Tim Low (born 1956) is an Australian biologist and author of articles and books on nature and
conservation
Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws.
Conservation may also refer to:
Environment and natural resources
* Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...
. His seventh book, ''Where Song Began: Australia's Birds and How They Changed the World'', became the first nature book ever to win th
Australian Book Industry Awardsprize for best General Non Fiction, in 2015. In the same year it was shortlisted for the
NSW Premier's History Awards. An earlier book, ''Feral Future'', inspired the formation of an NGO, the
Invasive Species Council. His earlier books helped popularise Australian
bush tucker
Bush tucker, also called bush food, is any food native to Australia and used as sustenance by Indigenous Australians, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, but it can also describe any native flora or fauna used for culinary or ...
. Four of his books have won national prizes.
For twenty years Low wrote a column in ''
Nature Australia'', Australia's leading nature magazine. He contributes to
Wildlife Australia', ''
Australian Geographic
Australian Geographic is a media business that produces the ''Australian Geographic'' magazine, ''DMag'' magazine, specialist book titles, travel guides, diaries and calendars and online media. It published editions of the Australian Encyclopa ...
'', ''Australian Birdlife'' and other magazines.
Low became very interested in
reptile
Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates ( lizards and snakes) and rhynchoce ...
s as a teenager and discovered several new species of
lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of Squamata, squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbae ...
. He named the
chain-backed dtella (''Gehyra catenata'') and had the
dwarf litter-skink (''Menetia timlowi'') named after him. His interests expanded to include plants, birds, mammals, fish and invertebrates. He has written journal articles that caution about the weed threats posed by biofuel crops, agroforestry trees and pasture plants.
He works as an environmental consultant, writer and photographer, serves on government committees and does public speaking. He has written many reports about
climate change and received a Churchill Fellowship to study its impacts on wildlife. His photos have appeared in many books, including on covers. He is the patron of
Rainforest Rescue. Low lives in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the Sou ...
.
A species of lizard, ''
Pygmaeascincus timlowi'', is named in his honor.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Low, T.", p. 161).]
Bibliography
* ''Where Song Began'' (2014) As well as winning the non fiction prize at th
Australian Book Industry Awardsit won People's Choice at th
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards It featured on several best seller lists.
*''The New Nature: Winners & Losers in Wild Australia'' (2002) looks at how animals and plants sometimes respond to human impacts in a positive way. It won the Westfield/Waverley Award for Literature and was listed as a number one best seller in ''
New Scientist
''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publishe ...
'' (Australia).
*''Feral Future: The Untold Story of Australia's Exotic Invaders'' (1999) was published in Australia and republished in North America. It was listed by ''New Scientist'' (Australia) as a best-seller.
*''Bush Medicine'' (1990) and ''Bush Tucker'' (1990) were
coffee table book
A coffee table book, also known as a cocktail table book, is an oversized, usually hard-covered book whose purpose is for display on a table intended for use in an area in which one entertains guests and from which it can serve to inspire convers ...
s, both of which won national prizes. They featured Low's photography as well as his text.
*''Wild Food Plants of Australia'' (1989) has been through more than ten printings and remains the standard field guide to wild edible plants in Australia.
*''Wild Herbs of Australia and New Zealand'' (1985) is a guide to cooking and eating weeds.
Low has also written chapters or sections in
Australia's Biodiversity and Climate Change' (CSIRO), ''Encyclopedia of Biological Invasions'' (University of California Press), ''The Mammals of Australia'' (Reed New Holland), ''Field Companion to Mammals of Australia'' (New Holland), ''Considering Animals: Contemporary Studies in Human-Animal Relations'' (Ashgate), ''Biodiversity & The Precautionary Principle'', (Earthscan), ''Frontier Country'' (Weldon), ''Everyday Life through the Ages'' (Reader's Digest), ''Encyclopaedia of Australian Wildlife'' (Reader's Digest), ''Wild Places of Greater Brisbane'' (Queensland Museum), ''Toxic Plants & Animals'' (Queensland Museum), ''Foods that Harm, Foods that Heal'' (Reader's Digest)
References
Footnotes
Notations
* Low, Tim, ''Wild Food Plants of Australia'',
External links
Tim Low's websiteTim Low's author profileat Penguin Books Australia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Low, Tim
Living people
Australian conservationists
1956 births