Win-win scenarios abound in the natural world — examples of elegant multispecies interactions that have resulted from millennia of evolutionary patterns and behaviors, explains anthropologist and ecologist Philip A. Loring. Somewhere along the way, however, perhaps in our efforts to conserve and protect the resources found in nature, we humans have completely removed ourselves from it, relegating our species to spectator status on the outside of this harmonious connectivity looking in. It is time for a new approach to sustainability and stewardship.

“It is indeed possible to coexist with the rest of the natural world, to restore the damage we’ve caused. We do this not through self-quarantine, by leaving nature alone. We achieve this by integrating our lives and destinies with those of the species, landscapes and seascapes around us,” Loring writes in his thought-provoking new book, Finding Our Niche: Toward a Restorative Human Ecology, a Silver Medal winner in the 2020 Nautilus Book Awards.

Loring compellingly explores the tragedies and myths of Western society and offers fascinating and hopeful examples that can guide us toward reconciling our damaging settler-colonial histories and tremendous environmental missteps so that we might realign our lives with the rest of the natural world.

Drawing upon numerous examples, from cattle ranchers on the Burren in Ireland, to clam gardeners in British Columbia and protectors of an accidental wetland in northwest Mexico, Loring offers a set of ecological metaphors, including keystone, engineer and sentinel, which collectively contribute to a more optimistic vision for our future, one where people and nature thrive together. Interwoven are stories of Loring’s personal struggles to reconcile his identity as a white settler living and working on stolen Indigenous lands.

In a moment when our world is hanging in the balance, Finding Our Niche is a hopeful exploration of humanity’s place in the natural world, one that focuses on how we can heal and reconcile our unique human ecologies to achieve more sustainable and just societies.

Dr. Philip Loring is a widely respected anthropologist, ecologist and writer. His work focuses on the intersection of sustainability, food systems and social justice, and he is particularly interested in solutions where people and ecosystems thrive together. He studied at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and his research has taken him to such diverse places as the temperate rainforests of British Columbia, the prairies of Saskatchewan, the highlands of Guatemala and the Sonoran Desert in Mexico. An avid science communicator, Loring emphasizes writing, film and other forms of storytelling to reach diverse audiences. He has published over 50 academic papers, multiple book chapters and reports, and numerous essays for popular online magazines including Ensia.com. He has also produced several short films and given presentations in numerous international venues, including for the OECD, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and TEDx. He is also a regular contributor to CBC Radio Syndication. Finding Our Niche is his first book.

For more information, please visit www.conservationofchange.org, or connect with the author on Twitter (@conservechange) or on Facebook (FindingOurNicheBook).

Finding Our Niche: Toward a Restorative Human Ecology
Publisher: Fernwood Publishing
ISBN-10: 1773632876
ISBN-13: 978-1773632872
Available from Amazon.com and wherever books are sold.

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Ash Brown is a gifted American producer, blogger, speaker, media personality and event emcee. The blog on AshSaidit.com showcases exclusive event invites, product reviews and so much more. Her motivational podcast "Ash Said It Daily" is available on major media platforms such as iTunes, Spotify, iHeart Radio & Google Podcasts. This program has over half a million streams worldwide. She uses these mediums to motivate & encourage her audience in the most powerful way. She keeps it real!