What does a conservationist read when they’re not out in the field? Environmental researcher and conservationist Dr Teckwyn Lim shares some of the books that have shaped his thinking, from In Malay Forests and The Song of the Dodo, to Moby Dick, Incerto and more. Together with Surin Suksuwan, co-founder of Sunda Shelves, we explore how books about forests, history, science, literature and even uncertainty can change the way we see the natural world.

Nature Reads on Earth Matters is a monthly show where we explore the stories behind books that bring us closer to nature and the world around us, done in collaboration with independent bookstore Sunda Shelves.

Works discussed during this episode:

1. Incerto by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

2. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward Tufte

3. In Malay Forests by George Maxwell

4. Nathaniel's Nutmeg by Giles Milton 

5. The Song of the Dodo by David Quammen

6. Pagan Races of the Malay Peninsula by Walter William Skeat and Charles Otto Blagden

7. Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula by Isaac Henry Burkill

8. Foresters' Manual of Dipterocarps by Colin Fraser Symington

9. Moby Dick by Herman Melville

10. Thucydides's writings

11. The Further Side of Silence by Hugh Clifford