The Living Landscape: How to Read and Understand It - Couverture souple

Whitefield, Patrick

9781856230438: The Living Landscape: How to Read and Understand It

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1856230430 ISBN 13 : 9781856230438

Editeur : Permanent Publications, 2013

Afficher les exemplaires de cette �dition comportant l?ISBN

3 D'occasion

De EUR 29,40

0 Neuf

Revue de presse

All permaculture design starts with a period of thorough observation. Observing a site over time and doing our best to understand what is going on helps us to make decisions and take actions that work in harmony with the existing natural processes; to choose species that will do well on a site because we know what grows there well already, to make changes only where they are necessary and to get the best results from any changes we do make. As a permaculture tutor I regularly lead observation exercises and encourage students to develop their skills of observation and I am also always learning and developing my own. This new book by renowned permaculturist Patrick Whitefield is already the catalyst to a huge leap in my observation skills and my understanding of the landscape around me. It is a truly fascinating book, the result of Patrick s many years of looking and listening, taking notes, making sketches and asking questions on his walks, train journeys and travels from the Scottish Highlands to the South Downs. The book takes the reader on journey around the British landscape, telling all you need to know to understand how that landscape may have been formed, from rocks, through soil to vegetation and the intricate web of interactions between plants, animals, climate and people that makes a landscape what it is today: The eternal dance between human and natural factors which goes to make up the landscape . The book opens with a chapter on how to go about reading the landscape and Patrick is clear that we can never be absolutely sure that we know exactly what is going on, there are too many factors at work over too long a period of time. However by developing our skills of observation and understanding we can make a well informed guess. The following chapters then go on to look in detail at rocks, soil and climate, people's historical impact, animals and plants, woodlands, grasslands and moors. There are also chapters on succession or how changes in the landscape happen over time, water and roads and boundaries. There is a huge amount of information here, but the text is always accessible and easy to read and it certainly held my interest. Each chapter is interspersed with diagrams, sketches and notes that Patrick has taken on walks and train rides over the years. These really enhance the book and as a more visual learner were important to my understanding. They illustrate the points being made in the text with real life examples and give the reader a sense of connection with the author and his world this is in no way a dry text book but the distillation of one person s passion and connection with the land around him. The book is an excellent learning resource and guide for permaculturists working on the land and permaculture teachers. I am sure it will go on the highly recommended list for our permaculture courses here in Brighton. But its audience will I hope be much, much wider than this. Whilst Patrick never shies away from mentioning permaculture and his work as a designer and teacher, the book is in no way limited to being a permaculture text. It will appeal to a very wide audience of people who feel some connection to the British landscape and who are interested to learn more about it. --Pippa Johns, Permaculture Magazine no 61 --Countryman
< --Pippa Johns, Permaculture Magazine no 61

A impressive piece of work, filling a niche where few books exist. Very little has been written about landscape reading ... here, Patrick Whitefield shares a lifetime's knowledge about the complex interactions that go to make up the fascinating and varied landscapes we see around us. Even if you think you can read a piece of land pretty well, this book will surprise and fascinate you by delving into the complexity of land in this country and how it has come to be as it is. --Agroforestry News

If you are prone to wandering around the countryside, wondering why certain features are a particular shape or how old they are, then this is a book for you. --Countryman

Pr�sentation de l'�diteur

Being able to read the landscape whilst on a walk makes a huge difference. It is like suddenly seeing the world in colour after being used to a lifetime of black and white. The Living Landscape looks in detail at landscape formation: from rocks, through soil to vegetation and the intricate web of interactions between plants, animals, climate and the people that makes the landscape around us. Each chapter is interspersed with diagrams, sketches and notes that Patrick has taken over two decades of living and working in the countryside. Patrick will inspire you to reconnect with the land as a living entity, not a collection of different scenery, and develop an active relationship with nature and the countryside. This book invites you to actively engage with nature and experience it first hand. Understanding how landscapes evolve is a useful skill for landscape designers, farmers, gardeners and smallholders but it is also a life-enhancing skill all of us can enjoy. Patrick offers us the enduring pleasure that costs nothing and yet offers everything.

Les informations fournies dans la section � A propos du livre � peuvent faire r�f�rence � une autre �dition de ce titre.