Book Review: ‘The Savage Landscape’ by Cal Flyn

In this excellent follow-up to her excellent earlier book Islands of Abandonment, Cal Flyn explores different concepts of ‘wilderness’ and different cultures’ and movements’ relationships with it. In the process, she visits an assortment of different ‘wildernesses’, from the mountains of Nepal to the depths of the Caribbean, from the fiery wastes of an active Icelandic volcano to the icy shores of Antarctica.

This is a thought-provoking book which unashamedly raises more questions than it answers, not least, what do we actually mean by ‘wilderness’? and how can we best protect it?

Some of the questions Flyn raises are uncomfortable: Might big-game hunting reserves for the elite be a valid means of preserving wildlife? Is it right for well-meaning environmental policies to ignore the rights of indigenous people living in the areas concerned? Are current drives towards ‘rewilding’ the right way to go? Can enlightened scientific investigation of wild places have unintended negative consequences?

The Savage Landscape is an engaging, challenging book that causes you to question your own beliefs on how we define wilderness and how we might go about preserving what is left of it.

Highly recommended.