Top 5 Books on Investing in Conservation and the Natural World

recommended by Daisy Reynolds

When you think about investing, nature might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But what if putting energy, time, or money into the environment was just as important as stocks or savings? From rewilding landscapes to supporting clean water and healthy soil, investing in nature is about backing the very systems that keep us all going. The books on this list dive into how protecting the planet can go hand-in-hand with smart choices for our future – financially, socially and ecologically. Whether you’re curious about climate solutions, new to conservation, or just looking for some fresh thinking, these titles offer real hope and practical ways to invest in the world around us.

  • 1

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    Scaling Conservation: The business of restoring the wild
    by Dr. Rich Stockdale

    Scaling Conservation by Dr. Rich Stockdale flips the script on how we think about protecting nature. Instead of seeing conservation as just a nice thing to do, this book makes the case that it’s very important for our economy and survival. Rich shows how healthy ecosystems are the backbone of everything - food, clean air, jobs - and why we need to treat nature like essential infrastructure, not an optional extra. Based on real experience restoring thousands of acres and managing a multi-million-pound portfolio, Rich explains how we can use smart finance and teamwork to bring big investments into saving the planet. The book mixes stories, lessons and fresh ideas on making conservation work at scale, with a focus on people, partnerships, and practical action. If you care about nature and want to see how saving the environment can also be good business, this book is a must-read. It’s a hopeful and clear call to make conservation a top priority for everyone.

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    Generation Restoration: How to Fix Our Relationship Crisis with Mother Nature
    by Tim Christophersen

    Generation Restoration is about fixing our broken relationship with nature. Tim Christophersen from Salesforce explains how we’ve been seeing ourselves as separate from the environment for way too long and how changing that mindset can make a huge difference. The book is full of real-life stories, both wins and fails, from around the world. It also shares smart lessons from Indigenous communities who’ve known for ages how to live in balance with nature. Instead of feeling hopeless about the planet, it shows us how to stay hopeful and take meaningful action. If you want to understand how we can work with nature instead of against it, this book is a great, inspiring read.

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    Let's Fix This: Cleaner Living in a Dirty World
    by Chandra Clarke

    Let’s Fix This is a hopeful and practical guide to dealing with the big environmental problems we’re facing. Chandra Clarke breaks down what needs to change - from your local community all the way up to national governments - to stop harming the planet. She also shares easy, step-by-step tips you can start using right now to reduce your own footprint, such as cutting down waste at home or making better travel choices. If you want both a clear plan for big change and simple ways to live greener, this book’s got you covered. What’s great about this book is how it shows that personal actions and bigger policy changes go hand in hand. When people work together and push for real solutions, big things can happen. Clarke keeps things clear and friendly, making it easy to understand why these issues matter and how you can help.

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    Wild by Design: The Rise of Ecological Restoration
    by Laura J. Martin

    Wild By Design looks at the history of environmental restoration and how it became a major global effort today. Laura J. Martin explores how scientists and policymakers have wrestled with the challenge of protecting biodiversity without treating nature as some perfect, untouched paradise. The book addresses important questions such as: Can humans can step in to help nature without taking away its wildness? What parts of nature should we try to bring back? And how can restoration efforts be fair and just for communities too? By looking at the past, Wild By Design offers important lessons for how we restore the environment today, especially as climate change shifts the natural world. It’s a thoughtful and timely call to make sure restoration work respects both nature and people.

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    The Book of Wilding: A Practical Guide to Rewilding, Big and Small
    by Isabella Tree

    The Book of Wilding is a down-to-earth, inspiring guide to bringing nature back - whether you’ve got a huge farm or just a window box. Written by Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell, who turned their own land at Knepp in Sussex into a thriving wild haven, the book is packed with ideas on how to let nature do its thing. It’s full of tips and advice for rewilding all kinds of spaces - fields, gardens, rivers, ponds, even parks and churchyards. The message is simple; if we step back and give wildlife room to breathe, nature will bounce back in amazing ways. With everything going on in the world with regards to climate change and loss of wildlife, it’s easy to feel helpless. But The Book of Wilding shows that we can all play a part in turning things around, no matter where we live.

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