About Signs of Life

What’s to be done when only three spotted owls are left in Canada’s wild? When wolves eat endangered caribou, cormorants kill rare trees, and housing developments threaten a tiny frog?

As an environmental journalist, Sarah has witnessed what happens when we drive species to the brink of extinction. In Signs of Life: Field Notes from The Frontlines of Extinction, she tags along with the Canadian military, Indigenous guardians, biologists, conservationists, and ordinary people who are racing to save hundreds of species before it’s too late.

Travelling across the country, Sarah visits the Toronto Zoo, home of Canada’s only wildlife biobank, where scientists conserve living cells from endangered species in the event of future loss; tours Canada’s military bases, home to some of Canada’s last preserved ecosystems; and travels to Indigenous communities where land stewards are striving to restore the delicate ecological balance that has sustained people for millennia.

Through the eyes and work of individuals who are bringing species back from the precipice, Sarah delivers both an urgent message and a fresh perspective on how we can protect biodiversity and begin to turn things around.

Praise for Signs of Life

“Sarah Cox’s reporting on environmental issues has long been essential reading, and Signs of Life is no exception. Detailing everything from efforts to save the old-growth forest-dependent spotted owl in British Columbia to rare lichens in Nova Scotia’s disappearing woodlands, Signs of Life combines whip-smart reporting with an in-depth knowledge of conservation science to produce a persuasive call to act before it is too late.”

— Suzanne Simard, author of Finding the Mother Tree

“It’s one thing to put your hand over your heart and wish endangered species the best; it’s quite another to make the tough decisions and engage in the practical work required to rescue them. Sarah Cox’s beautifully written book is both inspiring and a cold dose of reality. Either way, it’s a call to actually do something!”

— Monte Hummel, President Emeritus, WWF – Canada 

“In this very fine book, Sarah Cox writes hard and unflinchingly about the ethics and difficult choices that have and need to be made to slow the rapid extinction of so many species. There are unlikely allies here such as the Canadian military, and many strategies such as preserving genetic material from endangered species. The book is never a rant: each strategy, every story, is presented with balance and clarity.” 

— Ed Struzik, author of Dark Days at Noon

“In Signs of Life, Sarah Cox deftly guides us through landscapes of ecological destruction, while shining a light on the passionate people who have dedicated their lives to protecting species at risk. She lays bare what we must change if we are serious about protecting our fellow Earthlings. Life itself is on the line, and it could be said that there is nothing more heroic than saving an entire species from extinction. This powerful and timely book is a must-read for all heroes in the making.” 

— Ziya Tong, science broadcaster and author of The Reality Bubble