Cities Going Wild: to save the planet

About this book

By 2050, 2 out of 3 people on Earth will probably be living in a city. Bringing nature back into cities is increasingly important - for people too. In this informative book, you will discover real-life examples of this across the world, such as pangolin pathways, water snake wetland parks and lizard railway station roofs.

This relatively slim volume packs in a lot of information, and positive, inspiring information at that. There are stories of cities with living walls, including in harbours, of city parks tailored to welcoming local flora and fauna, and of pollinator pathways being created by gardens, parks, window boxes and grass verges. The stunning illustrations by Christiane Engel bring both the scope and details of these projects to life, and on many pages there are specific animals and birds for the reader to spot. With suggestions of how you too can add to the greenery where you live, as well as a breadth of different examples from all around the world, this is a truly inspiring book. A must for every school book corner or library. 

BookTrust and the University of Exeter collaborate together on the RENEW project - a five-year partnership programme focused on biodiversity renewal, with a primary objective of encouraging biodiversity renewal by influencing the next generation of thinkers through books and stories. We asked Professor John Wedgewood Clarke from the University of Exeter to read Cities Going Wild and this is what he said: 

'International in scope, yet teaming with local detail, Cities Going Wild… to save the planet offers younger readers a hopeful vision of nature thriving alongside us in cities. Sumptuous illustrations and great examples of urban nature development work make it a crucial and urgent book to get in the hands of the next generation of nature lovers who need to know we can all make a home for nature on our doorstep, wherever we may live. Catherine Barr's book shows and shares what researchers and scientists on the RENEW programme at University of Exeter are working together: how to renew nature through recognising the importance of including and mobilising people to enable the changes we need to see.'