Natural Connection

'Urgent, profound and compassionate’ Robert Macfarlane | 'Fascinating and thought provoking' Cal Flyn | 'Truly original ... Reading it is a balm' Afua Hirsch | ‘A wonderful book’ Katherine May | 'Rigorously researched, justice-centred and transformative' Mikaela Loach

A lyrical, deeply researched and original work of narrative non-fiction by University of Cambridge environmental justice, AI and bioacoustics researcher and educator Joycelyn Longdon.

Natural Connection illuminates the wondrous awe of the natural world and reveals how marginalised communities and ancient wisdom help us create a sustainable mindset and future for generations to come.

When considering environmental action, many of us view ourselves through the binary of activist or observer. Here, Longdon shows there are many paths to drive positive change, and embracing rage, imagination, innovation, theory, healing and care as outlooks can fuel the wider movement. Rooted in Longdon’s cutting-edge research and featuring contributions from key voices such as Robert Macfarlane, Miranda Lowe, Katherine May and Rebecca Solnit, this is an invitation to approach environmental action as a shared goal rather than an individual burden.

This book celebrate the histories and extraordinary acts of ordinary people who have paved the way for today’s environmental change, such as the Chipko women of India – the original ‘tree huggers’, who pioneered direct action in their communities to combat deforestation – and Nigeria’s Ogoni 9, who fought the threat of fossil fuel extraction in the Delta region. Bringing together inspiring stories from marginalised people from the US to the UK, Brazil to Iran, Ghana to Ethiopia, this book roots us in our intrinsic connection with nature and celebrates the power of community.