Anja Murray: My favourite wildlife and environment books of 2025

Photography books, community stories, fresh perspectives and inspiring solutions to environmental crises — plenty to choose from with this selection

Just because it's blustery and dark outside doesn't mean you can't 'experience' the outdoors this winter. Here are half a dozen great books relating to the natural world

One of the special joys of winter, with blustery afternoons and dark evenings, is reading a good book. Books can bring us to new places, enlighten and inspire us, and open us up to new perspectives about history, science or the natural world. Here are my five books that have done just that for me this year. Happy winter reading!

Beneath Irish Seas — The Hidden Wonders of Ireland's Amazing Marine Life by Nigel Motyer

Beneath Irish Seas — The Hidden Wonders of Ireland's Amazing Marine Life, by Nigel Motyer 

There are pictures in this book that are hard to believe. This is a photography book showcasing the richness of life beneath the waves, all around Irish coasts.

Underwater photographer Nigel Motyer has spent decades as a diver, visiting the most spectacular underwater places, patiently waiting with his cameras for the right moment, the right frame, the perfect aspect to capture curios seals and diving puffins.

In this colourful collection, he offers us pictorial insights in to worlds that few of us will ever experience. From elaborately patterned starfish to mounds of anemone-encrusted coral mounds, his eye for the finer details of texture is unmatchable. There are shapely corals, camouflaged pipefish, flamboyant peacock worms, burrowing langoustine, psychedelic sea squirts, colourful sea sponges, as well as swirling gatherings of basking sharks and sublime-looking jellyfish.

A must for anyone with an affinity for the sea.

The Hare's Corner — Making Space for Nature by Jane Clarke and Catherine Cleary, illustrated by Jane Carkill

The Hare's Corner — Making Space for Nature, by Jane Clarke and Catherine Cleary with illustrations by Jane Carkill

In many farm fields, the awkward corners were left to grow a bit wilder than the rest, and were referred to as the ‘hares’ corner’. It’s an informal tradition that recognises and accommodates wild species within the farm, when people knew the merit of leaving space for nature.

In this gorgeous, richly-illustrated book, the authors share stories of farm families, school groups and communities from around the county, each echoing the approach of the ‘hares’ corner’ in new ways.

One of the stories is about a community in county Clare creating and restoring corridors between existing wildlife habitats in their areas, creating the opportunities for wildlife to move through the landscape. Each inspiring example is both informative and hopeful, from Cape Clear in county Cork to Louisburgh in County Mayo, action taken at farm and community level.

Published in partnership with the Burrenbeo Trust, illustrated by the wonderful Jane Carkill and made perfect with the poetry of Jane Clarke, this is a gem of a book.

Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane

Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane 

Is a River Alive? is an immensely readable and inspiring account of how we might see rivers differently: rather than being considered inanimate, there for us to use and abuse, rivers are considered as living entities, worthy of respect and imbued with rights.

In this book, Macfarlane weaves compelling real-life stories from around the world where people are combining ancient perspectives on the living world with modern legal frameworks. Granting rights to nature, whether a mountain, a forest or a river, is a hugely hopeful reframing. Bearing in mind that a corporation, in the eyes of the law, is an entity with legal standing and rights, it is difficult to oppose a movement that grants similar recognition to rivers.

The book traces this transformation through journeys to the cloud forests of Ecuador; the rivers flowing through Chennai in India; and the forests and rivers of Washington State in the USA.

In each place, he journeys with inspiring characters who are speaking up for both people and nature, where basic rights such as access to clean water are closely connected to the health of the natural environment, and where battle lines are often drawn between the activities of large industries and the health and wellbeing of both the human and non-human populations.

This is a hugely important and accessible book, blending storytelling, law, and philosophy, offering a hopeful vision of rivers as kin rather than commodities.

Wild Dublin — Exploring Nature in the City by Éanna Ní Lamhna

Wild Dublin Exploring Nature in the City Éanna Ní Lamhna With photos by Anthony Woods and drawings by David Daly

For decades, Éanna Ní Lamhna has been expertly documenting Irelands wildlife with warmth, wit and an enormous wealth of knowledge. In her latest book, Wild Dublin — Exploring Nature she shares enthralling insights in to the lives of many of the wild creatures who populate Dublin’s’ public parks, gardens, rivers, graveyards and shorelines. With intriguing anecdotes and up to date data, she encompasses the trees, lichens, wildflowers, seabirds, waterbirds, dolphins, and more, each with just the perfect amount of information. There’s even a story about protestant woodlice!

Each page is packed with gorgeous photographs by Anthony Woods, from pygmy shrews to mining bees, it’s a perfect balance of being visually appealing, informative and humorous.

The Lie of the Land — A Game Plan for Ireland in the Climate Crisis by John Gibbons

The Lie of The Land: A Game Plan for Ireland in the Climate Crisis by John Gibbons

In presenting the clash between climate action and climate denialism, this is a book that reveals some unpleasant truths about Ireland’s dismal response to the climate crisis.

Journalist and leading environmental communicator John Gibbons details how meaningful changes for positive action have been stymied by industry lobbyists in the wake of the financial crash; how State agencies have been peddling misinformation; and how battles around the setting of emissions limits have been fought and lost.

But rather than a bleak book, Gibbons’ account offers valuable insights and lessons that still need to be recognised if we are to follow a fairer and more hopeful trajectory than the one we are currently on. He also outlines inspiring solutions that can boost food security, decarbonise transport and prepare for the rapidly changing climate.

A far more appealing and engrossing read than you might imagine.

Front cover Frog Routes, Polka-Dot Newts — and Other Treasures of Irish Nature by Anja Murray

• Anja’s book: Frog Routes, Polka-Dot Newts and Other Treasures of Irish Nature was also published this year.