Description
About the Author
William H. Durham is Bing Professor in Human Biology, Emeritus, and Yang and Yamazaki University Fellow, Emeritus, at Stanford University. He's focused his career on two things. The first is putting the principles of evolution to work in understanding and sustaining biological and cultural diversity. The second is identifying the social dimensions of environmental problems and how to solve them. Durham is a recipient of the MacArthur Prize Fellowship, and he previously served 16 years as Editor of the Annual Review of Anthropology. At Stanford University, he has served as both Chair and Co-Chair of Anthropology as well as Director of Human Biology. Durham is currently Co-Director of "The Osa and Golfito Initiative," Stanford's sustainability project in Costa Rica.
Reviews
The author has written a gem of a book that illustrates the utility of this approach. The volume not only serves as anamazing companion for Galapagos-bound tourists to enrich their understanding of what they are seeing, but it serves as a model for sustainable biodiversity management globally. * Daniel T. Blumstein, Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol.97, no.1 *
If you can't visit the Galapagos Islands just yet, this reading tour is a wonderful alternative. Durham's joyous account of the islands is full of accessible, accurate information that introduces us to the evolutionary basis of many of the curious adaptations acquired by the resident species well as the challenges that they face in a world permeated by human activity. The lively case studies weave together biology, human history, modern conservation policy, Ecuadorian economic development, and personal observations on animals' lives in order to illuminate the dynamic ecosystems that bind the environment with the living world. Durham gives readers exceptional insight into the biodiversity of this 'little world,' as Charles Darwin called it, and calls attention to its continuing fragility in the Anthropocene. * Janet Browne, author of Charles Darwin: A Biography *
In Exuberant Life, William Durham brings us on a journey of discovery to the enchanted and endangered isles of the Galapagos. As someone renowned for his interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching about evolution, conservation, and human-environmental relationships, a book of this magnitude and vision could only have been written by Durham. Simultaneously a work of natural history, a cautionary tale, and an impassioned call to action, Exuberant Life engages us with a conversational tone and masterful storytelling, robust scientific documentation, and striking photographs and figures. It is clearly a labor of love, and Durham instills a sense of both wonder and urgency--the fate of the Galapagos portends the future for us all. * Flora Lu, Professor and Pepper-Giberson Endowed Chair of Environmental Studies and Provost of Colleges Nine and Ten, University of California, Santa Cruz *
If you have not had the chance to explore the value of evolution, here is an explanation written in the most unique, fascinating, and practical way. Exuberant Life takes readers through evolution and its applications to the conservation and sustainability of the Galapagos Islands. This book confirms Durham's extraordinary ability to communicate how evolution is vital to the conservation of nature. * Arturo Izurieta Valery, Oceans, Coasts, and Islands Group Coordinator for Ecuadorian Coordinator of Organizations for the Defense of Nature and the Environment (CEDENMA), Former Executive Director, Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands, and twice former Director of the Galapagos National Park and Marine Reserve *
Book Information
ISBN 9780197531518
Author William H. Durham
Format Hardback
Page Count 406
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 816g
Dimensions(mm) 239mm * 155mm * 28mm