Biodiversity is linked to people’s diversity, and nature lends itself to people who are different, says author Joe Harkness
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hen Joe Harkness received a message from a friend about macerating moth abdomens to check their genitalia to identify the species, it sparked an idea for a new book about wildlife obsessions. But over time, this developed into a completely different book: a clarion call to embrace neurodiversity in the fight against the extinction crisis.
Across Britain, 15% of people are thought to be neurodivergent. In the process of writing Neurodivergent, By Nature, Harkness discovered that an estimated 30% of conservation employees were neurodivergent. Why?
“People like myself, especially those who are undiagnosed, probably found nature was their balm from a mental health perspective,” says Harkness when we meet beneath an awesomely peaceful ancient oak tree close to his home in rural Norfolk. “The other thing is, we’re different from what we’d define as neurotypical people. Therefore we like more odd things. Special interests. Nature lends itself to people who are different.”
