Invasive Aliens, Dan Eatherley
Invasive Aliens, Dan Eatherley
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Invasive Aliens

Author: Dan Eatherley

Narrator: Roger Davis

Unabridged: 10 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/18/2019


Synopsis

‘The story of “invasive species” is really the story of human history, and Eatherley tells it with great verve … Fascinating’ Daily Telegraph A unique history of plant and animal invaders of the British isles spanning thousands of years of arrivals and escapes, as well as defences mounted and a look to the future. As Brits we pride ourselves as stoic defenders, boasting a record of resistance dating back to 1066. Yet, even a cursory examination of the natural world reveals that while interlopers of the human variety may have been kept at bay, our islands have been invaded, conquered and settled by an endless succession of animals, plants, fungi and other alien lifeforms that apparently belong elsewhere. Indeed it’s often hard to work out what actually is native, and what is foreign. From early settlement of our islands, through the Roman and mediaeval period, to the age of exploration and globalisation, today’s complement of alien species tells a story about our past.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Nicky

Invasive Aliens discusses invasive organisms that are not native to Britain and how they got here, how they affect their new home, and what that implies for the future. Some of the invasives we've embraced as our own (rabbits and buddleia) while others are hated (grey squirrels)... and others, of co......more

Goodreads review by Aya

finally freed!......more

Goodreads review by Sarak77

The question posed in the earlier chapters of Invasive Aliens which gallop through the natural history of the British isles, is what can really be called a native species on an island only recently (in geological time) exposed at the end of the last ice age. Many well established species are known t......more

Goodreads review by Ken

[2 Feb 2020] This is an interesting and engaging book about a subject that has not had a lot of coverage. The author takes you through the history of the invasive spread of various life forms; animals, birds, insects, plants etc and explains carefully where they came from and how it is thought they......more

Goodreads review by Mehtap

Invasive Tiere und Pflanzen, die sich auf globalem Wege ausgebreitet haben und das Ökosystem durcheinander bringen. Darüber handelt dieses Buch. Häufig sind die invasiven Spezien tatsächlich als versteckter Passagier in Schiffen (Ratten), in Autos mit Wasserverstecken (Tiger Mosquitos Larven), als B......more


Quotes

Praise for Invasive Aliens‘Fascinating … Eatherley has the unflagging curiosity of a Victorian explorer. The man seems to be indefatigable as he hacks away at Himalayan balsam (the pink, flowery weed that lines almost every riverbank in Britain) or goes on patrol for invasive signal crayfish in the River Barle. He’s not afraid to get wet, dirty or tired on his mission to get up close and personal with intruders of all shapes and sizes. It feels as if we are on the front line with him.’ The Times ‘[Eatherley’s] approach to his complex subject is open-minded, nuanced, and free-ranging to the point of wildness’ Sunday Telegraph ‘Fascinating … the story of “invasive species” is really the story of human history, and [Eatherley] tells it with great verve’ Daily Telegraph ‘Eatherley has an impressive grasp of history – both human and natural … [and] Invasive Aliens provides a well-researched overview of this complex and controversial topic. There is plenty here to surprise as well as enlighten’ Literary Review ‘A fascinating, comprehensive and thoughtful compendium of the flora and fauna that have reached our shores over the years … Invasive Aliens is full of extraordinary and often complex stories.’ Country Life ‘Eatherley’s thorough digest of a complex subject is engaging, informative and balanced. It is the first of these which most explains why Invasive Aliens has garnered such a sheaf of book awards. If the journalistic style puts off a few readers, it will please many more because the subject has been presented with verve and panache; I did not expect to be drawn in so comprehensively or to learn so much’ James Robertson, British Wildlife ‘[Dan Eatherley,] a talented naturalist writing with a genuine passion for the subject, has tackled the daunting task of charting the history of alien species in Britain with gusto. The result is an engrossing and utterly entertaining book’ British Deer Society