How to be an Environmental Custodian

This practical book introduces and defines environmental custodianship: working alongside others to care for people and nature so that future generations inherit a better planet.

Drawing on more than 30 years of experience in nature conservation and leadership development, Alison Barnes and Jonathan Males present an inclusive and collaborative approach to leadership that is open to anyone willing to take shared, long-term responsibility for the living world- whether in business, influencing policy, conservation projects, or community life. Offering insights from interviews with 15 environmental leaders from the UK, Australia, and Canada, How to be an Environmental Custodian takes readers on a journey: from clarifying personal values and finding a place to act, through to developing strategies for change and sustaining the people who carry it forward. It sets out a framework of five leadership styles, which help the reader to practically convene people and bring them together, deliver tangible outcomes, and advocate and influence. The authors also explore potential barriers to action and point to ways to overcome or reframe them.

Providing real-world case studies and a range of practical tools and frameworks, this book is a great resource for environmental and sustainability professionals, land managers, policymakers, community leaders, and the coaches and consultants who support them. It is also suitable for academics and students in environmental studies, sustainable leadership, and community development.