Books : Outdoors & Nature : Conservation : Wildlife

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Books : Outdoors & Nature : Conservation : Wildlife

• Silent Spring

  Rachel Carson

  
  
   

• A Sand County Almanac (Outdoor Essays & Reflections)

  Aldo Leopold

  
  
   

• The Diversity of Life (Questions of Science)

  Edward O. Wilson

  
  
   

• Cry of the Kalahari

  Mark Owens, Delia Owens

  
  This is the story of the Owens' travel and life in the Kalahari Desert. Here they met and studied unique animals and were confronted with danger from drought, fire, storms, and the animals they loved. This best-selling book is for both travelers and animal lovers.
  
   

• The Last Place on Earth

  
  
   

• Travellers' Wildlife Guides Costa Rica (Travellers' Wildlife Guides)

  Les Beletsky

  
  The Travellers' Wildlife Guides are aimed at environmentally conscious travellers for whom some of the best parts of any trip are glimpses of wildlife in natural settings.

  The purpose of this series is to enhance enjoyment of a trip and enrich wildlife sightings by providing identifying information on the most frequently encountered animals in each of the represented countries.

  With stunning color illustrations and photographs of amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds, this series is unique in that it aims to aid the visitor in identifying all types of vertebrate land animals while providing current information on the conservation statuses of the animals.

  Not only for travellers, the Travellers' Wildlife Guides are for all those fascinated by wildlife and concerned about our environment.

  Most travellers to Costa Rica want to experience its lush tropical forests and catch glimpses of exotic wildlife; toucans and parrots, hummingbirds and hawks, monkeys and big cats, frogs and toads, crocodiles, and (yes) snakes. Here is all the information you will need to find, identify and learn about Costa Rica's magnificent wildlife.

  --Identification, distribution, and conservation information on Costa Rica's frequently spotted animals.

  --Full-color illustrations of nearly 350 of Costa Rica's most common amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

  --Up-to-date information on the ecology, behavior, and conservation of the families of animals to which the pictured species belong.

  --Information on habitats and on the most common plants you will encounter.

  --Brief descriptions of Costa Rica's most frequently visited parks and reserves.

  --Information on ecotourism in general and on conservation in Costa Rica.

  Easy-to-carry, entertainingly written, beautifully illustrated-you will want to have this book as constant companion on your journey.

  
   

• When Man Is the Prey: True Stories of Animals Attacking Humans

  
  Since we humans have evolved into the dominant species on this planet, we sometimes fail to recognize--and respect--the ever-present threat posed by the animals we love or fear, hunt or fight to protect. Many of nature's most lethal residents have combative skills that have been honed by millions of years of adaptive survival, and it takes only a second for an otherwise evolved individual to become a helpless victim. WHEN MAN IS THE PREY is a one-of-a-kind collection of real-life encounters between man and beast that explores the uneasy relationship that humanity has with its native habitat. From bears, boars, and black dogs to swimming with sharks and dancing with wolves, the stories in WHEN MAN IS THE PREY offer a fascinating, frightening, and enlightening look at the natural world and its many creatures.

   

   
  
   

• Biophilia

  Edward O. Wilson

  
  View a video on Professor Wilson entitled "On the Relation of Science and the Humanities"

  
   

• A Hunt for Justice: The True Story of a Woman Undercover Wildlife Agent

  Lucinda Delaney Schroeder

  
  Selected for the 2007 Amelia Bloomer Project list of recommended feminist literature for young readers

   

  For thirty years, Lucinda Delaney Schroeder held an unusual government position: she was one of the handful of women special agents with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In August 1992, she accepted an assignment that forever changed--and endangered--her life. She posed as a big-game hunter in Alaska in order to infiltrate an international ring of poachers out to kill the biggest and best of that state's wildlife.
  A Hunt for Justice recounts her dramatic story--a story she was not legally permitted to write about until her retirement in 2004.
  
  
   

• Principles of Conservation Biology

  Gary K. Meffe

  
  Principles of Conservation Biology, Third Edition features a wholly revised organization, emphasizing analyses of different categories of threat and approaches to conservation. Coverage has been expanded to incorporate both terrestrial and marine conservation issues, and efforts in the U.S. and across the globe.

  Principles' eighteen chapters introduce the major themes and concepts of this diverse and dynamic field. The biological and social underpinnings of conservation problems and potential solutions are interwoven throughout the text, which is divided into three sections: foundations of the field, threats to biodiversity, and approaches to solving conservation problems. Guest essays and case studies provide a diversity of perspectives and real-world examples that add insight and provoke discussion. The text is richly illustrated, and concludes with an extensive glossary and bibliography.

  This book is intended for use in conservation biology courses at the advanced undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as by researchers and practitioners, and assumes a basic background in biology and ecology.

  
   

• Secrets of the Savanna: Twenty-three Years in the African Wilderness Unraveling the Mysteries of Elephants and People

  Mark James Owens, Cordelia Dykes Owens

  
  In this riveting real-life adventure, Mark and Delia Owens tell the dramatic story of their last years in Africa, fighting to save elephants, villagers, and -- in the end -- themselves. The award-winning zoologists and pioneering conservationists describe their work in the remote and ruggedly beautiful Luangwa Valley, in northeastern Zambia. There they studied the mysteries of the elephant population's recovery after poaching, discovering remarkable similarities between humans and elephants. A young elephant named Gift provided the clue to help them crack the animals' secret of survival. A stirring portrait of life in Africa, Secrets of the Savanna is a remarkable record of the Owenses' unique passions.
  
   

• Understanding Bats

  
  Learn about the secret lives of these gentle mammals and how they benefit us. Researchers Kim Williams and Rob Mies dispel common myths, answer frequently asked questions, profile North America's six most regularly seen bat species, and provide information about bat conservation. (32-page, full-color booklet)
  
   

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

  Alan Rabinowitz

  

  Dubbed the Indiana Jones of wildlife science by The New York Times, Alan Rabinowitz has devoted—and risked—his life to protect nature’s great endangered mammals. He has journeyed to the remote corners of the earth in search of wild things, weathering treacherous terrain, plane crashes, and hostile governments. Life in the Valley of Death recounts his most ambitious and dangerous adventure yet: the creation of the world’s largest tiger preserve.

   

  The tale is set in the lush Hukaung Valley of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. An escape route for refugees fleeing the Japanese army during World War II, this rugged stretch of land claimed the lives of thousands of children, women, and soldiers. Today it 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.

   

  To save the remaining tigers, Rabinowitz must navigate not only an unforgiving landscape, but the tangled web of politics in Myanmar. Faced with a military dictatorship, an insurgent army, tribes once infamous for taking the heads of their enemies, and villagers living on less than one U.S. dollar per day, the scientist and adventurer most comfortable with animals is thrust into a diplomatic minefield. As he works to balance the interests of disparate factions and endangered wildlife, his own life is threatened by an incurable disease.

   

  The resulting story is one of destruction and loss, but also renewal. 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.

  
   

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

  Peter Heller

  
  For the crew of the eco-pirate ship the Farley Mowat, any day saving a whale is a good day to die. In The Whale Warriors, veteran adventure writer Peter Heller takes us on a hair-raising journey with a vigilante crew on their mission to stop illegal Japanese whaling in the stormy, remote seas off the forbidding shores of Antarctica. The Farley is the flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and captained by its founder, the radical environmental enforcer Paul Watson. The Japanese, who are hunting endangered whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, in violation of several international laws, know he means business: Watson has sunk eight whaling ships to the bottom of the sea.

  For two months, Heller was aboard the vegan attack vessel as it stalked the Japanese whaling fleet through the howling gales and treacherous ice off the pristine Antarctic coast. The ship is all black, flies under a Jolly Roger, and is outfitted with a helicopter, fast assault Zodiacs, and a seven-foot blade attached to the bow, called the can opener.

  As Watson and his crew see it, the plight of the whales is also about the larger crisis of the oceans and the eleventh hour of life as we know it on Earth. The exploitation of endangered whales is emblematic of a terrible overexploitation of the seas that is now entering its desperate denouement. The oceans may be easy to ignore because they are literally under the surface, but scientists believe that the world's oceans are on the verge of total ecosystem collapse. Our own survival is in the balance.

  With Force 8 gales, monstrous seas, and a crew composed of professional gamblers, Earthfirst! forest activists, champion equestrians, and ex-military, the action never stops. In the ice-choked water a swimmer has minutes to live. The Japanese factory ship is ten times the tonnage of the Farley. The sailors on board both ships know that there will be no rescue in this desolate part of the ocean. Watson presses his enemy while Japan threatens to send down defense aircraft and warships, Australia appeals for calm, New Zealand dispatches military surveillance aircraft, the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence issues a piracy warning, and international media begin to track the developing whale war.

  For the Sea Shepherds there is no compromise. If the charismatic, intelligent Great Whales cannot be saved, there is no hope for the rest of the planet. Watson aims his ship like a slow torpedo and gives the order: "Tell the crew, collision in two minutes." In 35-foot seas, it is a deadly game of Antarctic chicken in which the stakes cannot be higher.

  
   

• Antarctica: A Guide to the Wildlife, 4th (Bradt Guides)

  Tony Soper

  
  A superbly illustrated and attractive traveler's companion to the wildlife of the Antarctic wilderness written by TV naturalist Tony Soper. Full species identification is aided by specially commissioned paintings by Dafila Scott.
  
  
   

• Listening to Cougar

  
  "As long as there are still cougars out there, wilderness itself survives. By gathering the best stories to be found from people who have personally experienced the great cat, Marc Bekoff and Cara Blessley Lowe have brought our most elusive animal to life."
  --David Rothenberg, author, Why Birds Sing and Thousand Mile Song

  "Listening to Cougar indeed! And hearing, through the voices of some of our finest writers, the echoes of wildness and of fear and of pure joy that say so much about who we are and who we have become."
  --Bill McKibben, author, The Bill McKibben Reader

  "Elegant and powerful, cougars are icons of wilderness that stir our dreams and emotions. The vibrant tales of encounters with cougars in this anthology express not only admiration for this adaptable predator but also convey that its survival is our moral obligation. The book is a timely and thoughtful blend of natural history and evocation of a mysterious creature."
  --George B. Schaller, Wildlife Conservation Society

  "Listening to Cougar captures the grace, beauty, and majesty of cougars, and powerfully conveys what cougars mean to people through their own experiences and stories. A must-read for the public, ranchers, scientists, managers, and conservationists, this well-written collection gives voice to views that until now have gone little-heeded by policymakers, and will help cougars by helping us find common ground."
  --Professor Susan G. Clark, Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

  "Listening to Cougar describes many scary and awe-inducing, face-to-face encounters with mountain lions (also known as cougars and pumas). I was riveted and could not put the book down. Mountain lions can stalk, ambush and kill a full-grown man. Is that why we find these large, pure carnivores so endlessly fascinating? In addition to all the exciting stories in the book, deftly woven in with intriguing information about cougars, what I love about Listening to Cougar is the book's emphasis on people's emotions, feelings and passions."
  --Chris Palmer, Distinguished Film Producer in Residence, American University

  "I especially enjoyed the return to old school naturalist writings, celebrating writers who truly know their subject and write about it as scientists and storytellers, from the head and from the heart."
  --Kathy Brown, Park Ranger / District Naturalist

  "In Listening To Cougar, reverence for cougar lives on through the power of story from those who have been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the shadow cat in the wild. . . . [T]hese gripping stories bring home the importance that these animals remain living wild and free in our natural world."
  --Sharon Negri, Executive Director and Founder, WildFutures

  
   

• The Wilderness Family: At Home with Africa's Wildlife

  Kobie Kruger

  
  
   

• Natural Gardening in Small Spaces

  Noel Kingsbury

  
  With the growing recognition that a wisely and sensitively planted garden has a lot to offer to wildlife and the food web, more and more people are looking for ways to make their gardens environmentally friendly. However, gardeners have tended to assume that they need a lot of space to create habitats for wildlife and to evoke wild and natural places. In Natural Gardening in Small Spaces, renowned plantsman Noël Kingsbury refutes that presumption, showing how even in a small garden you can create a sustainable ecosystem that looks great --- and, once established, largely looks after itself. More than 150 glorious photographs of small natural gardens provide visual confirmation of Noël Kingsbury's contention that even the smallest garden can provide a natural haven.
  
   

• Birder's Conservation Handbook: 100 North American Birds at Risk

  Jeffrey V. Wells

  

  Until now there has been no single, comprehensive resource on the status of North America's most threatened birds and what people can do to help protect them. Birder's Conservation Handbook is the only book of its kind, written specifically to help birders and researchers understand the threats while providing actions to protect birds and their habitats. Jeffrey Wells has distilled vast amounts of essential information into a single easy-to-use volume-required reading for anyone who loves birds and wants to ensure they are protected. At-a-glance species accounts cover in detail North America's one hundred most at-risk birds; each account is beautifully illustrated by today's top bird artists. The text includes status, distribution, ecology, threats, conservation actions and needs, and references. A distribution map accompanies each entry. Chapters discuss birds as indicators of environmental health, the state of North American bird populations, major conservation issues, and initiatives now underway to improve the health of North America's birds.

  Birder's Conservation Handbook is an indispensable resource for birdwatchers, researchers, naturalists, and conservationists. Reading it will inspire you to become an active steward of our birds and the habitats we share.

  • A comprehensive guide to North America's one hundred most at-risk birds and how to protect them
  • Compact and easy to use, with beautiful illustrations and data organized for convenient, at-a-glance reference
  • Detailed species accounts, including distribution maps
  • Practical advice on conservation
  • Information on leading conservation agencies and resources
  
   

• State of the Wild 2008-2009: A Global Portrait of Wildlife, Wildlands, and Oceans (State of the Wild)

  
  State of the Wild is a biennial series that brings together international conservation experts and writers to discuss emerging issues in the conservation of wildlife and wild places.

   

  Each volume in the series combines evocative writings with a fascinating tour of conservation news highlights and vital statistics from around the world. One-third of each volume focuses on a topic of particular concern to conservationists working to protect wildlife and our last wild places. This 2008–2009 edition considers the integration of wildlife health, ecosystem health, human health, and the health of domestic animals—a “One World–One Health” approach to disease and conservation.

  This focus is complemented with essays clustered into sections that address other key issues—conservation of species; conservation of wild places; people, culture, and conservation; and the art and practice of conservation. Essays cover a broad range of topics, from restoring biodiversity on the prairies to mapping the state of the oceans to the conservation impacts of lawlessness and coca cultivation in Colombia. Essay contributions come from people directly involved in on-the-ground conservation efforts and offer a unique and valuable perspective on often-overlooked topics.

  State of the Wild’s accessible approach educates a wide range of audiences while at the same time presenting leading-edge scientific overviews of hot topics in conservation. Uniquely structured with magazine-like features up front, conservation news in the middle, and essays from eminent authors and experienced scientists throughout, this landmark series is an essential addition to any environmental bookshelf.