Wild by Design

The Rise of Ecological Restoration
Laura J. Martin examines ecological restoration’s long history. Since the early 1900s, restorationists have confronted vexing philosophical questions: Which states of nature should be restored? Who should choose? Is human-designed wilderness really wild? Restoration work leads us to reimagine nature and the nature of environmental justice.

“A fascinating book—far-reaching, deeply researched, and probing.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Under a White Sky

“Outstandingly well-researched and deeply thoughtful . An essential read.” —John Dupré, Los Angeles Review of Books

“Makes a strong case for restoration’s enduring value.” —Michelle Nijhuis, New York Review of Books

Today environmental restoration is a global pursuit. Governments, nonprofits, and corporations spend billions of dollars each year to remove invasive species, build wetlands, and reintroduce species driven from their habitats.

In Wild by Design, historian Laura J. Martin uncovers the origins of restoration science and policy. She explores how restorationists struggled with the problem of caring for biodiversity without romanticizing nature as an untouched Eden. Could humans intervene in nature for nature’s own sake? What natural baselines should be restored? Was it possible to design nature without destroying wildness? In illuminating restoration’s past, Wild by Design not only provides vital lessons for our future in a changing climate—it makes an urgent call for environmental restoration that is socially just.

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