Can Britain make room for wildlife?

Stephen Moss believes it can. While newspaper headlines warn that Britain’s wildlife is in deep trouble, with species that have lived alongside us for millennia now disappearing due to pollution, persecution, invasive species, shifting farming and forestry practices, and the accelerating impact of climate change, Moss shows that the picture is more complex.

It is not only rare species such as the Scottish wildcat or red squirrel that are vanishing from our landscape. Once-familiar creatures, hares, hedgehogs, skylarks, water voles, even the humble house sparrow, are all declining at alarming rates.

Yet there is hope for British wildlife. Across the country, remarkable recoveries are taking place. In Newcastle, otters have returned to the River Tyne and red kites soar over the Metro Centre. In Devon, beavers reshape the River Otter, and in the heart of London, peregrines, the fastest animals on Earth, have made the city their home.

Beyond the cities, once barren landscapes are undergoing bold transformations through rewilding in the UK, creating vital habitats where wild creatures can not only survive but truly thrive. Stephen Moss has travelled from the remote St Kilda archipelago to Britain’s busiest urban centres to observe these changes first-hand.

In this complex, heartfelt and often surprising exploration of British wildlife, he offers a deeply informed and hopeful response to the question of whether nature can reclaim its place in our modern world, and how we can help make room.