Product Description
Corridor Ecology presents guidelines that combine conservation science and practical experience for maintaining, enhancing, and creating connectivity between natural areas with an overarching goal of conserving biodiversity. It offers an objective, carefully interpreted review of the issues and is a one-of-a-kind resource for scientists, landscape architects, planners, land managers, decision-makers, and all those working to protect and restore landscapes and species diversity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Corridor Ecology
I highly recommend Corridor Ecology for anyone who is interested in corridors, land fragmentation, and species conservation.It is the most comprehensive literature I have come across in terms of the role of corridors, corridor design and implementation.As a current graduate student working on a corridor project, this book has been incredibly helpful in planning my field work in ground truthingLeast-Cost path corridors.Especially the chapter, Corridor Quality: Continuity, Composition, and Dimension.It has really helped me understand better how to evaluate potential corridors. My advisor has been so impressed with the book that she is going to order some for the library and a biodiversity center that is being set up at campus.I also feel that this would be an excellent text for conservation courses as it covers issues such as metapopulation theory, edge effects and focal species considerations.The book also covers issues and potential problems that need to be dealt with when designing a corridor, which is very valuable.I also think this would be a excellent source for land management agencies and the Department of Transportation to utilize. The authors do an excellent job in bringing together all aspect of corridor ecology by utilizing the most current literature, valuable study cases along with their incredible field and research experience.

Tanya Diamond
M.S. Candidate
San Jose State University

... Read more

Product Description
Livestock grazing is the most widespread commercial useof federal public lands. The image of a herd grazing on Bureau of LandManagement or U.S. Forest Service lands is so traditional that manyview this use as central to the history and culture of the West. Yetthe grazing program costs far more to administer than it generates inrevenues, and grazing affects all other uses of public lands, causingpotentially irreversible damage to native wildlife and vegetation.

THE WESTERN RANGE REVISITED proposes a landscape-level strategy forconserving native biological diversity on federal rangelands, astrategy based chiefly on removing livestock from large tracts of aridBLM lands in ten western states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho,Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.

Drawing from range ecology, conservation biology, law, and economics,Debra L. Donahue examines the history of federal grazing policy andthe current debate on federal multiple-use, sustained-yield policiesand changing priorities for our public lands. Donahue, a lawyer andwildlife biologist, uses existing laws and regulations, historicaldocuments, economic statistics, and current scientific thinking tomake a strong case for a land-management strategy that has been, untilnow, "unthinkable."

A groundbreaking interdisciplinary work, THE WESTERN RANGE REVISITEDdemonstrates that conserving biodiversity by eliminating or reducinglivestock grazing makes economic sense, is ecologically expedient, andcan be achieved under current law.Amazon.com Review
What happens when you dare talk about evicting cows from the West? If you're professor Debra Donahue, a considerably nonplussed Wyoming state senator threatens to introduce legislation to dissolve your employer, the University of Wyoming law school. While Senator Jim Twiford's threat can be viewed as a stunt, there's no denying that Donahue and her book The Western Range Revisited have upset the status quo in this arid state with a population less than that of Salt Lake City. Specifically, Donahue recommends livestock be removed from public lands "receiving 12 inches of precipitation or less annually." To support this argument, she examines a bumper crop of scientific evidence pointing to "severe degradation of western ranges" caused by overgrazing--and, in the process, unravels a complex tangle of regional politics and culture that foster such overgrazing. Why, for instance, does the livestock industry enjoy such political clout when it employs so few people? One reason, explains Donahue, is that the relatively unpopulous intermountain West "accounts for approximately one-third of the total Senate membership; thus westerners generally wield disproportionate influence on the Senate." Resulting from this influence, says Donahue, are two fallacies that conspire to keep livestock on the range despite poor return on investment and egregious environmental damage: "Public land grazing is important to the economic base of local communities, if not the region, and the ranching way of life merits preservation, both for its own sake and as a means of preserving the West's open spaces."

Cowboys take their lumps, too, from the author's cultural demythologizing: to wit, the so-called rugged individualists of Catron County, New Mexico--a hotbed of antigovernment fervor--collect more federal subsidies than the national average. Why? Because they're trying to live off public land that has been abused for more than a century.

Donahue concludes that grazing's "ecological impacts are more widespread than those of any other human activity in the West, and elimination of grazing holds greater potential for benefiting biodiversity than any other single land use measure." That said, the "essential ingredient yet lacking is the political will to oppose a narrow, but powerful, interest group--the deeply entrenched western livestock industry." Whether or not you agree with Donahue's thesis, her controversial book will go a long way toward bringing this debate to a broader audience. --Langdon Cook ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Public Land Grazing nearly Killed Me
After reading Debra Donahue's powerful book on the misuse and abuse of western grazing lands, I'm of the opinion that she might be as well remembered in the future as Rachel Carson is today. She has vividly pointed to a problem that has broad negative implications for everyone in the U.S. today.

Permit me to briefly tell you my story with respect to open range grazing.

While vacationing at my in-laws in Arizona in 1997, I went down to the San Pedro River with my daughter and some nephews. While the kids played in the water, I sat in the water watching - scratching some bug bites that I'd received the previous day. After several hours, I took a walk upstream about 100 yards, and discovered the body of a dead "open range" cow lying in the river.

Five days later, back in California, I awoke to a raging fever with rashes up both legs and a left thumb triple its normal size. After rushing to the hospital and beginning emergency antibiotic treatment, I was diagnosed with an infection by "flesh eating bacteria".

Let their be no doubt, my exposure to a antibiotic-doped-up range cow dead in the San Pedro River was the cause of my ailment.

After five days and 39 pints of antibiotics, I went home with a thumb joint that is fused and unusable. If not for the presently effective antibiotics still available to humans, I would have had my left hand amputated.

Debra's book touches upon the ecological destruction that is done on Western grazing lands for the sake of partially producting 3% of the U.S. beef production. (All these cows must be sent to a feed lot to be fed adequately for butchering.) You must read this book and you must act upon it -- it's for all our sake.

Terrible book
This book is simply a polemic to eliminate livestock from the rangelands of the US and has no objective basis in fact.It has no merit whatsoever except as a guide to the limits to which anti-large mammal fanatics will go.I would have given it zero stars, but that is not one of the alternatives.

Missed some major points
Debra Donahue lays out lots of stats but misses the key facts about the ownership of the "public lands" of the west.If you are looking for a book that says cattle are bad, this is it.If you are looking for some facts to broaden your knowledge of the west or the land, this is not it.

Look closer
Debra Donahue is a University of Wyoming law professor with a background in range and wildlife biology. She is motivated by a striking concern for the Western landscape. In The Western Range Revisited,Donahue makes a factual, thoughtful, but unconvincing case for ending livestock grazing on public lands. After laying an impressive foundation, Donahue stumbles badlyin Chapter 8 - "The Socio-Economic Landscape."She states the two main arguments against her thesis: "Public land grazing is important to the economic base of the local community, if not the region, and the ranching way of life merits preservation both for its own sake and as a means of preserving the West's open spaces (p 229)."If we do away with these arguments, "no warrant should remain for leaving livestock on arid public lands (ibid)."She fails to do so. Many statistics are used but not fully explored.Only 2% of all livestock are produced by federal lease lands.Perhaps, but what of the local economies?About 70% of ranchers do not rely on federal leases (p 253).But what of the 30% who do? Large operations (those running 151 Animal Units or more) generate 75% or more of their income from cows; small operations (150 Animal Units or less) generate only 39% of their income from stock .(p 240). Donahue states that 300 units is a break-even operation - yet argues at the same time that eliminating leases would matter little since ranchers could, 1) intensify use of their private lands, or, 2) reduce herd size. Intensification of private lands would create severe overgrazing, water pollution from runoff, and destroy wildlife habitat (since 75% of the big game winter range alone is found on private lands in the Rockies).Reducing herd size would drop more ranches below her own definition of "breaking even" which would lead ultimately to subdivision and development.Ranching is already economically tenuous - "only a 1-3% return on capital investment" (p 260).Donahue wants to make it worse. We cannot argue away geographic certainties with a dither of statistics.I have worked with The Nature Conservancy, the Montana Land Reliance, and other trusts for 24 years.Ihave done biological inventories on scores of ranches and designed nearly 100 conservation easements.A profound, simple fact has emerged - overall, ranchers do a good job as land stewards on both land they own and land they lease.If they did not, why do so many ranches meet the qualification criteria of groups formed to protect biological diversity?I have designed conservation easements on ranches that protect wolves, grizzly bears, black-footed ferrets, bald eagles, and an array of endemic non-game organisms ranging from a rare rockcress to a globally endangered freshwater sponge. Many ranchers are conservationists and to make sweeping condemnations is insulting and plain silly. Donahue does not understand ranchers and makes little attempt to.The two major books on ranching culture were missing from her bibliography: Paul Starrs' Let the Cowboy Ride: Cattle Ranching in the American West (1998) and Terry Jordan's North American Cattle Ranching Frontiers (1993). The author also does not understand land regulation and conservation, making mis-statements about conservation easements and land trusts, and falling back on ineffective, politically untenable tools such as zoning as a way to stop development. None of the literature on these critical subjects was used (see, for example: Saving American Farmland: What Works by the American Farmland Trust, 1997).That is a glaring omission given the stakes here. Debra Donahue reached too far with The Western Range Revisited.She argues that ranching is much like mining and logging - an environmentally destructive, economically misguided use of public lands (see, The Economic Pursuit of Quality by Thomas Power, 1988).In fact, the landscape ecology of ranches is much different - they serve as habitat corridors for species movement and as buffers between development and wild lands. IfDonahue had persuaded us of the need to revise or eliminate riparian grazing, increase protection for Heritage caliber biota, and revoke the permits of poor livestock managers, this book would have made a valuable contribution.Instead, she chose to attack and alienate an entire group of people who are worthy of being understood and respected. The Western culture wars continue. John B. Wright, Department of Geography, New Mexico State University

Rachel Carson Redux
After reading Debra Donahue's powerful book on the misuse and abuse of western grazing lands, I'm of the opinion that she might be as well remebered in the future as Rachel Carson is today.She has vividly pointed to a problem that has broad negative implications on everyone living in the U.S. today.

Permit me to briefly tell you my story with respect to open range grazing.

While vacationing at my in-laws in Arizona in 1997, I went down to the San Pedro River with my daughter and some nephews.While the kids played in the water, I sat in the water watching - scratching some bug bites that I'd received the previous day.After several hours, I took a walk upstream about 100 yards, and discovered the body of a dead "open range" cow lying in the river.

Five days later, back in California, I awoke to a ranging fever with rashes up both legs and a left thumb triple its normal size.After rushing to the hospital and beginning emergency antibiotic treatment, I was diagnosed with "flesh eating bacteria".

Let their be no doubt, my exposure to a antibiotic-doped-up range cow dead in the San Pedro River was the cause of my ailment.

After five days and 39 pints of antibiotics, I went home with a thumb joint that is fused and unusable.If not for modern antibiotics, I would have had my left hand amputated.

Debra's book touches upon the ecological destruction that is done on Western grazing lands for the sake of partially producting 3% of the U.S. beef production.(All these cows must be sent to a feed lot to be fed adequately for butchering.)You must read this book and you must act upon it -- it's for all our sake. ... Read more

Product Description
~

In the past, efforts to reconcile the western concept of intellectual property with indigenous knowledge have not taken into account the schism between this knowledge and western scientific forms. As knowledge assumes increasing importance in the quest for self-determination, cultural survival, and economic empowerment, the gulf between indigenous and western scientific knowledge assumes a new meaning. In International Law and Indigenous Knowledge, Chidi Oguamanam argues that the crisis of legitimacy indigenous knowledge poses for the intellectual property system compels a re-thinking of the concept of intellectual property itself.

Drawing on interdisciplinary research,International Law and Indigenous Knowledge takes as its framework the legal doctrinal methodology, focusing on international legal and policy developments regarding the protection of indigenous knowledge. Using traditional medicine and biodiversity to illustrate his thesis, Oguamanam argues that recent international legal and policy developments in the direction of a cross-cultural approach to intellectual property rights are desirable trends. Such developments come closer to addressing the rift between western and non-western knowledge systems as well as the crisis of legitimacy in the conventional intellectual property system.

Customer Reviews (2)

The Absolute Authority in Taxonomy of Fishes
This book is a must for any Ichthyologist!An invaluable reference!

Catalog of Fishes
If anyone seriously thinks taxonomy is dead, let them review this masterly trio of tomes, each the size of a large city's phonebook. The authors have scanned the world literature to provide lists of all known scientific namesfor fishes--through about 1996--including synonomies, status, location oftypes, and other pertinent information. A labour of love that allichthyologists will benefit from. Comes with a CD-ROM version that, alas,get 2 stars because its program code is too old to handle so much datawithout serious glitching. Indispensible to anyone doing systematics,biodiversity, or even legislation for fishes. Pricey, but well worth itscost in real, long-term value. Only question: How will it beammended/updated? ... Read more

Product Description
Our planet, with all its spectacular diversity, is a source of endless fascination-the stunning success of books like Earth from Above is proof of that. Now comes this spellbinding volume, filled with glorious images from the world's greatest nature photographers. This breathtaking work celebrates the amazing variety of species and ecosystems and how various forces affect them positively and negatively. In his absorbing, informative text, journalist Nicolas Hulot presents a lucid portrait of eight ecosystems (forests, oceans, deserts, poles, mountains, wetlands, grasslands, and cities), the species that inhabit them, and the role humans play in each. One Planet, just in time for Earth Day, is a loving photographic tribute to the beauty of the earth-it will remind us all how important it is to preserve this exquisite planet. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Lovely
This is a lovely book. Over sized photographs of nature's beauty make this book a joy and an inspiration to look through.

Highly recommended top pick.
Eight biological ecosystems of the Earth are described in full here, but with a difference: an oversized presentation and vivid full-page color photos are as much the emphasis as natural history text, lending to a format which will please coffee table collectors of fine art and photography as much as natural history readers. OUR PLANET: A CELEBRATION OF BIODIVERSITY gathers a striking abundance of close-up images of flora and fauna alike, presenting gorgeous shots which are extraordinarily artistic and well detailed. While the natural history explanations are very well done, it's the vivid color photos which makes for a unique, highly recommended top pick.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch ... Read more

Product Description

"At places distant from where you are, but also uncomfortably close," writes David Takacs, "a holocaust is under way. People are slashing, hacking, bulldozing, burning, poisoning, and otherwise destroying huge swaths of life on Earth at a furious pace." And a cadre of ecologists and conservation biologists has responded, vigorously promoting a new definition of nature: biodiversity--advocating it in Congress and on the Tonight Show; whispering it into the ears of foreign leaders; redefining the boundaries of science and politics, ethics and religion, nature and our ideas of nature. These scientists have infused the environmental movement with new focus and direction, but by engaging in such activities, they jeopardize the societal trust that allows them to be public spokespersons for nature in the first place.

The Idea of Biodiversity analyzes what biodiversity represents to the biologists who operate in broader society on its behalf, drawing on in-depth interviews with the scientists most active today in the mission to preserve biodiversity, including Peter Raven, Thomas Lovejoy, Jane Lubchenco, and Paul Ehrlich. Takacs explores how and why these biologists shaped the concept of biodiversity and promoted it to society at large--examining their definitions of biodiversity; their opinions about spirituality and its role in scientific work; the notion of biodiversity as something of intrinsic value; and their views on biophilia, E. O. Wilson's idea that humans are genetically predisposed to love nature. Takacs also looks at the work of twentieth-century forerunners of today's conservation biologists--Aldo Leopold, Charles S. Elton, Rachel Carson, David Ehrenfeld--and points out their contributions to the current debates. He takes readers to Costa Rica, where a group of scientists is using biodiversity to remake nature and society. And in an extended section, he profiles the thoughts and work of E. O. Wilson.

"When I'm asked, 'should we save this species orthat species, or this place or that place?' the answer is always 'Yes!' with an exclamation point. Because it's obvious. And if you ask me to justify it, then I switch into a more cognitive consciousness and can start giving you reasons, economic reasons, aesthetic reasons. They're all dualistic, in a sense. But the feeling that underlies it is that 'yes!' And that 'yes!' comes out of the affirmation of being part of it all, being part of this whole evolutionary process. And agreeing with Arne Naess that each species, each entity, should be allowed to continue its evolution and to live out its destiny... just do its thing, as we say. Why not? And the 'why not?' is there's too many people."--Michael E. Soule, from an interview in The Idea of Biodiversity "An important contribution, a first distanced examination of a critical, modern topic by a scholarly, honest broker."--E. O. Wilson, Harvard University

Customer Reviews (1)

If you care about the earth
Since its publication, this book has become standard reading in environmental studies and environmental ethics clases, and with good reason.
No book before or since has so probed how leading conservation scientists blance their role as neutral experts and passionately committed environmentalists.
If you've ever cared whether the work you do is making the world a better place, read this book ... Read more

Product Description
The first examination of parasites in the context of biodiversity and conservation.

This comprehensive, groundbreaking book on the biodiversity of parasites offers a clear and accessible explanation of how parasite biodiversity provides insight into the history and biogeography of other organisms, the structure of ecosystems, and the processes that lead to the diversification of life. ... Read more

Product Description
From the lush forests of Appalachia to the frozen tundra of Alaska, and from the tallgrass prairies of the Midwest to the subtropical rainforests of Hawaii, the United States harbors a remarkable array of ecosystems. These ecosystems in turn sustain an exceptional variety of plant and animal life. For species such as salamanders and freshwater turtles, the United States ranks as the global center of diversity. Among the nation's other unique biological features are California's coast redwoods, the world's tallest trees, and Nevada's Devils Hole pupfish, which survives in a single ten-by-seventy-foot desert pool, the smallest range of any vertebrate animal.

Precious Heritage draws together for the first time a quarter century of information on U.S. biodiversity developed by natural heritage programs from across the country. This richly illustrated volume not only documents those aspects of U.S. biodiversity that are particularly noteworthy, but also considers how our species and ecosystems are faring, what is threatening them, and what is needed to protect the nation's remaining natural inheritance. Above all, Precious Heritage is a celebration of the extraordinary biological diversity of the United States. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Biodiversity
The word biodiversity often conjures up visions of tropical rain forests, and for good reason.They contain more species than anywhere else in the world.But, as this lavishly illustrated and well written book atteststhere is a great deal of biodiversity in the U.S.In fact, U.S. is therichest country in terms of numbers of species for several groupsinclulding freshwater mussels and crayfishes.The authors take us throughthe groups of plants and animals in the U.S. with a combination of naturalhistory descriptions, photographs, maps, and when appropriate, datasummaries.The maps are really noteworthy, because they add a great dealto the book both visually and in terms of understanding the patterns.Thebook is well worthy the cost just for the photos and maps.Later chaptersaddress the patterns of rarity, threats, and protection strategies.Interms of style and content, it rests between David Wilcove's, The Condor'sShadow and Terrestrial Ecoregions of North America:A ConservationAssessment by Taylor Ricketts et al.Precious Heritage belongs on thebookshelves of everyone interested in and concerned about biodiversity inthe U.S.

Excellent for both environemtnalist and professionals
This book should be on the shelf of environmentalist interested in biodiversity as well as professional conservation biologists. The authors provide a well written introduction to our understanding of biodiversityand the ways that we measure it. They also provide overviews of thegeographic trends in biodiversity, the current threats to this diversity,and offer a perspective on the ways that we proactively maintain this"precious heritage". The book also provides a perspective thatallows professional conservation biologists to see their work in a largescale biogeographic framework, and provides some of the data needed toallow scientists to move from writing epitaphs for dying species toproactively conserving diversity. ... Read more

Product Description
The best comprehensive look at wildlife in Connecticut. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A lot of info for a little state
This is a great reference book for Connecticut wildlife, from deer to aphids, and trees to lichens.

Many of the entries are written in a conversational tone, with the author sharing his experiences with that species in Connecticut.He will say something like, "I have often seen this species breeding in shallow pools of Milford in April" or "This species is limited to the traprock ridges of central Connecticut".That is what makes this book different from so many other reference books out there.

The book is not necessarily an identification key, although it would certainly be helpful when trying to identify a species.It is more a description of the species found in the state and how they live.That is certainly handy when all you've got is a guide for, say, trees of North America and many of the trees shown do not even live in Connecticut.Here you would find out that Chinquapin oak or yellow oak are rare on limestone ridges and ledges in western Connecticut, that scarlet oak is shade intolerant, and black oak is typical of dry, sandy soils.

There is also general information about wildlife and the many types of ecosystems found in Connecticut.You can use this book to learn about vernal pools, salt-marshes, or the Connecticut River.There is a discussion about how insects tolerate being frozen and another on how galls are made.

There are a lot of pictures in the book, but there is not a picture of each species listed, which I think is a drawback.

Entries are organized by biological classification, for example, 'segmented worms', with a brief introduction of that group. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A must have for botany geeks!
Wow.This book makes me long for my grad school days.What an inspired story of scientific pursuit, history, evolution, ethnobotany, and the love of pomegranates.I love this book so much I want to eat it.This is a must read.He includes detailed descriptions of plant guilds that would grow well in dry places and some information that could lead readers to find sources of pomegranate germplasm.I love how he weaves his story together.The botanical terminology makes my heart flutter!I want to visit the places he's been.Reading this book right now is especially poignant as many place names he uses have been on the news as sites of bombing and military action.I wish it were not so and this book gives me greater depth of appreciation for the history, ecology, and beauty of these areas.

A trip in time and Flora
I was expecting just information about pomegranates. Boy did I have pleasant surprise. Pomegranate Roads not only gets the the 'ole taste buds salivating, but it also provides amazing insight into a man with a great passion for his work. Equally impressive is the historical perspective of the fall of the USSR and what it did to this small part of biological diversity as well as the cultural impacts. An excellent memoir unto itself.

Best book on Pomegranate history available
If you are curious about pomegranates, this is the book for you!Even if you do not eat them or grow them, this is a wonderful story about human passion.

An Adventure in Pomegranates!
I purchased this book primarily to learn about pomegranates as I am in the process of planting a small orchard of pomegranates.I found it to be a wonderful history lesson and an adventure.I am planting several of Dr. Levin's cultivars and have a great appreciation for all of the work he carried out for some 40 years, often at great risk of life.I often felt I was on these adventures and now wonder if I could ever participate in some exploratory treks.It's painful to read how the research stations have been bulldozed and wish more of the 1,117 cultivars could be rescued.It was hard to put this book down and I now have a much greater appreciation for being able to grow some of Dr. Levin's cultivars.I only hope I can do them justice!

Exploring the life of an explorer
Some chapters of this book make you feel like you've just watched an Indiana Jones movie, while other chapters would make a great NOVA science episode. On his scientific treasure hunt for exotic pomegranates, Dr.Gregory Levin has--unassumingly-- run into vipers dancing on their tails, and seen cave paintings of kangaroos on the border of Iran and Turkmenistan! Levin knows which godesses were idolized in pomegranates and what the penalty was for felling a pomegranate tree in ancient Egypt. Yet the tone of this adventure is deeply thoughtful. In 1941 when young Levin and his parents were digging trenches around Leningrad in preparation for the seige, Levin watched a drift of butterflies land on a nearby tree. "Their life cycle was ending," Levin says,"and they had all landed on the tree to die. The tree was their cemetary." Here's an author who sees reflections of the human condition in Nature all around us. And like a good hiking companion he doesn't keep pointing things out, but leaves you alone to take it all in for yourself.

Ari Siletz, author of "The Mullah With No Legs and Other Stories."
... Read more

Product Description
A companion volume to The Endangered Species Act at Thirty: Renewing

the Conservation Promise, published by Island Press in fall 2005, this

new book examines the key policy tools available for protecting biodiversity

in the United States by revisiting some basic questions in conservation:

What are we trying to protect and why? What are the limits

of species-based conservation? Can we develop new conservation

strategies that are more ecologically and economically viable than past

approaches? ... Read more

Product Description
Computing and database management has shifted from cottage industry-style methods — the small independent researcher keeping records for a particular project — to state-of-the-art file storage systems, presentation, and distribution over the Internet. New and emerging techniques for recognition, compilation, and data management have made managing data a discipline in its own right. Covering all aspects of this data management, Biodiversity Databases: Techniques, Politics, and Applications brings together input from social scientists, programmers, database designers, and information specialists to delineate the political setting and give institutions platforms for the dissemination of taxonomic information.

A practical and logical guide to complex issues, the book explores the changes and challenges of the information age. It discusses projects developed to provide better access to all available biodiversity information. The chapters make the case for the need for representation of concepts in taxonomic databases. They explore issues involved in connecting databases with different user interfaces, the technical demands of linking databases that are not entirely uniform in structure, and the problems of user access and the control of data quality. The book highlights different approaches to addressing concerns associated with the taxonomic impediment and the low reproducibility of taxonomic data. It provides an in-depth examination of the challenge of making taxonomic information more widely available to users in the wider scientific community, in government, and the general population. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

professional reviews of Fish Conservation
The Quarterly Review of Biology called Fish Conservation "a much needed and timely book . . . an excellent melding of scientific rigor and scope, with readability and usefulness to nonspecialists."Biological Conservation says the book "tackles large and complex issues with ease but . . . has the rare gift of being simultaneously hugely informative, scientifically robust, easy to read and filled with conservation suggestions and hope."A review that will appear in the Journal of Fish Biology calls the book "an extremely competent scientific text" and recommends it"unreservedly for anyone with an interest in fish conservation whether they are scientists, administrators or students."A review in The Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Sciences said, "This is an exciting book written in a clear easy reading style. . . . Helfman has taken us where few have dared to go, because of the immensity of the biodiversity probems, yet has given us a book that will be of use . . .for years to come."

Student Review
A refreshingly easy-to-read text book. Gene Helfman's writing style challenges the reader to form their own opinion. The wealth of examples illustrate the major challenges facing fish conservation today.
This was the prescribed text for an undergraduate fish conservation course at Colorado State University (FW400). I present this review from a student's perspective, supported by survey results from my classmates.
I posed 4 questions and students rated the book on a 1 to 5 scale (1 = `not at all' to 5 = `very'). Average responses are presented.

1. Did you find the book easy to read and follow? 4.6
2. Did the book increase your understanding of fish conservation? 4.4
3. Do you consider the content up to date? 4.6
4. Was the book complementary to our course? 4.6
Overall rating 4.6

Helfman does an excellent job of tackling issues such as habitat loss, flow regulation, water quality and introduced species (Part III). The statistics are fascinating and compelling. "For freshwater fish, the principle cause of declines and extinction is habitat degradation". "[R]ates of imperilment of North American fishes, crayfish and mussels are three to eight times those for birds and mammals". These numbers are not thrown about without due consideration. Helfman provides a thought provoking review of how we classify imperilment at regional to global scales (Part II). Fisheries management, particularly harvest of marine fishes, is also dealt with in detail (Part IV).
The book is written from a North American perspective, but includes a wealth of case studies from across the globe. Chapter 3 reviews conservation policy of Australia, Canada, European Union, Japan, Madagascar, Mexico, New Zealand, Russian Federation, South America, South America, British Isles.
The book focuses on conservation of fish species - it is not a general guide to resource management. Some chapters focus heavily on freshwater fish and others on marine. Mostly, these reflect the relative importance of each issue in different environments. I managed to find one or two holes or oversights in areas where I have in-depth knowledge, but these were far outweighed by chapters that vastly expanded my understanding of a topic.
Our class did not rely on the book as the sole source of course material. Having said that, the range of issues dealt with by Helfman is probably beyond what could be covered in any one course. After course work is finished, the book provides excellent review material for unfamiliar topics. I'll be holding on to my copy.
... Read more

Product Description
In this fascinating and abundantly illustrated book, two eminent ecologists explain how the millions of species living on Earth—some microscopic, some obscure, many threatened—not only help keep us alive but also hold possibilities for previously unimagined products, medicines, and even industries. In an Afterword written especially for this edition, the authors consider the impact of two revolutions now taking place: the increasing rate at which we are discovering new species because of new technology available to us and the accelerating rate at which we are losing biological diversity. Also reviewed and summarized are many “new” wild solutions, such as innovative approaches to the discovery of pharmaceuticals, the “lotus effect,” the ever-growing importance of bacteria, molecular biomimetics, ecological restoration, and robotics.

“An easy read, generating a momentum of energy and excitement about the potential of the natural world to solve many of the problems that face us.”—E. J. Milner-Gulland, Nature

“Must-reading for everyone.”—Simon A. Levin, author of Fragile Dominion: Complexity and the Commons

“An engaging book clearly intended to impress upon a lay audience the practical value of
biological diversity. . . . An outstanding work.”—Ecology

“A most stimulating read for all those budding science students from secondary through graduate schools.”—Science Books & Films

•Winner of the 2001 National Outdoor Book Award in the Nature and Environment Category

Andrew Beattie is director of the Commonwealth Key Centre for Biodiversity and Bioresources and Christine Turnbull is research associate, both at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. Paul R. Ehrlich is Bing Professor of Population Studies in the department of biological sciences at Stanford University.

Amazon.com Review
If there is an intelligence to the design of nature, an old question hasit, then how could mosquitoes ever have come into being? Andrew Beattie andPaul Ehrlich have an answer: adult mosquitoes are an important source offood for birds, while their larvae are a major part of the diet of manyspecies of fish. Moreover, mosquitoes pollinate some orchid species, andeven their role in the spread of certain diseases appears to have afunction in nature. Though it poses an annoyance and hazard, then, themosquito has its place in the world, a world that is constantlyimpoverished by the destruction of species.

We humans, Beattie and Ehrlich suggest, are only beginning to understand thatecological health depends on the diversity of nature, a diversity thatembraces mosquitoes. By way of illustration, they cite an experiment inwhich scientists created a sealed environment that was meant to approximateconditions in a self-supporting extraterrestrial colony--and that failed,in the end, because the scientists neglected to introduce easily overlookedbut nonetheless critical microorganisms. "We are dependent in the shortterm," they write, "on many more kinds of organisms than it would seem atfirst glance." And, they add, humans directly benefit from the servicesthat millions of species provide, whether appreciated or not. To removethose species, the authors argue, is akin to squandering a carefully built andirreplaceable fortune, "our biological wealth, our biological capital."Their thoughtful essay offers many reasons for curbing this spending spree.--Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Not for the well informed
As mentioned in another review the first edition read like a childrens book. Even more insulting was the cartoonish scribbles used as illustrations. It is honestly not appropriate for anything more than an introduction to the subject for teenagers. In that role it would suit its purpose fairly well, unfortunately that is not the type of book the cover and title suggest.

Brilliant!
This small volume is a compact introduction to biological systems thinking. Profusely illustrated, it brings numerous concepts into clear focus. Excellent science writing for the general reader!

We need more books like this which clearly communicate the beauty and intelligence of the natural world. This is essential information to inform our designs and decisions.

A HUGE disappointment.
The book is really great if you are a six-year-old. The mature readers however, should steer clear of this disaster of an attempt at non-fiction writing. Just goes to show you that two heads are not necessarily better than one. Abundant illustrations (but of no practical use whatsoever) are scattered all over the book, emphasizing the first point I made. I could not get past the first few chapters, and finally decided to put it down when the authors decided to include human beings, on several occasions, into the dietary chain of lions and tigers.
A horrible read. A HUGE disappointment. Big waste of money. Ages 15 and below only.

Educating the general public on the value of natural systems
This book is an attempt to bring to a general readership the idea that solutions to any number of human problems can, and are being, found in the wild.Thus farmers might discover naturally occurring pesticides, perhaps from the leaves of trees; doctors might use antibiotics manufactured by microbes or ants; and engineers, builders and manufacturers might learn how to make the super strong but light weight materials spun out by spiders and worms or secreted by mollusks.

(Or, more realistically, chemical conglomerates, pharmaceutical giants, and construction multinationals might better their bottom line and reduce pollution and the destruction of the environment through the use of ecologically viable solutions.)

The text, written by Australian biologist Andrew Beattie with perhaps more than symbolic assistance from famed population biologist Paul Ehrlich, is unpretentious enough to be accessible to high school students; indeed it seems in some respects, by using a minimum of jargon and technical language, to be aimed at young people.There is an emphasis on the positive aspects of bioremediation and biotechnology rather than sounding any alarm bells about our misuse of the environment.Thus when animals are to be employed as biological monitors of pollution (as the canary is used in the coal mine) the text assures us that rare or endangered species will not be used.Or when pigs are employed (on islands north of Australia) as sentinel animals that might warn of disease traveling south, we are told that they live in pens under "palm trees that rustle in the balmy sea breezes" and that the pigs "snooze or root about in the sand and coconut husks" and are tossed leftovers by passing villagers several times a day "from the family meal or some other delicacy." (p. 160)

The authors follow the introduction with these important words, "The majority of species on Earth have yet to be discovered." (By the way, those who think that the identification of species is like glorified stamp collecting, as I recently read in some book, are very much mistaken.An accounting of life forms, at the very least, will give us a basis for examining change.)Beattie and Ehrlich follow this up with an exploration of how species live in, on, and with one another, laying the groundwork for an understanding of biodiversity and ecology while showing how dependent we are on the smallest creatures for our survival.They recall the failed Biosphere 2 experiment some years ago in Arizona and use a thought experiment on what we might take to the moon to establish and maintain a natural community, thereby demonstrating beyond any doubt just how complex and connected and dependent are all forms of life.They evoke the concept "the natural internet" to illustrate this interconnectedness and to show how natural cycles, food chains, water and nitrogen cycles, etc., work.Particularly interesting was the chapter on garbage and how the myriad creatures of the soil break down waste and return it to use.The remainder of the book suggests ways that humans can work within natural systems to both our advantage and the advantage of the planet as a whole.It is sorely hoped that this message reaches a lot of people, which is obviously the intent of the authors.

The text is enhanced by appealing black and white illustrations of insects, worms, spiders, microbes, fungi and other living things by Christine Turnbull, done in a way that makes the creatures look almost lovable.Turnbull combines a serious attention to detail with the light touch of a cartoonist.Or at least this is my impression.I imagined, for example, that the immobilized ant on the title page with a fungus growing out of its body had an cartoonist's "x" in its eye; but that was merely a misapprehension; there was no "x."Yet the death of this ant eaten from the inside by a fungus seemed almost benign.Perhaps this is a felicitous way of understanding "nature red in tooth and claw."Furthermore, (and I mean this seriously) maybe if people in general saw ecology in something like the rosy way Disney depicted it in Bambi (but without the distortion) we might be the better for it.

Anyway I admire the attempt by the authors to show how the use of natural products and processes are preferable to the use of artificial and man-made ones whenever possible, and for suggesting the incredible range of what is possible.I wish that all high school students and CEOs of multinational corporations would read this book.Or better yet, heads of state (even dictators and ruling theocrats) and elected representatives whose education has been primarily in law, business and the military, should read this book.Maybe we ought to buy an extra copy and send it to our representative in Washington.Couldn't hurt.

Bottom line: the text is a little pollyannaish at times and the material is familiar to those trained in the life sciences, but the message is an important one, and that message is expressed in a vivid and easily assimilated way.The drawings by Turnbull are wonderful.

An Outstanding Argument for Conservation
Wild Solutions is a beautifully written little book containing a well-reasoned, passionate argument for the conservation of all the creatures in the natural world, not just the ones that look cute on T-shirts or postcards.The over riding theme of this book is not that we should save nature because we can make a quick buck off of it; rather, we should save nature because the natural world is one big laboratory, available to humanity free of charge, that not only supports us with a variety of ecosystem services but also continuously shows us new and better ways of living.The message is that species must be conserved because it is impossible to determine which will be vitally important in the future.Humanity tends to judge the worth of a species based on its value to us now without knowing fully or even considering the role the species may play in nature.We really do not know what species will be important in the future.Moreover, we do not know yet to what extent how important the known species are in ecosystem processes.Too often we learn of the organism's role and importance in ecosystems only after it is gone.One important point of the book is that we do not realize or even appreciate the extent to which we are dependent on the natural world.

As the case of Biosphere Two clearly showed the world, placing a value on the importance of a species without knowing its role in ecosystems and food chains, merely based on arrogant and selfish notions of whether or not we derive some value from it is foolhardy.Biosphere Two also showed us that humanity can not do without Nature, but Nature, given its multi-billion year history, can and has done without us.The authors liken the world's creatures to a natural internet that is responsible for the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, and the rich fertile soil that we depend upon for the food that we eat.All of these gifts from Nature, unfortunately, are being tainted, damaged and destroyed by the greedy and selfish actions of humanity.Although many of the example organisms may not be new to some readers, the way in which these organisms interact, and the way in which Humanity has taken advantage of these interactions to enrich our lives gives all a deeper understanding of the importance of these and other organisms.

While some may criticize the call to save the natural world for economic gain, no one can argue with the authors' assertion that the natural world has served and will continue to serve as a basis for the development of new industries.Nor can it be argued that the natural world will become more important as a springboard for the solution to some of mankind's most pressing problems.While I firmly believe that the preservation of species and habitats solely for present or future economic exploitation is both arrogant and shortsighted, it tends to remain the only way to convince the world powers and corporate sultans to tread lightly around environments and habitats.Such a state of affairs is at once both deplorable and depressing, but I am optimistic that sane minds will rise above the current economically inspired rapacious environmental pillage and eventually prevail.

I fully acknowledge that our callous interference in natural evolutionary processes is a foolish gamble, and this book serves as indisputable proof.Many lifetimes of benefits are waiting to be discovered among Nature's bountiful gifts, and this book inspires me to find a few of them. ... Read more

Product Description
*The first book to examine the application of the Precautionary Principle -- the most important and controversial approach to biodiversity and natural resource management worldwide

*Comprehensive case studies from Australia, New Zealand, the USA, East and Central Africa, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Argentina, Uruguay and Fiji, including marine environments and forests

*Written by top practitioners in association with the main international conservation organizations

Great uncertainty typically surrounds decisions and management actions in the conservation of biodiversity and natural resource management, and yet there are risks of serious and irreversible harm for both biodiversity and the humans that rely on it. The Precautionary Principle underlies all international conservation efforts and entails acting to avoid serious or irreversible environmental harm, despite lack of scientific certainty as to the likelihood, magnitude, or cause of harm.

This book, the first to examine the application of the Precautionary Principle to conservation, analyzes how it has been applied in the
management of biodiversity, including the impact on forests products and aquaculture, as well as wildlife and livelihoods. The book also examines how power, equity, and science intertwine in the Principle. Evidence is drawn from a vast range of countries and the book provides guidelines for applying the Precautionary Principle in all international contexts for the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity and natural resources. ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses major factors influencing biodiversity in the Earth's terrestrial biomes, and the projected patterns of change for those factors. Covers ten key terrestrial biomes and freshwater ecosystems, with comprehensive scenarios of biodiversity for the 21st century. Softcover, hardcover not yet available. DLC: Biological diversity. ... Read more

Product Description
Human induced development activities are introduced with insufficient attention to their consequences for our living environment, even in cases where environmental assessments have been carried out. This apparent lack of attention to biodiversity in environmental assessment is rooted in the difficulties we have in adequately addressing biodiversity within the scope, time frame and budget allocated for assessments. This book provides a conceptual background and practical approaches to overcome these difficulties. It integrates the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity, its ecosystem approach, and the conceptual framework of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment into a comprehensive approach to biodiversity in environmental assessment. It highlights the need to consider the value of biodiversity based on its use by each stakeholder, addresses the importance of both social and economic development to reach the Millennium Development Goals, and provides insights into ways to balance present and future needs. ... Read more

Product Description
Few places in the world can claim such a diversity of species as the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), with its 6,000 recorded animal species estimated to be half the number actually living in its waters. So rich are the Gulf’s waters that over a half-million tons of seafood are taken from them annually—and this figure does not count the wasted by-catch, which would triple or quadruple that tonnage. This timely book provides a benchmark for understanding the Gulf’s extraordinary diversity, how it is threatened, and in what ways it is—or should be—protected.

In spite of its dazzling richness, most of the Gulf’s coastline now harbors but a pale shadow of the diversity that existed just a half-century ago.Recommendations based on sound, careful science must guide Mexico in moving forward to protect the Gulf of California.

This edited volume contains contributions by twenty-four Gulf of California experts, from both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border. From the origins of the Gulf to its physical and chemical characteristics, from urgently needed conservation alternatives for fisheries and the entire Gulf ecosystem to information about its invertebrates, fishes, cetaceans, and sea turtles, this thought-provoking book provides new insights and clear paths to achieve sustainable use solidly based on robust science. The interdisciplinary, international cooperation involved in creating this much-needed collection provides a model for achieving success in answering critically important questions about a precious but rapidly disappearing ecological treasure. ... Read more

Product Description

Drafting a Conservation Blueprint lays out for the first time in book form a step-by-step planning process for conserving the biological diversity of entire regions. In an engaging and accessible style, the author explains how to develop a regional conservation plan and offers experience-based guidance that brings together relevant information from the fields of ecology, conservation biology, planning, and policy. Individual chapters outline and discuss the main steps of the planning process, including:

? an overview of the planning framework
? selecting conservation targets and setting goals
? assessing existing conservation areas and filling information gaps
? assessing population viability and ecological integrity
? selecting and designing a portfolio of conservation areas
? assessing threats and setting priorities

A concluding section offers advice on turning conservation plans into action, along with specific examples from around the world.

The book brings together a wide range of information about conservation planning that is grounded in both a strong scientific foundation and in the realities of implementation. ... Read more

Product Description
Protecting Biodiversity addresses one of the most fundamental aspects of this important issue: the lack of adequate national laws regulating access to, and compensation for, the use of local genetic resources. This book is the first to compare such laws and policies across a range of countries in both the industrialized and developing worlds, including Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Peru and the United States. It also presents legal viewpoints, conclusions and solid recommendations for future action. ... Read more