The nature of nature : why we need the wild

"The nature of nature explores how the natural world works, outlines the consequences of its unraveling by our activities, and offers practical solutions -- with a description of societal and economic benefits. The first ten chapters of this book are a step-by-step crash course in ecology -- you might call it "ecology for people in a hurry": what species do, how they co-exist, and how the natural world self-assembles and works, compared to our hu...