Looking for ways to engage with nature this month? These are the best wildlife events, trips and books to have on your radar in April 2019.
ADVERTISEMENTLooking for ways to engage with nature this month? These are the best wildlife events, trips and books to have on your radar in April 2019.
Our Planet by Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey
When: April 2nd
A companion to the NETFLIX original documentary series of the same name, Our Planet offers us an expert’s insight and bird’s eye view of the incredible landscapes and creatures our natural world boasts. The photographs in this coffee table style book are truly captivating: stunning compositions and vibrant colours perfectly capture their diverse and fascinating subjects and thanks to the 600 crew members that filmed across 50 countries in 4 years, there has been no stone left unturned.
From the rarest creatures to the last unseen corners of the world, this book offers science lovers a new take on the ecosystems around us and the environmental changes that are occurring. The author, Alistair Fothergill, brought us several history-making productions including Planet Earth, Blue Planet and Frozen Planet, so his expertise can be found on every page. Paired with a foreword by Sir David Attenborough, this book is a must-have for any nature enthusiasts.
£25 - Waterstones
Grant Arms Wildlife Book Festival 2019
When: 15- 19 April
Where: Grantown-on-Spey, Scotland
Wildlife enthusiasts should get themselves up to the Scottish Highlands in time for the Grant Arms’ Wildlife Book Festival. Hosted over 5 days, guests will be given the chance to enjoy a range of morning walks alongside local wildlife guides before hearing from several authors and speakers in the afternoons and evenings. Learn how to be an urban bird watcher from David Lindo and discover more about the sea from natural history presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff.
The Bird and Nature Festival
When: 13 - 22 April
Where: Abbeville, France
Birds of a feather must stick together - at least, that’s the sentiment at the Bird and Nature festival in Abbeville, France, which offers visitors a variety of family-friendly activities that celebrate our feathered friends. Join in with horseback rides along Picardy bay, watch an animal documentary screening or take a look around the various art, photography and sculpture exhibitions. Parents that want a bit of freedom can also drop their children off at one of the educational workshops on offer.
A Vision for Wildlife: Botswana Wildlife Safari
When: 8 - 21 April
Where: Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana
Head out on the safari trip of a lifetime, with this tour that takes in some of the Botswana’s greatest wildlife spots as well as the annual A Vision for Wildlife Symposium in Namibia. Starting in Windhoek and Okonjima, you’ll get to meet some of AfriCat’s key advocates and find out more about their efforts to conserve big cat families before moving on to Etosha National Park, which is home to rhino, leopards, lions and elephants, for a series of talks from guest lecturers. From there you’ll stop at the Victoria Falls before heading to Chobe and the Okavango Delta to track wildlife by car, riverboat and canoe. Staying in a variety of lodges and luxury camps, you’ll get an insider’s view of Botswana’s richly diverse landscapes and wildlife.
African Wildlife Foundation’s Women in Conservation
When: 14 April
Where: Scottsdale, USA
ADVERTISEMENTThe AWF has worked tirelessly for nearly 60 years to ensure the animals and wilderness of Africa’s game reserves are well protected and many women have worked at the forefront of this effort as rangers. This talk offers civilians the opportunity to hear from two of them, who will share their wisdom on the important role that African women play in conservation efforts and the challenges they face in such a male-dominated field of work.
Words: Bianca Barratt
