Marsh Book of the Year Award

Books can have a major impact in ecology, but academic book publishing brings relatively little financial reward to authors.

The Marsh Book of the Year Award acknowledges the important role that books have on ecology and its development. This prize is funded by the Marsh Charitable Trust and is awarded to the book published in the last two years that has had the greatest influence on ecology or its application.

The prize is an honorarium of £1,000 and is open to books published anywhere in the world.

Marsh Book of the Year 2023

Trophy Hunting
Nikolaj Bichel, Adam Hart
Springer
2023

The first book of its kind to tackle this highly controversial topic, Trophy Hunting gives readers a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of this deeply polarising subject. The book underlines the need for evidence and objectivity to underline decisions and discussions on topics as divisive as trophy hunting, with a message to readers to think rather than to feel.

“This book is about far more than its title would suggest. It’s about the relationship between humans and wildlife, what makes behaviour ethical or not, and ultimately about what we believe and why we believe it. A riveting read from start to finish.” – Marsh Book Award judges

“What could be a simple text about kill rates and hunting locations is turned into a highly nuanced debate with threads woven through economics, politics, sociology, ecology, history, and a few others. As a study in discussing the parameters of an applied conservation topic, there are few texts that can match it.” – Paul Ganderton, The Niche

Winners to date are:
Nikolaj Bichel & Adam Hart: Trophy Hunting (2023)
Peter Thomas: Trees (2022)
Ian Newton: Uplands and Birds (2021)
Kimberly A. With: Essentials of Landscape Ecology (2020)
Trevor J.C. Beebee: Climate Change and British Wildlife (2019)
Andrew Clarke: Principles of Thermal Ecology: Temperature, Energy and Life (2018)
Tim Clutton-Brock: Mammal Societies (2017)
Jordi Bascompti & Pedro Jordano: Mutualistic Networks (2016)
Nigel Holmes & Paul Raven: Rivers (2015)
Ian Newton: Bird Populations (2014)
Brian Moss: Liberation ecology: the reconciliation of natural and human cultures (2013)
Roger L. H. Dennis: A Resource-Based Habitat View for Conservation: Butterflies in the British Landscape (2012)
David Briggs: Plant Microevolution and Conservation in Human-Influenced Ecosystems (2011)
Michael Angilleta: Thermal Adaptation: A Theoretical and Empirical Synthesis (2010)
Beverley Glover: Understanding Flowers and Flowering (2009)
David Wilkinson: Fundamental Processes in Ecology: An Earth System Approach (2007)
Richard Bardgett: The Biology of Soils – A Community and Ecosystem Approach (2006)
Peter M. Vitousek: Nutrient Cycling and Limitation: Hawai’i as a Model System (2005)