Armies of salmon in Strasbourg, schools of porpoises and sturgeons in Paris, seals by the hundreds on the beaches of Deauville and Saint-Tropez, herds of whales in Arcachon, herds of aurochs in Clermont-Ferrand, chamois and ibex on the outskirts of Marseille, posidonia reefs and tropical-looking riparian forests… For 20,000 years, France has been giving us prodigious natural spectacles that have unfortunately been destroyed and then forgotten. This is the syndrome of ecological amnesia: we do not imagine that France was incredibly rich in nature and that this overabundance was the norm for a long time. On the contrary, it is the current rarity that is exceptional… This book invites readers to take an astonishing dive into time to discover an unexpected nature. Written in a lively and light language, the book is full of astonishing anecdotes about the biology and ecology of these species as well as about the men who witnessed them. From the Ice Age to the present day, this great journey across the country bears witness to the potential of wild France.
Biologist and ornithologist, Stéphane Durand has participated as co-author and scientific advisor in the cinematographic adventures of Jacques Perrin since 1997. In 2020, he joined Actes Sud publishing after creating the Mondes Sauvages collection. He runs the Science, Nature and Society division there.
100% of profits donated to Sea Shepherd France