Undiscovered Scotland

 

"Where Wind and Water Cleave: An Environmental History of Scotland" by Richard D. Oram is a superb and supremely imprtant book that deserves to be read, considered and discussed by all those who care about the Scotland we live in today and the Scotland we'd like our grandchildren to be able to enjoy in the future. By pretty much everyone who lives in, comes from, or visits Scotland, in other words. Richard D. Oram was until recently Professor of Medieval and Environmental History at the University of Stirling and has had roles with other bodies including Historic Environment Scotland and National Museums Scotland. The breadth of his experience and the depth of his research shine through in this book, which shows us how the country around us came to be and what the issues are that face it as we move forward into the future.

The book begins with an examination of the last twelve millennia of climate and weather, factors which have done much to drive long-term environmental change over that period. We are then invited to see the land through the eyes of the first nomadic hunters as they follow reindeer herds through the tundra at the edge of of the retreating ice. Soil then formed over much of the ice-scoured rock, and plants, animals and birds began their colonisation of the land. The book then switches to a thematic approach looking at trees and woodland over the ages; at wildlife as game, prey and predators; at the agricultural revolutions that have swept across the land; at the role of the sea, from shellfish gathering to salmon, herring and beyond; and at the role of energy, industry and urbanisation is shaping Scotland. And last, but certainly not least, the author gives a thoughtful and thought-provoking analysis of the role of humans - you and me - in enjoying and protecting Scotland's environment.

The publisher's description gives a very good sense of the central themes of the book: "When the ice sheet that once covered what is now Scotland began to retreat around 12,000 years ago, it revealed a land stripped to its rocky bones but ready to be reclothed in soil, to bear plant life, and to be colonised by animals and humans. So began the formation of Scotland’s environment, opening a story of constantly and still evolving change as climate, weather, disease and human action have shaped and reshaped the land, the waters and all life sustained on and in them. This book tells the story of this land’s rollercoaster ride through past eras of profound climate change that brought bounty or crisis. It traces how climate and weather, and the human population’s interaction those forces and with the wider environment of which they are a part – including animal and plant life – shaped the Scotland we know today. The dawning awareness of loss, threat and a need for balance and protection measures to safeguard all our futures is arguably the most pressing crisis we face."