Common ground – the sharing of land and landscapes for sustainability
Mark Everard / Zed Books / Paperback £18.99 / ISBN: 978–1–84813–962–6
A regular contributor to the environmentalist and author of the opening chapters of The IEMA handbook, Dr Mark Everard in his latest fascinating book examines humanity’s relationship with the land.
With an insightful introduction about how humans have historically considered land – colonising, buying and exploiting it, particularly in the
West – Everard’s book details the shifts in societies’ attitudes towards their landscape and gives context to the increasing awareness of ecosystems services and their value.
Everard discusses the urgent need to shift to more sustainable lifestyles, and how this can be accomplished, punctuating his book with examples from across the globe of initiatives aimed at protecting land and ecosystems.
He highlights in particular the challenges in ensuring adequate food supplies in future and how we must move away from our historic perceptions of land to create “living landscapes” capable of supporting us.
Alongside new market frameworks to account better for our impacts on the land, Everard also explores the moral and spiritual imperatives for placing greater value on Mother Earth.
Review by Sarah-Jayne Russell, deputy editor of the environmentalist
