Nature's Conscience: The Life and Legacy of Derek Ratcliffe

Derek Ratcliffe was arguably the most outstanding field biologist and conservationist of the 20th century. This book explores the breadth, quality and legacy of Derek s work and has many personal reminiscences. The 30 contributors provide fascinating insights to a remarkable person, and events and issues which have shaped wild nature as we see it today. Each part ends with an article written by Derek.

Derek was passionate about nature and used his huge knowledge of nature to good effect. He possessed an intense curiosity which drove him to understand and protect nature. His interests ranged from birds, butterflies and dragonflies, and mountain flora and vegetation to the ecology and biogeography of peatlands and of mosses, liverworts, and ferns. He documented birds, plants, and insects in their habitats and maintained long-term population studies on several birds of prey as well as Raven, Golden Plover, Greenshank, and Dotterel. He documented the decline of the Peregrine Falcon and famously established the role of pesticides as its cause. He led the fight that saved the wild and remote Flow Country of northern Scotland from extensive afforestation. As the Nature Conservancy's Chief Scientist, he masterminded A Nature Conservation Review, which still underpins so much conservation policy and practice in Britain. His books have become classics of natural history writing. Through his employment as a conservationist and his books and articles, he massively influenced our awareness of nature and its vulnerability.

Beautifully illustrated, this is a deeply inspiring book. It will appeal to a wide readership, curious about what makes such a towering figure so special, and united by an eagerness to see wildlife flourish.

With a foreword by Professor Sir John Lawton.

"This book is his epitaph and paints a picture of a kindly, dedicated and quite awe inspiring character to whom we owe much without realising it." --Pat Morris, Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society

"The true measure of Ratcliffe's abilities is that he knew the secret languages of moss taxonomists and plant biologists but could also write and speak in the lingua franca of us all. This book is a glorious, multi-authored exploration of the many parts of this great naturalist: writer, scientist, mountaineer, explorer, photographer and unremitting champion of the wild. It is also a summing up of his place in British natural history, which amounts now almost to a cult..." --Mark Cocker, New Statesman

"...an indispensable source of information for anyone interested in nature conservation in Britain, and it cements into place the position of Derek Ratcliffe as one of the key figures in that movement." --Nick Hodgetts, Journal of Bryology

"He shared his encyclopaedic knowledge with so many people, some of whom, thankfully, have written this excellent book to enthuse about the man and his passions." --Rob Hume, Birdwatch

"In the 20th century, probably no-one contributed more to the conservation of Britain's uplands and to knowledge of their ecology than Derek Ratcliffe (1929 2005)... We owe him a lot and this book tells it all." --John Savory, Scottish Birds

Professor Des Thompson is Principal Adviser on Science and Biodiversity with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Des works closely with government, and leads on key policy and science matters relating to nature. Chairman of the Technical Advisory Group advising the UN Convention on Migratory Species on the conservation of migratory birds of prey in Eurasia and Africa, Des has specialist interests in birds and the uplands, and has published 15 books and more than 200 papers. An Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Ecology, Chairman of the Field Studies Council (the UK’s leading provider of outdoor environmental education), he is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 

Professor Hilary Birks is Professor Emerita in the Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Hilary’s research focuses on reconstructing vegetation, environment and climate over the past 15,000 years, using macroscopic plant remains and pollen preserved in lake sediments. She worked extensively in Scotland before moving to Bergen in 1985, where she was appointed to a personal Chair in 2001. Hilary has made major contributions to knowledge on the development of Norwegian ecosystems and climate since the end of the last glacial period. A Foreign Member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters,  Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Corresponding Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Hilary received a lifetime achievement award from the International Paleolimnological Society. 

Professor John Birks is an internationally acclaimed scientist, who has published more than 20 books and 400 papers, John is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Biology, University of Bergen. His research achievements are in the field of Quaternary science and environmental history. This includes quaternary palaeoecology, linking pollen analysis and vegetation history with modern ecology; and in quantitative palaeoecology, using numerical methods to analyse numerical palaeoecological data. In receipt of prestigious medals for his research from four countries, as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award and Medal from the International Paleolimnology Association, John has editorial roles for nine scientific journals, and had a special issue of The Holocene dedicated to his lifetime work - entitled ‘At the frontiers of palaeoecology’. A Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, John is a Corresponding Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh