Birdsong After the Storm

There is a storm brewing. Humans may survive the turmoil and onslaught of climate change and political upheaval, but the world they leave will be brittle and harsh.


In choosing between the market, people, and wildlife, we are casting a future where a tiger’s footprints will not be seen in snowdrifts, and the deep, pungent smell of elephant musth won’t carry on the wind.


Drawing on decades of experience as a wildlife activist, international negotiator, and academic, Dr Margi Prideaux describes how we can amplify voices from Africa, Asia and Latin America. She presents a poignant essay—we need not march into a tragic future where wildness disappears. Tapping local community wisdom, we can design promising potential. We can choose to hear birdsong after the storm.

‘Clearsighted, passionate and inspiring, Margi Prideaux has written a vital reimagining of the destiny of environmental activism. Birdsong After the Storm is a clarion call for civil society to step forward and demand greater power. This important and wise essay will reshape the thinking of activists, environmentalists, NGOs and policy makers.’—Micah White, The End of Protest

‘Margi Prideaux has done more than anyone to raise awareness of the need for grassroots voices to be heard in debates over nature, climate change and the environment. She deserves to be widely read.’—Michael Edwards, Transformation