Crusading for the vanishing natural world
Will it ever be possible to assess the ongoing loss of biological diversity? I cannot imagine a scientific problem of greater immediate importance for humanity
The Diversity of Life represented an early alarm call to environmentalists, governments and, indeed, all humanity. Wilson considers how our encroachment upon the natural sphere is accelerating the disappearance of earth’s biodiversity, placing his account against the backdrop of the planet’s most fascinating natural theatres, from the Amazonian rainforests and Australia’s coral reefs, to the Galapagos Islands and the North American woodlands. No setting is too large or too small for Wilson to be engaged by it, or for him to see and appreciate the interest and importance of the activities of its protagonists. He investigates the hunting practices of great white sharks, the predatory behaviour of jaguars and pumas, the mites that live on human foreheads and in birds’ feathers, and the microhabitat of lichens and insects housed on a Papua New Guinean weevil’s back. Having lucidly outlined the current crisis which confronts biodiversity, Wilson offers a comprehensive strategy for halting the extinctions of the world’s species. The result is a remarkable fusion of scientific authority and environmental evangelism.