This book investigates a vital and controversial question for conservation and rewilding in Britain and Ireland: could and should we learn to live with lynx, wolves and bears again? We travel back in time, around the world and into the future to explore this contested topic. The author delves deep into the human psyche, considering not only his own mixed feelings about large carnivore reintroductions but also why people have such polarised perspectives on top predators. He brings his unique combination of expertise on snow leopards – and their relationship with humans – along with his experience as a farmer to illustrate the discussion.

Along the way, we meet a cast of characters from across society, including farmers, rewilders and everyone in between. It becomes clear that coexistence is as much about sharing landscapes with each other as it is about sharing them with wildlife. The first book to tackle this subject in detail, based on more than 50 interviews in/from seven countries, Coexistence will be of relevance to anyone with an interest in the future of nature, farming and the countryside. Personal, detailed, unflinching and engaging, it will add a great deal to this rapidly evolving debate.

DOI: 10.53061/ALHK5596