Against Extinction: The Story of Conservation

Description

'Conservation in the 21st century needs to be different and this book is a good indicator of why' Bulletin of British Ecological Society. Against Extinction tells the history of wildlife conservation from its roots in the 19th century, through the foundation of the Society for the Preservation of the Wild Fauna of the Empire in London in 1903 to the huge and diverse international movement of the present day. It vividly portrays conservation's legacy of big game hunting, the battles for the establishment of national parks, the global importance of species conservation and debates over the sustainable use of and trade in wildlife. Bill Adams addresses the big questions and ideas that have driven conservation for the last 100 years: How can the diversity of life be maintained as human demands on the Earth expand seemingly without limit? How can preservation be reconciled with human rights and the development needs of the poor? Is conservation something that can be imposed by a knowledgeable elite, or is it something that should emerge naturally from people's free choices? These have never been easy questions, and they are as important in the 21st century as at any time in the past. The author takes us on a lively historical journey in search of the answers.

Bill Adams is Reader in Conservation and Development at the University of Cambridge, UK. He is editor of Decolonizing Nature: strategies for conservation in a postcolonial era and author of Future Nature: a vision for conservation.

'Fascinating.' From the Foreword by the Earl of Cranbrook, President, Fauna & Flora International 'An excellent and, often, amusing read.' IUCN 'This historic account is interesting for anyone working in conservation.' Gorilla Journal 'Conservation in the 21st century needs to be different and this book is a good indicator of why.' Bulletin of British Ecological Society 'Determinedly factual, and full of detail, with many interesting examples and case studies... This book is a major contribution towards opening conservationists eyes to another world of historical and cultural understanding.' Nature 'It vividly portrays conservation's emergence from big game hunting, the battles for the establishments of national parks, the global importance of species conservation and debates over the sustainable use of, and trade in, wildlife.' Bois and Forets des Tropiques, 2004.