This brief, lucid book by the Director of Science at the Royal Botanical Gardens takes you on an unforgettable tour of the natural world. The violence of habitat loss has put almost one-fifth of all species on Earth at risk of extinction in the coming decades. These building blocks of life form a network that underpins almost every aspect of our lives. This book shows what is at stake and what can be done (and is already being done) to protect and restore biodiversity around the world.