MUSINGS ON THE BRINK - The Failure of Conservation and the End of a Stable Biosphere – what it Means for Humanity and Conservation Organisations such as Biosphere Expeditions
Matthias and Liesl Hammer

Publication date 11 October 2027, paperback, about 200 page, free to download, printed copy via Amazon Print on Demand (all from 11 Oct 2027).

Summary

This book is rooted in the 2026 Manifesto for a troubled planet.

The era of polite conservation and hollow optimism is over. For decades, the global public was sold a comforting narrative: that rigorous field science, consumer choices and corporate partnerships could halt the destruction of the natural world. It was a pipe dream. Today, as climate upheaval has become locked in and ecosystems collapse in real time, mainstream conservation – alongside governance and intergovernmental processes – stand neutered and captured by the very hypercapitalist system driving the destruction of the biosphere.

Grounded in the landmark 2026 manifesto of Biosphere Expeditions, this book dismantles the illusions of greenwashing, compromised UN summits and the endless growth fallacy. Abandoning the performative campaign to "save the planet", it outlines a radical, pragmatic blueprint for what comes next:

• Accepting Dire Reality: Moving past collective denial and grief into grounded, pragmatic action.
• Ecological Triage: Shifting from impossible habitat restoration to protecting climate-resilient refugia.
• Grassroots Resilience: Decoupling from failing global institutions to build local "Islands of Coherence".

The book details what this means for Biosphere Expeditions as an organisation and for the individual expeditions. How will Biosphere Expeditions change and which expeditions will be abandoned, which adapted and what new projects are on the horizon?

An Intergenerational Dialogue

Uniquely weaving throughout each chapter are the raw, deeply personal musings of Matthias Hammer, founder of Biosphere Expeditions, and his daughter Liesl, an early-career writer and conservation communicator. Together, they offer an intimate dialogue across two generations – contrasting thirty years of field experience and hard-won disillusionment with the fierce determination and frustration of a young person working in the conservation field inheriting a broken biosphere.

Brutally honest, fiercely practical, and profoundly moving, this is an essential read for anyone exhausted by fake optimism and ready to fight for what can still be saved.

About the authors

Matthias Hammer is a German, Oxbridge-educated biologist. He founded Biosphere Expeditions in 1999 and has spent his career working in wildlife conservation powered by citizen science.

Liesl Hammer is British/German writer and daughter of Matthias. She grew up experiencing many expeditions and studied English and Creative Writing at Norwich University. She has worked in conservation communication and other writing fields since graduating. She is also working on her first novel.