1. Global Charter for Rewilding the Earth
In a NEWT-shell
This formal document was prepared by global conservation experts, including NEWT’s own Tom Butler, in preparation for the 11th World Wilderness Congress (2020) and pushes for the protection and expansion of wild lands around the world. The charter calls on governments, volunteers, businesses, and organizations to join together for this cause, which will promote human welfare, clean water and air, pollination, and climate stability.
2. Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations
In a NEWT-shell
This five-volume series features essays, interviews, poetry, and stories from over 70 contributors. The content “explores our deep interconnections with the living world” as an “offer of solidarity, highlighting the interdependence that exists between humans and nonhuman beings.” The series functions as a “guide and companion into the ways we can deepen our care and respect” for nature.
3. Preserving not just the most beautiful landscapes, but the most resilient
In a NEWT-shell
This Boston Globe op-ed by Dr. Mark Anderson, The Nature Conservancy’s Director of Science and Northeast Wilderness Trust’s Board President, makes the case for prioritizing the conservation of ecosystems capable of withstanding climate change. Anderson and his team studied land across the US to identify “resilient strongholds,” of which there are many in New England. These areas create diverse “micro-climates,” making them resilient and necessary to protect.
4. Wilderness and Traditional Indigenous Beliefs: Conflicting or Intersecting Perspectives on the Human-Nature Relationship?
In a NEWT-shell
This article explores the history of “wilderness” with the aid of Indigenous Cu’pik and Gwich’in perspectives. There is much to clarify between the Western approach to conservation and the values of Native populations across North America. In an equitable and communicative union, we are much more capable of addressing climate change and land protection for the wellbeing of all parties involved.
5. The Nature of Nature: Why We Need the Wild by Enric Sala
In a NEWT-shell
If you’re looking for a contemporary book to rekindle your devotion to conservation, you’ll find it in this “inspiring manifesto.” Internationally renowned ecologist Enric Sala lays out the ways in which protecting nature is “our best health insurance” and “makes economic sense.” This accessible read even has insights on conservation’s ties to the coronavirus pandemic.
6. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
In a NEWT-shell
This essay collection was a national bestseller and is now published in a special edition with all-new features, such as color illustrations. Written by botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass showcases how plants and animals are “our oldest teachers.” Kimmerer argues that “a wider ecological consciousness” requires us to embrace and respect nature.
7. Abundant Earth: Toward an Ecological Civilization by Eileen Crist
In a NEWT-shell
This book “documents the rising tide of biodiversity loss, but also lays out the drivers of this wholesale destruction and how we can push past them.” Crist argues that the appropriate response is to empower women worldwide with family-planning tools and access to education, to deindustrialize food production, and to localize economies while contracting global trade. In short, this book is a wakeup call for humanity.
8. Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life by E.O. Wilson:
In a NEWT-shell
This moving book shows us the devastating harms of the human race and offers an ambitious solution: to protect half of the planet’s surface for nature. Wilson argues that any goal smaller than that will not overcome the encroaching threat of mass extinction. If you’re not yet convinced on the stakes at play in land conservation, this book will win you over.
9. Rewilding Our Hearts: Building Pathways of Compassion and Coexistence by Marc Bekoff
In a NEWT-shell
This handbook of sorts connects compassion for wildlife to the keys of coexistence. Bekoff, who is a leading activist and animal expert, invites readers to engage in “the essential work of becoming reenchanted with the world, acting from the inside out, and dissolving false boundaries to truly connect with both nature and themselves.” At the heart of this book is an excavation of the human attitudes that are most beneficial to habitat restoration.
10. Fifty Years Later: Wilderness & Civil Rights in the Same Breath by Lauret Savoy
In a NEWT-shell
This article was released on the 50th anniversary of both the Civil Rights Act and the Wilderness Act and explores how these two landmark pieces of legislation are more closely tied together than some think. Savoy writes that “this key step toward social justice and this great conservation achievement came about through the long-term efforts of reform movements commonly seen as unrelated.” For a helpful lesson on the relationship between justice for the land and justice for people, check out the full article linked above.