins can give them a negative image of our (relatively) wild places and mean they seek to avoid them.

Numerous studies have confirmed the intensity of animal-related fear among young children. A 2012 survey, conducted by the ChildFund Alliance, found that fears of insects and dangerous animals outstripped fears of death, disease, war and the end of the world. This remained consistent among children from both developed and developing countries, suggesting roots in something deeper than the chance of actually meeting a tiger, stepping on a scorpion or contracting malaria.

This is a powerful book that stands out amongst the many that currently analyse conservation. It’s well written, and Yeo has something different and relevant to say. Hers is a voice that needs to be heard.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one disappointed me, though that probably has more to do with me than with the book itself. There were a lot of wonderful science tidbits that were fun to contemplate, one of the most surprising being the way that abandoned Roman farming settlements continue to influence the flora and fauna of the area in which they were located, even if the area has been largely untouched by humans ever since the Romans left over 2,000 years ago. I’ve encountered many of the scientific concepts and underlying data she talks about in other books over the years, but that was a new one on me. I also liked the author’s writing style, which is lyrical, thoughtful, and meditative. She clearly cares about these issues and is trying to find ways to make sense of them.

What probably disappointed me the most was the optimism the author expresses about the likelihood that nature will be able to recover some of its former glory in a world shaped by mankind. I have been studying ecology for a couple of decades now and, to my mind, the only real hope for preserving most of the species currently inhabiting this planet is near-term human extinction. Our species is utterly incapable of leaving things alone and we tend to assign value to any given species based solely on the uses we might have for it (in a broad sense), rather than granting it the right to exist for its own sake. This point was illustrated to me by something my husband experienced a few years back. He was in a park photographing an uncommon wasp when a little girl and her father walked up to him and asked him what he was doing. After he explained, the little girl asked him, with respect to the wasp, “What is it good for?” If wasps could talk, I’d wager this one would have responded, “What are humans good for?”

As is annoyingly common in books like this one, the author deliberately ignores/dismisses the elephant in the room, the problem that underpins every ecological issue in the world today, namely human overpopulation. Her final chapter is about her own contribution to that particular ecological problem and how hopeful she is that her newborn daughter might live in a world more rich in natural beauty than the one we currently inhabit. This is perfectly natural on her part. Every living thing on the planet has an overwhelming instinctual urge to propagate itself and do whatever it takes to help its offspring prosper. None of us would be here if that weren’t the case. The problem with respect to humans is that we are way too good at it for a species that consumes as much as we do. The human population has doubled in my lifetime, which, though that feels like a long time to me, is but an eyeblink in the history of our species, let alone in geological history. That kind of growth has more in common with metastatic cancer than it does with the typical reproductive rate of a species of megafauna such as ours.

[Gregor Smith]

Struggled with this one.

I took the audiobook route and it will be my last non-fiction audiobook. Just doesnt work for me, fell asleep countless times or my mind drifted away from listening intently.

Only got a kick out of the very last chapter (only one I can claim fully lucid listening), it was a well woven anecdote including mythology, religion and history.

If I may summarise...

Pagan beilef systems extracted far more value from the natural world than Christianity ever did - The over-reliance on the 'holy-sites' of the bible, churches, cathedrals and centralised areas of worship have combined with the iron fist of industrialisation, creating a world almost fully estranged from the complexities of nature. Landscapes have long been devoid of life...it has dampened the connection between people and place.

I'm sure the rest of the book was good so I'm not going to rate, since it was my error. I may return to it one day.

[Casey Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting take on conservation, very different from the climate change books I’ve read before and I enjoyed having it add to the way I think about these issues

[Ed Stoddard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stay tuned for my DM review ... and here it is ... https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/artic...

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

"At some point, however, we began to take too much."

Informative, perceptive and intelligent. Introduced several concepts I hadn't heard of before and kept a very holistic view of the intricacies of nature, even when dealing with specific areas and ideas. The last chapter was very surprising and I enjoyed it, and the rest of the book, whole heartedly.

[Michael Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoiler:
Page 84 is saying that we should declare a crisis on the basis that we have lost 100% of dinosaurs.

I mean, this was absolutely not necessary!

If you put a lot of effort in writing this book, don't let all the rubbish trickle in!

Otherwise it teaches you a few things.

But the concept seems to have a theme of diagreaing to hat she presents for a few dozen of pages.

If you compare UK to Mainland Europe forest area you will see UK does not have any.

[⋆.˚ livia .☘︎ ݁˖]

my manuscript project for class literally wouldn’t exist without this book 😭

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly written, interesting and very moving.

[Peter Tillman]

The review to read is the Inquisitive Biologist's:
https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2024...

A Hoopla ebook is hypothetically available. But I haven't had much luck lately with Hoopla, as many public libraries apparently can no longer afford their service......

[Chantal Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having heard Yeo speak at an event just before the release of 'Nature's Ghosts', my appetite was whetted – and deeply satisfied when I came to read the book.

I find it hard to define and describe, in a way. The blurb is accurate and informative, and yet, somehow doesn't encompass everything this book is. Traditional fishers in Finland, wildflower meadows in former Transylvania, lessons from the last time the planet rapidly heated up (56 million years ago), how poetry and place names can be used to help guide the restoration of ecosystems, the resurrection of ‘ghost’ ponds… there is so much, the chapters together creating their own kind of biodiversity.

None of that would matter, though, if the book was not also beautifully written and its messages carefully argued. Yeo sprinkles the pages with lovely turns of phrase without the prose ever becoming overwrought. An environmental journalist, her ability to communicate the complexities of environmental concepts and issues to make them easy for the lay reader to grasp is unquestionable.

So there’s a variety of reasons why ‘Nature’s Ghosts’ is a compelling and absorbing read. But what I most love about it is its fresh and sometimes contrary perspective on issues that have already been fairly well-trodden in books like Isabella Tree’s ‘Wilding’ (and, pretty much, any other book on rewilding in the last 10 years). There is a total absence of cliché or unoriginality – something that is harder and harder to achieve in the genres of nature- and conservation writing, these days. You can tell that Yeo doesn’t suffer fools lightly!

What I most took away from the book is hope. I’ve been burned in the past by books that claimed to offer optimism and routes for veering us off the course of climate and biodiversity breakdown. Yeo doesn’t pretend we can prevent enormous loss and suffering on a planetary scale. But she offers genuinely believable and realistic grounds for hope – especially in the chapter ‘The Laboratory of Time’.

I still can’t concisely describe ‘Nature’s Ghosts’. I just know that I loved it.

[Frank Van De P · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this week thinking that it is about how to connect with nature, and while it did touch upon that, it is more about nature revival.

The book is interesting and generally well researched. It explores a number of topics and locations (most European), and has some cool anecdotes. It shows that in the science of biology and ecology, a lot of creativity is required, both in instruments and in ways of thinking.

However, despite being well researched, there were a number of shortcomigs that undermined the effectiveness of the message. First, I feel that there is a more thorough understanding of sciece required, and then especially of biology and ecology in all their facets. For example, I personally felt that the evolution of both species and ecosystems was not always properly explored. On a similar note, and maybe even more importantly, it is not explored what even ecosystems and their biodiversity are, and why they are important.

Moreover, it is important to realize the role of people in the story. To some extent this is explored, for example by looking at the role that our ancestors played in nature, or how small scale initiatives can promote nature restoration or even food production. These initiatives are inspiring. But take into accout that we are with 8 billion people, half of whom live in cities. More importantly, we live in a capitalist society, and any solution needs to be scalable and affordable in order to be realistic and compatable with the world as it is. Perhaps this is too much to ask, but it felt to me that a proper solution requires an economic perspective that I was missing fully in the book.

Finally, a number of sentences seem to undermine the message, such as "nature remembers" or the "soul of nature". It adds a level of spirituality that is uncalled for in a book with a scientific approach.

Overall a casual read with some interesting ideas. 6/10

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is the past the key to our future landscapes?

Sophie Yeo takes a wide-ranging look at how humans have interacted with their home landscapes for thousands of years, from hunter-gatherer to Mesolithic farmer, and then modern agricultural worker. Along the way she talks to people who have debunked the primal wildwood paradigm (no, a squirrel could not have gone tree-to-tree from the Scottish borders to the south coast without touching the ground), investigates how humans filled the megafauna niche once
these massive beasts became extinct after the last ice age, and discovers the immense ecological richness of small-scale farming in Romania.

At the heart of this book is humanity’s innate place in the landscape – a place that we are becoming more and more detached from through our modern way of living. It’s a plea for understanding that, at heart, we are a species with 100,000 years’ experience of living with nature, and only around 250 living outside of it, and that this disconnection is driving losses for both nature and for us. We need to find a way to allow nature to return, and to learn to live with it harmoniously. This is not a plea for total rewilding, but a blueprint for giving nature space to live and thrive on the edges and in-between, where often it is richest in diversity.

This is one of the most profound environmental books I’ve read. It’s not a polemic and it’s not prescriptive in its solutions, but it is warm, wise and respectful of both people and nature.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off brilliantly in the first chapter, where the author wrote a fantastic summary of humankind's outsized impact on the planet going back to the paleolithic. Ever since we controlled fire and had stone tipped spears we've changed the world irrevocably, from turning forests into open woodland to driving the megafauna to extinction. The subsequent ages of agriculture and industry only intensified the scale and pace of change, with nothing left today that has not felt the touch of man.

Yeo visited a handful of localities across the U.K. and in Europe where she investigated how past human activities have altered seemingly natural looking landscapes, and how the locals were attempting to restore naturally occurring processes in some cases. Interspersed among her wanderings were reports on scientific findings, one example being how previous warming temperatures affected nature. There was some conflicting thoughts on this, as she argued that nothing went extinct in previous periods due to rising temperatures alone, but then also mentioned that the current man made spike is over ten times as rapid, questioning the ability of wildlife to adapt at such a pace.

It was such messy presentation and conflicting information that made the book go nowhere in the end. While I do acknowledge the complexity of our world such that there will never be straightforward explanations, a more solid message would have been welcome.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, thought-provoking treatise. The audiobook is well read, not too fast-paced. It is definitely a book to be re-read or listened to in order to really capture all the insights and details and examples.

I do think the chapter, Hallowed Ground, is really intriguing, though I think the author lumps all Christianity together. I would argue that Celtic Christianity, at least that exemplified in books by Esther de Waal and similar authors , shows a more integrated approach in which there is not the dualism and suspicion of Nature so rampant in much of Christianity, i.e. Nature is bad, humans are bad, etc.. Instead, Celtic Christianity shows an appreciation for ALL Creation as being sacred and good. It is definitely a mystical faith vs consumptive and self centered and utilitarian. I wonder if what has been lost in today's frenetic world is a disconnection from a mystical side of Creation.

I do appreciate the tremendous work that went into this book!

[The Northern Bookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well researched and filled with interesting facts and stories, Sophie looks at the long standing battle between humans and their natural surroundings including our efforts to lessen the impact.

Covering all aspects of the globe, the book provides interesting insight into the stories of human versus nature (and occasionally humans working with nature). She also reveals how the arts can help science in the quest to better understand the past and influence our actions in the future.

While feeling very academic at tines, Sophie does offer some personal insight and commentary, allowing the book to serve as a memoir as well as a reference source.

[Stuart Macalpine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really thought provoking exploration of the long history of human and natural change to the environment- the ghosts that are left behind, and how we can learn to 'stay with the trouble' as Donna Haraway would say. I found the sections on the long term impact of things as simple as Roman forest clearings for biodiversity and growth patterns two thousand years later really eye opening. I also enjoyed the challenge to the myth of 'virgin' or untouched nature - there never has been such a thing - and nature is always complex, adaptive and changing. The question is how do we play a less destructive part in that.

[Jamie Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible.

By looking to the distant past, we can catch a glimpse of the world at a time when humans were a keystone species, living and working with the natural environment.

We have forgotten the ancient stories, killed the gods and faeries of the woods, drained rivers of their healing properties, and filled the sky with the smoke of our industry.

By stepping back into the myth and majesty of nature and standing side by side with the wilderness instead of trying to hold it in our hands, we could save our planet from the monsters we have become.

[Chris Vernon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is nicely written, taking a long view of shifting ecosystems from the neolithic to present day. Around ten fairly disconnected essays considering a rewilding programme in Finland, megafauna extinction, the British Isles ‘wildwood’, the PETM, shifting baselines and Christianity’s relationship with nature. The final part, the ‘happy chapter’ about the possible positive future, potential for rewilding, for recovery, seemed at odds with the rest of the book.

[Annette Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful, well researched and beautifully written book about what used to cover the earth in pre-history through to how it looks today and why this might be the case. Consideration is also given to the implications this might have for the future, especially in terms of conservation. It felt like a positive and hopeful book in terms of the survival of the planet, if not necessarily the human race.

[The Inquisitive Biologist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nature's Ghosts combines journalistic flair and nature writing to examine the intriguing lessons the past holds for conservation today. Read my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2024...

[MJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping read bringing a fresh perspective on what we often believe to be the baseline.

[Daniel Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuinely fascinating and written in such a way you can feel the author's passion

[Freddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly beautiful. I am so glad I read this book and discovered Sophie's writing. The best nature book I've read in the last five years.

[Lucy Allen-Goss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, and it was absolutely fascinating and hopeful. I did think the final section wasn't quite as compelling, but overall it was a great read.

[Roger Morgan-Grenville · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book that creates a bridge between what we once had and could have again. Full of surprising history and nature.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked listening to this in spurts. Not sure I'd have stuck with it reading.

[Wondra Vanian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harrowing - but not hopeless.

[Pers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating.

[Mark Maultby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetic, wise, profound, with much to reflect and think about. Loved it. Listened on Audible. Well narrated.