From Publishers Weekly
Five times, many or most living species have gone kaput--last time around, the casualties were dinosaurs, and the culprit was (probably) a big rock from space. The "sixth major mass extinction" (in Novacek's words) is taking place right now, and the culprit is us. The casualties are big cats, rare beetles, obscure fungi, flightless waterfowl and many others--but nobody knows how many: deforestation, erosion, pollution, global warming and other hazards of modern life are wiping out species faster than we can discover them, and much faster than we can assess their possible benefits. Novacek, a fossil/mammal expert at the American Museum of Natural History, has assembled a squadron of top guns from relevant fields--among them evolutionary biology, paleontology, environmental chemistry and economics--to explain what's gone wrong in various ecosystems and how the damage might be mitigated. Twenty-three essays by 27 hands--and a brace of one- and two-page case studies and profiles of scientists and activists--set forth our current crisis in three parts: the first explains big issues (what's biodiversity? what's deforestation?); the second describes particular species' extinctions; the third shows how people (and governments) might start "Saving Biodiversity." E.O. Wilson explains what's at stake in the current wave of extinctions. The World Wildlife Fund's Theo Colborn, along with two collaborators, tracks down "hormone-disrupting chemicals" that skew reproduction in people and animals. Prashant Hedao relates how "conservation planners" make maps to decide what habitats to save. Crammed with attractive drawings, photos and large-type sidebars, Novacek's book accompanies and celebrates the Museum of Natural History's newish (1998) Hall of Biodiversity; the volume reprises the caption- and picture-heavy look and feel of the museum's 1999 volume Epidemic!: The World of Infectious Disease.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This illustrated companion to the American Museum of Natural History's new Hall of Biodiversity features essays by writers with good credentials such as Edward O. Wilson, who attempt to help the general reader understand what is meant by "biodiversity" and why it is important. In doing so, they place a dollar value on the plants and animals in crisis, citing benefits such as ecotourism and anti-cancer drugs. These are, however, emotional and economic issues, not science. While some articles offer some scientific truth--Niles Eldredge's essay on extinction provides a rational explanation of the difference between the five mass extinctions of the past and the alleged current one brought on by humans--the underlying message is that "human influence is bad for all ecosystems; we're killing everything." The only solutions proposed here are warm, fuzzy ones that don't address the biggest factor in the biodiversity crisis, human overpopulation. Richard Fortey's Life (LJ 4/1/98) provides a better description of extinctions and their effects on future species. Recommended for larger collections that include scientific explanations and rationales.
-Mary J. Nickum, Lakewood, CO
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
-Mary J. Nickum, Lakewood, CO
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
