This volume arose from a 2-day conference to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr Oliver Lathe Gilbert. It was organised by South Yorkshire Biodiversity Research Group and with Sheffield Hallam University. This volume commemorates a remarkable global champion for local wildlife and for urban ecology. Dr Oliver Gilbert of the Sheffield University Landscape Department was a truly international figure in ecology and lichenology; and his outspoken views on the benefits of exotic, sometimes invasive, urban plant species gained him coverage on the front pages of national newspapers. He was a key 1980s actor in the establishment of the Sheffield City Wildlife Group which ultimately morphed into a hugely successful ’Sheffield Wildlife Trust’. The chapters reflect some of Oliver’s wide range of interests written by invited contributors who knew him and his work.
