Saving the Earth

Conservation

Watchlist 2007, the Audobon Society’s recent report on the welfare of birds in America, reports that nearly a quarter of the 700 bird species in America are threatened, usually by direct human activity, like development and gas and oil production. Continue reading "Conservation" essay »

Conservation of our planetary heritage – the land, the water, and the living things which occupy this biosphere – is of pressing urgency. The books recommended in this section address the theory and practice of conservation and ecosystem preservation and restoration.

Recommended Books on Conservation

Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming
Paul Hawken

Environmentalist Paul Hawken believes that we are in the midst of a world-changing rise of activist groups, all "working toward ecological sustainability and social justice." Neither ideological nor centralized, this coalescence of activism is a spontaneous and organic response to the recognition that environmental problems are social-justice problems. Hawken compares this gathering of forces to the human immune system as people are joining together to defend life on Earth. Hopeful and inspiring.  
2007, Viking

Conservation Biology: Foundations, Concepts, Applications
Fred Van Dyke

This basic text focuses on the preservation of worldwide biodiversity through the conservation of habitats and restoration of ecosystems. A contemporary, interdisciplinary approach featuring vivid illustrations and an engaging writing style.  
2008, Springer

Conservation: Linking Ecology, Economics, and Culture
Monique Borgerhoff Mulder

Nearly ninety percent of the earth's land surface is directly affected by human infrastructure and activities, yet less than 5% is legally "protected" for biodiversity conservation - and even most large protected areas have people living inside their boundaries. Conservation and people must thus co-exist. This book points the way to reconciling biodiversity with human livelihoods. 
2005, Princeton University Press

Conservation Through Cultural Survival: Indigenous Peoples And Protected Areas
Stanley Stevens

For more than a century the establishment of natural parks and protected areas was a major threat to the survival of indigenous people. Today such tragic conflicts are being superceded by new alliances for conservation. This book assesses cutting-edge efforts to establish new kinds of protected areas which are based on partnerships with indigenous peoples.  
1997, Island Press

Contested Nature: Promoting International Biodiversity and Social Justice in the Twenty-First Century
Steven R. Brechin

How can the international conservation movement protect biological diversity, while at the same time safeguarding the rights and fullfilling the needs of people, particularly the poor? Social justice and biological conservation must go hand in hand. Case studies reported in this book show that pursuing social justice enhances biodiversity conservation rather than diminishing it.  
2003, State University of New York Press

The Final Forest: The Battle for the Last Great Trees of the Pacific Northwest
William Dietrich

Author Dietrich, the Pulitizer Prize-winning chief science correspondent for the Seattle Times here examines the many sides of the ongoing debate over the logging of America's last remaining ancient forest on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula. The author contends that the US government's short-sighted policies have not only led to loss of dignity and self-respect for the loggers, but also to the unecessary destruction of thousands of acres of old-growth trees.
1993, Penguin

Freshwater Ecoregions of North America: A Conservation Assessment
Robin Abell

North America's freshwater habitats and the extraordinary biodiversity they contain are facing unprecedented threats from flow alteration, habitat fragmentation, introduced species, and overall land use changes. This authoritative reference from World Wildlife Fund assesses the current status of freshwater ecoregions and outlines measures that must be taken to conserve and restore native biodiversity.  
1999, Island Press

Fundamentals of Conservation Biology
Malcolm L., Jr. Hunter and James P. Gibbs

Starting with a succinct look at conservation and biodiversity this inclusive text explicates some of the subject's most complex topics such as mass extinctions, ecosystem degradation, and over-exploitation.  
2006, Wiley

Life in the Valley of Death: The Fight to Save Tigers in a Land of Guns, Gold, and Greed
Alan Rabinowitz

The New York Times dubbed Alan Rabinowitz "the Indiana Jones of wildlife science." He has devoted - and risked - his life to protect endangered species. The lush Hukaung Valley of Myanmar is home to one of the largest tiger populations outside of India - a population threatened by rampant poaching and the recent encroachment of gold prospectors. In forests reviled as the valley of death, Rabinowitz finds new life for himself, for communities haunted by poverty and violence, and for the tigers he vowed to protect.  
2007, Island Press

Myth and Reality in the Rain Forest: How Conservation Strategies Are Failing in West Africa
John F. Oates

Primate ecologist Oates disagrees with current conservation theory, holding that wildlife can best be protected through the promotion of human economic development and points out that this development has had disastrous consequences for many wildlife populations, especially in West Africa. He believes that large scale political, social, and economic reforms are the most effective approach to conservation in the Third World.  
1999, University of California Press

The Myth of Wild Africa: Conservation Without Illusion
Jonathan S. Adams and Thomas O. McShane

The "myth of wild Africa" is the false notion that Africa was ever a continent untouched by the hand of man, and that its wildlife can be conserved without winning the support of its people. Romantic Western ideals of wildlife conservation are less important than pragmatic and cooperative conservation solutions with the peoples of Africa.  
1997, University of California Press

Natural Connections: Perspectives In Community-Based Conservation
David Western

Natural Connections focuses on rural societies and the conservation of biodiversity in rural areas. It offers a systematic analysis of locally-based efforts, and includes a comprehensive examination of cases from around the world where a community-based approach is used.  
1994, Island Press

Parks in Peril: People, Politics, and Protected Areas
Katrina Brandon

Using the experience of the Parks in Peril Program, this book presents a broad analysis of current trends in park management and the implications for biodiversity conservation. Case studies highlight the interaction of ecosystems, local peoples, and policy in park management, describing future directions that can ensure long-term biodiversity conservation.  
1998, Island Press

A Primer of Conservation Biology
Richard B. Primack

Dr. Primack focuses on the value of biological diversity, the threats to biological diversity, conservation at the population and species levels, protecting and managing habitats and ecosystems, and human societies and sustainable development. The book provides many examples of successful conservation approaches.  
2004, Sinauer Associates

Requiem for Nature
John Terborgh

Terborgh, a tropical biologist, believes that the realities of economic development are such that where the needs of humans are weighed against the needs of the natural world, nature always loses. He believes that national conservation funds, strict policing of protected areas and the internationalization of nature protection offer hope for improving the situation.  
2004, Island Press

Rewilding North America: A Vision For Conservation In The 21St Century
Dave Foreman

Activist Dave Foreman details human impacts on species survival, including direct killing, habitat loss and fragmentation, introduction of exotic species, and climate change. He shows how wildlands networks instead of isolated protected areas are the logical next step for the conservation movement. An inspiring and empowering call to action for scientists, activists and laypeople.
2004, Island Press

Terrestrial Ecoregions of North America: A Conservation Assessment
Taylor H. Ricketts

Using a rigorous ecoregion-based approach a team of scientists from World Wildlife Fund has produced this stunning and comprehensive assessment of the current status of biodiversity of North America north of Mexico. This volume provides a road map to the ecoregion-based approach that has been adopted by many conservation groups as the most effective way to ward off massive losses of biodiversity.
1999,Island Press

The Unnatural History of the Sea
Callum Roberts

Marine conservation biologist Roberts presents a devastating account of the effects of fishing on the sea. Once-abundant acquatic life has declined to the point where we probably have less than 5% of the total mass of fish that once swam in Europe's seas. Industrial fishing has virtually eliminated entire species. He argues persuasively for the establishment of marine reserves - protected areas where fish stocks have a chance to recover. This book is a vivid reminder of what we've lost and a plea to save what is left.  
2007, Island Press

The Whale Warriors: The Battle at the Bottom of the World to Save the Planet's Largest Mammals
Peter Heller

Adventure writer Heller joined Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship Farley Mowat during their 2005 campaign against the Japanese whaling fleet in Antarctica, and the result is this intimate and hair-raising eco-adventure. After weeks of heavy seas, fog, iceberg dodging, and cat-and-mouse with the whalers, the Farley finally encounters the Japanese fleet on Christmas day in a Force 8 gale. The reader rides the rush of adreneline and feels the dedication and passion of the Sea Shepherds as they fight to save the whales.  
2007, Free Press

Wildlife Ecology, Conservation and Management
A. R. E. Sinclair

This book is the first systemic integration of the three all-too-disconnected disciplines of the title presenting an up-to-date overview of ecology including the latest theories on population dynamics and conservation.
2005, Wiley