Tickets for the Ark: From wasps to whales – how do we choose what to save?

by Rebecca Nesbit

Our planet hasn't seen the current rate of extinction since the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, and global conservation efforts are failing to halt this. As a society, we face choices which will determine the fate of Earth's estimated 8.7 million species, including humans. As wildlife declines, conservation needs to make trade-offs. But what should we conserve and why? Are we wrong to love bees and hate wasps? Are native species more valuable than newcomers (aka invasives)? Should some animals be culled to protect others, or for our own economic interests? What do we want the 'natural world' to look like, and how can we shape a world in which wildlife and people can thrive?

256 pages, Paperback

Published September 3, 2024

About the author

Writing fiction has inspired me ever since I was asked to write a story about ‘an amazing journey’ in my year 3 English lessons. I took it up seriously in 2010 when I began my first novel 'A Column of Smoke'.

I graduated from the University of Durham in 2005, and went on to study butterfly migration for my PhD. I now work in science communication.

I have a particular interest in writing fiction about the ethical issues which often arise when scientific discoveries influence society.

Reviews

[Stephen Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This popular science book takes the reader deep into the timely question of which species to save and why, as the planet experiences its sixth global extinction. Topics covered include E.O. Wilson’s big idea, expounded in his book Half-Earth, that half of the planet’s surface should be reserved for nature. Author Rebecca Nesbit, an ecologist with a PhD in butterfly migration, looks at the flagship project inspired by this concept, the Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique. This park was ravaged by civil war in the late 20th century but strenuous conservation efforts supported by an American philanthropist have helped wildlife to make a comeback. Nesbit writes: “If the Gorongosa story has taught us anything, it is that transformations can happen against the odds.” Nesbit also introduces readers to the tragic story of the Russian scientist Nikolai Vavilov who developed the idea of seed banks. Vavilov and his team collected more than 250,000 seeds for conservation in Leningrad. Vavilov fell foul of Stalin and died of starvation in the Gulag in 1943. In the depths of World War Two, Vavilov’s colleagues guarded the collection from rats and Leningrad’s famished population. Nesbit writes that nine of them starved to death rather than eat the seeds. The seed bank is now known as the N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Genetic Resources.

[Bridget Maguire-Colton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written from the perspective of a person in England, this book skims over ecological issues across the world. I would have liked a bit of a deeper dive on some of the conservation issues presented and the people working on solutions. But overall a good overview of where we stand on conservation conundrums and a little glimmer of hope for the future.

[P.A. Latter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing, nuanced, intelligent and highly readable.