Rambunctious Garden contains a truth about history and a quietly revolutionary argument about the future. The truth is that humans have intensively managed ecosystems wherever we’ve lived. The notion of a “pristine” nature is a 19th century Romantic ideal that led 20th century ecological practice (and theory) astray. The argument is that the concepts of conservation and restoration, in any pure form, are not only distracting but unhelpful. The lives of humans and other species are hopelessly (or hopefully) entangled, and our stewardship of the planet must reflect that. Not every idea in Rambunctious Garden merits uncritical acceptance—rewilding with invasive species and assisted colonization, for example, are deservedly controversial—but Marris has written an essential book for the time. I do wonder: what do other species want? And non-living things? How do we find out? If we’re all in it together, these seem to be the most important questions we could ask. 9
Marris, Emma. Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World. Bloomsbury, 2013. Reviewed July 9, 2025.