Wild Woman : Empowering Stories from Women who Work in Nature

An engaging blend of conservation stories and humorous, personal anecdotes from Philippa Forrester about women who, like her, choose to live and work in the wild. 

Surviving in the wilderness has long been associated with men, and conservation and environmental biology have traditionally been male-dominated subjects. Yet many remarkable women also choose to live and work in wild and challenging landscapes. In Wild Woman, Philippa Forrester considers the grit and determination required for women to maintain connections to wildlife and shares stories of female conservation heroes and other extraordinary wild women working in nature. Talking to women from around the world, Philippa studies and celebrates what it means to be a wild woman. From the sixteenth-century botanist who was the first woman to circumnavigate the globe to modern-day women responding to bear attacks in Yellowstone, working to rewild reserves in South Africa, photographing Caribou in the Arctic and more, Philippa examines how these women benefit from a life spent in the wilderness and also considers what the natural world gains from them. Relating some of her own experiences from three decades spent travelling around the world and working in some of the wildest places on Earth, Philippa asks: what does it take for a woman to live or work in the wild?

Contents: Prologue: A Tsunami of the Soul Chapter 1: The True Power of a Machete Chapter 2: What Really is a Wild Woman, then? Chapter 3: Memories – Scrambled Brain Anyone? Chapter 4: Spekboom to Rebloom Chapter 5: What I Can Do Chapter 6: Perseverance Chapter 7: The Groundwork Chapter 8: Clearing the Way Chapter 9: Woodswoman Chapter 10: It isn’t Just Tree Hugging Chapter 11: A Visit to the Zoo Chapter 12: Decades On Chapter 13: Looking Back Again Chapter 14: A Rewrite? Chapter 15: A Fascination for Plants Chapter 16: Knowing My Place Chapter 17: Surviving Motherhood Chapter 18: When Doing What it Takes Doesn’t Work Chapter 19: I Don’t Believe in Signs Chapter 20: Creation Chapter 21: From Stick to Chick Chapter 22: This Place is Buzzing Chapter 23: Out of the Depths Chapter 24: An Enduring Theme Chapter 25: Acceptance Chapter 26: Letting Go Chapter 27: The Killer Menopause Chapter 28: A State of Awe Epilogue: Hugging the Bloody Tree Notes Acknowledgements Index