Professor Dave Goulson

A University of Sussex professor has received an award from the Zoological Society of London for his most recent book.

Professor Dave Goulson secured the Clarivate Award for Communicating Zoology for his book The Garden Jungle or Gardening to Save the Planet.

The annual award recognises work that has an outstanding impact on a general audience and comes with a £1,000 prize. The impact may be measured in terms of outstanding quality, novelty, innovation or accessibility for a wide audience.

Dave Goulson, Professor of Biology, said: “I’m honoured to receive this award. I have been thrilled to see how much attention my latest book, The Garden Jungle, has received. More importantly, I hope it has inspired people to make their gardens a little wilder. I have a fanciful dream in which the UK’s 22 million gardens are all teaming with wildlife."

The Garden Jungle, Professor Goulson’s fourth book, was published in March 2019 and provides insight into the lives of the insects in our gardens and parks. It explains how insects are the unappreciated heroes of the natural world and offers practical advice on how gardeners can provide a better home for them.

The book quickly reached the Sunday Times bestseller list, as did Professor Goulson’s first book A Sting in the Tale, which focussed on the secret lives of bumblebees.

Professor Geoff Boxshall, Zoological Society of London Secretary, said: “In his book, Dave describes the incredible diversity of species that inhabit our gardens, as well as the ways that gardeners can – often by doing the simplest things – improve gardens to benefit wildlife.  Dave invites us to see our gardens differently, not as pristine and well-tended spaces, but as rich habitats that provide us with an opportunity to connect with, and be fascinated by, nature that is literally on our doorstep.

“The Garden Jungle is a guidebook on how small changes can have a big impact on the planet and a timely reminder that, by making good choices, anyone fortunate enough to have a garden can make an active contribution to wildlife conservation. We are delighted to present Dave with the Clarivate Award for Communicating Zoology.”

The Zoological Society of London is an international charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. Their programme of science and conservation awards recognises outstanding contributions in multiple categories.

The Clarivate Award for Communicating Zoology is sponsored by Clarivate, an international company which delivers data, information, analytics and workflow solutions to innovators.

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