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.