If you’re looking to learn more about ecology then you’re going to want to read these books.
We surveyed a group of ecology grad students to put together this list of essential reading on ecology.
We think we’ve come up with a list of books that really will ensure that you are properly informed on the ecological issues of the day as well as the rich history of this exciting and relatively new scientific field.
Greenpeace: How a Group of Ecologists, Journalists, and Visionaries Changed the World
This is a book that is much about the ecology of an organization as it is of global ecology.
It’s not one of the hefty ecology textbooks that you might have expected on this list.
It’s the story of Greenpeace and how the campaigning organization ended up at the forefront of ecological science.
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate
Naomi Klein examines just how fragile our economies are in the face of the delicate balance of the food chain and how nature works.
This is more than a scream for help on the environmental issues of today.
It’s a manifesto to head off climate change and to avoid the sixth extinction that many feel is coming soon.
Mind and Nature: A Necessary Unity (Advances in Systems Theory, Complexity, and the Human Sciences)
This dynamic ecology book is a natural history of the environmental movement more than anything else.
Bateson encourages us to look at human beings and human societies as part of the wild nature around us and to find relationships between them.
He says that all divisions in nature are arbitrary and that we need to look harder to find connections when we don’t see them.
How To Be A Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals
Sy Montgomery goes deep into the hidden life of animals and offers a long history of the wild places on this Earth and how they can teach us how to be more human.
Self-sufficiency is important but if we want our ecosystems to survive we need to live in better harmony with everything out there.
Tao Te Ching: With Over 150 Photographs
Was this the first of the world’s ecology books?
Taoism may not be an environmental science but if we followed the ideas in this book, we’d have no climate crisis and a world full of healthy community structure.
No quantitative and analytical skills are required to discover the sacred world around us and to learn to follow the natural processes offered by the Tao.
The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction
This is a sparkling and exciting examination of the environment and life on an island.
It’s one of those ecology books that transcends non-fiction and offers a novel-like experience with fascinating characters.
Deep Ecology for the Twenty-First Century: Readings on the Philosophy and Practice of the New Environmentalism
This is a deep and philosophical work.
that is not so much concerned with ecological economics as it is with creating a paradigm shift, similar to that offered by Sand County Almanac.
It hearkens to simpler days and better ways to live.
Walden
This was one of the very first ecology books and Thoreau’s tales of life on Walden Pond are timeless.
You can even pick up a free copy on Project Gutenberg if you don’t mind reading an electronic copy.
This is a book that has regularly inspired others to take up the environmentalist cause in their lives.
The Diversity of Life: With a New Preface
This is an unhappy book that starts with a simple and unexpected line. The diversity of life on this planet is plummeting.
This is in direct contrast to rising temperatures and CO2 levels.
The rest, of course, is a manifesto on how to make things right before it’s too late.
Tropical Nature: Life and Death in the Rain Forests of Central and South America
This collection of essays is likely to inspire you to pack your bags and head to the Amazon before it disappears.
It’s an intelligent and fascinating look at how neotropical ecology plays out in the real world.
Don’t miss out on it.
Final Thoughts On Books On The Natural World
We hope that you’ve enjoyed our list of the best books on ecology and the natural world and that you’ve picked up one or two to read right now.
If you’re still looking for a good book after you make it through these then you might also appreciate A Trillion Trees and The Nature of Nature. You might also enjoy our list of the best books on Gaia Theory.