Tropical deforestation. The collapse of fisheries. Unprecedented levels of species extinction. Faced with the plethora of gloom-and-doom headlines about the natural world, we might think that environmental disaster is inevitable. But is there any good news about the environment? Yes, there is, answers Andrew Balmford in "Wild Hope", and he offers several powerful stories of successful conservation to prove it. This tragedy is still avoidable, and there are many reasons for hope if we find inspiration in stories of effective environmental recovery. "Wild Hope" is organized geographically, with each chapter taking readers to extraordinary places to meet conservation's heroes and foot soldiers - and to discover the new ideas they are generating about how to make conservation work on our hungry and crowded planet. The journey starts in the floodplains of Assam, where dedicated rangers and exceptionally tolerant villagers have together helped bring Indian rhinos back from the brink of extinction. In the pine forests of the Carolinas, we learn why plantation owners came to resent rare woodpeckers - and what persuaded them to change their minds. In South Africa, Balmford investigates how invading alien plants have been drinking the country dry, and how the Southern Hemisphere's biggest conservation program is now simultaneously restoring the rivers, saving species, and creating tens of thousands of jobs. The conservation problems Balmford encounters are as diverse as the people and their actions, but together they offer common themes and specific lessons on how to win the battle of conservation - and the one essential ingredient, Balmford shows, is most definitely hope. "Wild Hope" is a clear-eyed view of the difficulties and challenges of conservation, offering innovative solutions and powerful stories. A global tour of people and programs working for the planet, "Wild Hope" is an emboldening green journey.

About the Author
Andrew Balmford is professor of conservation science in the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge. He is coeditor of Conservation in a Changing World, and he lives in Ely, England, with his wife, two sons, and a lot of animals.

Reviews
"Along the course of a graceful and nuanced journey through the complex world of conservation, Andrew Balmford lovingly tells us about a number of highly positive examples of conservation as practiced in a series of far-flung lands, inspiring and encouraging us to continue building a sustainable world - one in which we will coexist sustainably with nature, nurturing the beauty of our glorious planet and the opportunities that it presents for all." (Peter H. Raven, president emeritus, Missouri Botanical Garden)"



Book Information
ISBN 9780226035970
Author Andrew Balmford
Format Hardback
Page Count 264
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 510g
Dimensions(mm) 24mm * 16mm * 2mm