# At the Feet of Living Things **Author:** Aparajita Datta **Date Read:** 2022/10/30 **Rating:** 4/5 **Bookshelves:** conservation, birds, india, wildlife ## My Review A refreshing read that gives a rich and diverse perspective on studying-doing nature conservation in multiple regions in India ranging from the high-altitude trans-himalayas to primary rainforests in the eastern Himalaya to chasing Dugongs and lamenting on dwindling coral reefs in the islands to the east and west of the peninsula, to chasing bird(lists) across the country. The book is a collection of reflective practice of conservation and sometimes even a lament on the idea of doing conservation itself in the socio-ecologically and politically complex scenarios where the study of wildlife-human interactions take place. Essays break the myth of conservation as "protection", removing naive notions of people that the wildlife is hidden away in remote forests and they just need protection from the "locals". Researchers from NCF reflect on their own practice and experience, and sometimes openly share and analyse their own failures. Why is it that the "locals" sometimes do not join despite "good intentions" of conservationists? How could the tensions between the priorities of ecologists and conservationists sometimes play out in diverse landscapes? Why do some things that work in one location fail elsewhere? Is changing attitudes towards wildlife all about "information" and knowledge alone? How do we eventually sustain greater tolerance among people whose lives are entangled...sometiems adversely...with the species that others far away wish to protect. These are some of the complex questions that the book contributes to. Despite an effort made at thematically organising the essays, writing styles are quite different from one chapter to another and weaving a common thread and giving a meta-view of the richness and diversity is - towards the end - a bit wanting. Perhaps an epilogue of wisdom in a 2nd edition?