"Derek Gow might be the most colorful character in all of Beaverdom."-Ben Goldfarb, author of Eager
"Gow's triumph has been the reintroduction of the Eurasian beaver."-The New Yorker
Bringing Back the Beaver is farmer-turned-ecologist Derek Gow's inspirational and often riotously funny firsthand account of how the movement to rewild the British landscape with beavers has become the single most dramatic and subversive nature conservation act of the modern era. Since the early 1990s-in the face of outright opposition from government, landowning elites, and even some conservation professionals-Gow has imported, quarantined, and assisted the reestablishment of beavers in waterways across England and Scotland.
In addition to detailing the ups and downs of rewilding beavers, Bringing Back the Beaver makes a passionate case as to why the return of one of nature's great problem solvers will be critical as part of a sustainable fix for flooding and future drought, whilst ensuring the creation of essential lifescapes that enable the broadest possible spectrum of Britain's wildlife to thrive.
"Bringing Back the Beaver is a hilarious, eccentric and magnificent account of a struggle . . . to reintroduce a species crucial to the health of our ecosystems."-George Monbiot
"A treasure."-Booklist "Bringing Back the Beaver … is a rich and, frankly, fucking funny insight into the human attitudes, systems and bureaucracy that have impeded faster progress to reintroducing this keystone species back into the British landscape. A hugely entertaining book about overcoming the human obstacles to the natural regeneration/nature self-healing we so desperately need on every square inch of the earth right now."-Gillian Burke, TV presenter and biologist
"The UK is amongst the world's most wildlife depleted countries, in spite of the fact that we have over three million nature-loving voices. Caring is not enough – where we have failed is in making that caring count. One man – Derek Gow – stands out for sheer results. His is the brilliant story of pragmatic rewilding – the inspiring tale of returning an animal that will joyously reverse the fortunes of our waterways, birds, butterflies and every other animal kingdom in the decades to come."-Benedict Macdonald, author of Rebirding, winner of the 2020 Wainwright Prize
"This authentic, impassioned manifesto-cum-memoir will hopefully have a major impact on what is likely to be a long-running controversy."-The Spectator
"This short, tub-thumping book spares no one...Gow has a fire in his belly. We need more like him."-BBC Wildlife Magazine
"[Gow] is feisty, funny, and committed to restoring an ecosystem. . . . The author's whimsical hand drawings, along with his voluminous vocabulary, make this book a treasure."-Booklist
"Bringing Back the Beaver is a hilarious, eccentric and magnificent account of a struggle against bureaucracy, pigheadedness and sheer human irrationality, in order to reintroduce a species crucial to the health of our ecosystems. Derek Gow is an extraordinary character, whose writing is as colourful and dynamic as he is. He has done more to restore our missing fauna than anyone else in Britain. This is his astonishing story of what it takes."-George Monbiot
"It is wonderful to see that beavers are now officially back on the list of native species, having been absent for so long .... far too long! They are without doubt one of the world's best natural engineers with their ability to create new wetland habitats, which then become home to many other creatures who need a "watery" landscape in which to live and survive. This is a win–win situation for wildlife ... providing of course, reintroductions are carried out with the blessing of the surrounding landowners and the local community."-Dame Judi Dench
"Derek Gow might be the most colorful character in all of Beaverdom – a w
