The new nature: winners and losers in wild Australia By Tim Low ISBN 0670884669, published in 2002 by Penguin, large-sized soft cover, 378 pages Price $A24.95 plus $A11 postage within Australia, overseas postage please request a quote

Forget about wilderness, Tim Low says - nature lives here in our cities and gardens, exploiting everything we do, forging new connections with us. Endangered species are turning up in industrial zones. In our forests, native pests, including lyrebirds and rainforest trees, are now a force to reckon with. Sheep are being kept in some national parks to save rare birds and plants. We need to know why.

From the author of Feral Future comes a meticulously researched, accessible, entertaining and ground-breaking new book that will change your view of nature. He shows that wilderness is a myth, wildlife welcomes our sewage, rare animals need weeds and wildlife-friendly gardening is not so friendly!

Table of contents

• Preface
• Introduction
• Part 1 Nature and us - Exploited by nature/nature using us, Endangered weeds/rarities lurk among us, Away from wilderness/questioning an unhelpful idea, Ecosystem engineers/animals alter landscapes, The ecology of sewage/wildlife wants our wastes, Structure for nature/animals exploit our structures, Nature needs weeds/weeds and crops suit wildlife
• Urban ecology/life in cities and farms
• Part II Changing Places - On the move/animals expand ranges, Foreign exchange/international spread, Hidden hitchhikers/dispersal by vehicle, Tales of transportation/relocating wildlife, Noble arks/stocking National Parks, Fun with fish/fish stockers run amok, Pardon my garden/ native gardens spawn weeds.
• Part III Conflicts -Bad birds/native birds as eco-threats, What kangaroos do/overgrazing in reserves, To kill a tree/koalas and other tree-killers, Vegetation wars/habitats in turmoil, Gene scene/mixing gene pools.
• Part IV Resolutions - Wild strife in the garden/urban conservation myths, Grazing and culling for conservation/ironies of modern management, Forward to nature/living with wildness.
• Appendices - Errant native plants around cities, Australian animals as conservation threats.
• Source notes
• Bibliography
• Index