Requiem for Nature (Shearwater Book) - Softcover

"In this beautifully written, gut-wrenching, important book, John Terborgh, one of the world's greatest field biologists, takes us on a world tour of the present state and future prospects of nature. To describe his history as 'gripping' would be an understatement: you will find it difficult to take time out for dinner once you start reading. For anyone intereted in our own future, this book is a 'must-read.'"--Jared Diamond "Professor of physiology, UCLA Medical School; winner of the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction " "Bravo John Terborgh! The book not only succeeds in portraying the realities behind our efforts to save natural areas but provides a blueprint for changes in thinking and behavior that must be undertaken if we want wildlands to survive."--Natural History Magazine "Terborgh's Requiem for Nature is an important dispatch from the tropical conservation front by a distinguished biologist who has studied most of the forests of the world on which he reports. With compelling documentation, Terborgh reports that we--and future generations--may be winning a few battles to save the world's biodiversity but are losing the war. He argues that to circumvent the malign combination of overpopulation and political incompetence, it will be necessary to rely on the broadening public ownership of the best natural environments and a strong, morally based political will to protect that natural environment for its own sake."--Edward O. Wilson "author of Naturalist, In Search of Nature, and The Future of Life " "[Terborgh's] zoological absolutism deserves respect. [Requiem for Nature] presents a cogent case."--The New York Review of Books "In Requiem for Nature, John Terborgh provokes us to rethink strategies for protecting the rapidly dwindling biological wealth of our planet. With his many years of scientific research in Peru's remote Manu National Park and his extensive travels to parks and protected areas around the world, he is uniquely positioned to issue this compelling wake-up call and to offer a prescription for change."--Kathryn S. Fuller "president, World Wildlife Fund "

In Requiem for Nature, John Terborgh examines current conservation strategies and considers the shortcomings of parks and protected areas both from ecological and institutional perspectives. He explains how seemingly pristine environments can gradually degrade, and describes the difficult social context-a debilitating combination of poverty, corruption, abuses of power, political instability, and a frenzied scramble for quick riches-in which tropical conservation must take place. He considers the significant challenges facing existing parks and examines problems inherent in alternative approaches, such as ecotourism, the exploitation of nontimber forest products, "sustainable use," and "sustainable development." Throughout, Terborgh argues that the greatest challenges of conservation are not scientific, but are social, economic, and political, and that success will require simultaneous progress on all fronts. He makes a compelling case that nature can be saved, but only if good science and strong institutions can be thoughtfully combined.