Acknowledging the requirements of modern society, longtime environmental expert DiSilvestro explains our interdependent ecosystems, explores the ways we have tried to protect our resources in the past, and discusses our present policies. 100 full-color photographs. Companion to the two-hour TBS/Audubon 10th anniversary special.

'The Last Snake Man' is a roller-coaster ride into the extremes of nature as experienced by wildlife photographer Austin J. Stevens. He not only provides a fascinating insight into the world of dangerous reptiles and wild animals, but also a history of his own diverse and dramatic life experiences.

This long awaited Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of the Horn of Africa depicts some of the world's rarest mammals. All of the larger mammals of Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia are described together with identification notes. In full colour, all of the endemic species, and distinctive sub-species, are covered by up to two pages of text with a distribution map and four images, showing the main characters of the mammal and its habitat. Almost all of the other species each occupy a full page with two images and a distribution map. Each species carries details of its distribution, IUCN status, typical localities, local or alternative name, size, description, habitat, similar species and behaviour. The descriptions of the specialties and endemic mammals, including many endangered and little known species, carry additional information including history, threats, status, future outlook and more behavioural details. Experts around the world, who are specialists in their field, have contributed data to ensure a wide and up to date coverage. 366 illustrations including distribution maps and high quality images, designed to show aspects of the mammal's character and habitat, are presented in a pleasing format which has been designed to be easy to use and to enable quick reference to each species. The book is designed for nature lovers, animal lovers, researchers and broadcasters associated with the natural world. Travellers, tourists, naturalists, mammal watchers, animal scientists and tour guides, travelling to or resident in the countries of the Horn of Africa, will find the field guide of help in locating and identifying the larger mammals. Other topics covered include: Country information, additional information about the endemic mammals, where to find mammals, use of local names, spelling, place names; Topographical regions, biospheres, vegetation, habitats, climate, altitudes, Taxonomy - subspecies, geographical and individual variations; Sources of data, how to use the book, acronyms, abbreviations, map key; National Parks, nature reserves, Great Rift Valley, conservation, mammal lists by Horn of Africa and by country; Bibliography, acknowledgements, four indexes: general, English names, local names and scientific.

This guide helps identify and demystify the world of elephants and rhinos. Readers will learn about these animals' position and role in the ecosystem -- as well as about the various threats and dangers these incredible animals face. This guide describes how elephants and rhinos evolved, their behavior, survival techniques and habitats around the world. With a focus on global species, this guide describes where and how you might see an elephant or rhino in the wild and how we can all help conserve and protect these amazing creatures. Ideal for kids and their adults both. Created and printed in the USA.

An informative series that provides, in a concise format, better understanding of animals and their habitats. Fascinating in its diversity, the natural world comes to life on the pages of these spec tacularly illustrated volumes.

An essential guide to assist those surveying for water voles, whether as a professional ecological consultant, a researcher or simply an interested amateur. This book provides detailed descriptions of all the habitats used by water voles, including ideal habitats as well as less typical places, with annotated photos to help the surveyor home in on just the right areas to look. It also contains a comprehensive photographic reference guide to assist in the correct identification of water vole field signs, and explains how to distinguish them from those of similar species. Tips on where and how to search for field signs are also provided, along with guidance on how best to record survey data.

An expert on the buffalo tells the history of this keystone species through extensive research and beautiful photographs. The mere mention of the buffalo instantly brings to mind the vast herds that once roamed the North American continent, and few wild animals captivate our imaginations as much as the buffalo do. Once numbering in the tens of millions, these magnificent creatures played a significant role in structuring the varied ecosystems they occupied. For at least 24,000 years, North American Indigenous Peoples depended upon them, and it was the abundance of buffalo that initially facilitated the dispersal of humankind across the continent. With the arrival of Europeans and their rapacious capacity for wildlife destruction, the buffalo was all but exterminated. In a span of just thirty years during the mid-1800s, buffalo populations plummeted from more than 30 million to just twenty-three. And with them went all of the intricate food webs, the trophic cascades, and the inter-species relationships that had evolved over thousands of years. Despite this brush with extinction, the buffalo survived, and isolated populations are slowly recovering. As this recovery proceeds, the relationships the animals once had with thousands of species are being re-established in a remarkable process of ecological healing. The intricacy of those restored relationships is the subject of this book. Based on author Wes Olson's thirty-five years of working intimately with bison-and featuring 180 stunning, full-colour photographs by Johane Janelle- The Ecological Buffalo is a story that takes the reader on a journey to understand the myriad connections this keystone species has with the Great Plains.

Our world is built on an invisible one we are barely beginning to understand. In The Hidden Half of Nature, geologist David R. Montgomery and biologist Anne Bikle argue that Earth's smallest creatures-microbes-could fundamentally change how we grow food, what we eat and how we practise medicine. The Hidden Half of Nature shares Montgomery and Bikle's efforts to turn a barren patch of ground into a flourishing garden, and Bikle's struggle with cancer. Taking readers deep into the science and history of agriculture and immunology, they show that microbes can provide powerful solutions to the problems plaguing modern agriculture as well as our own bodies. A spellbinding story, The Hidden Half of Nature reveals how we can restore fertility to the land and defeat chronic diseases.

For nearly a quarter century, the polar bears of Churchill were routinely run down and shot by the military, by residents and by conservation officers who were brought in during the late 1960s to protect people. According to one scientist who was there at the time, polar bears were treated more like "great white rats" than the world's largest predator. But then something remarkable happened. During the 1970s the residents of Churchill decided that it was time to find a more peaceful way of living with polar bears.
In the years that followed, scientists conducted studies on the polar bear population and in relatively short order the bears of Churchill became the most studied group of large predators in the world.

An Inspiring Memoir, for Fans of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Frans De Waal.

In her enchanting memoir, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda’s first wildlife veterinarian, tells the remarkable story from her animal-loving childhood to her career protecting endangered mountain gorillas and other wild animals. She is also the defender of people as a groundbreaking promoter of human public health and an advocate for revolutionary integrated approaches to saving our planet. In an increasingly interconnected world, animal and human health alike depend on sustainable solutions and Dr. Gladys has developed an innovative approach to conservation among the endangered Mountain Gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and their human neighbors.

Walking with Gorillas takes the reader on an incredible personal journey with Dr. Gladys, from her early days as a student in Uganda, enduring the assassination of her father during civil war, to her veterinarian education in England to establishing the first veterinary department for the Ugandan government to founding one of the first organizations in the world that enables people to coexist with wildlife through improving the health and wellbeing of both. Her award-winning approach reduced the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on critically endangered mountain gorillas.

In the face of discrimination and a male dominated world, one woman’s passion and determination to build a brighter future for the local wildlife and human community offers inspiration and insights into what is truly possible for our planet when we come together.

A wonderful resource book for any Waldorf or Waldorf-inspired kindergarten. Encourage children to engage with the seasons as they craft willow hanging baskets, harvest and prepare fruit, care for birds and make Advent wreaths. As well as fun nature activities -- both indoor and outside -- for children, this book also includes advice for teachers and valuable background reading, on topics such as biodynamic farms. All the activities in this book are based on practical experience from the Children's Nature and Garden Centre in Germany, and are fully tried and tested. This is the companion book to Spring and Summer Nature Activities for Waldorf Kindergartens.

A chance to move to the US Wild West allows TV presenter Philippa Forrester to fulfil a lifelong dream of living among and learning all she can about wolves When Philippa Forrester and her nature-loving family moved to the wilds of Grand Teton National Park, they quickly learned to love the wildlife of Wyoming and nearby Yellowstone. The sounds of wolves close to their new home fed Philippa's lifelong fascination with these remarkable animals, but nothing she had learned about wolves from her studies in the UK could have prepared her for the reality of living in wolf country. And as she and her family settled into their new wilder way of life, she discovered many locals are not excited about sharing their land with wolves. Twenty-five years after wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park, wolf packs are spreading into areas where their protection has been removed by the American administration. Without that protection, what is the future for wolves where many people resent that they were ever here at all? In On the Trail of Wolves, Philippa vividly recounts her adventures living among the grizzlies, elk and wolves in her new home in America's Wild West and chronicles her journeys further from home to talk to conservationists, rangers, hunters and ranch owners to investigate when and why opinions on wolves became so polarised.

Though the pygmy hippopotamus has been designated as a flagship species of West African forests (meaning that by raising conservation efforts for a single species, an entire ecological region could benefit), very little research has been published on the animal. They are solitary, nocturnal, and skittish, and until recent developments in "camera trap" technology, they were considered the least-photographed large mammal species in the world. The information currently available on this endangered species is scattered, limited, redundant, and often inaccurate, and no major volume exists as a resource for those interested in the conservation effort for the species, until now. Philip Robinson and his coauthors provide a treatment of the natural history, biology, and ecology of the pygmy hippo, along with a discussion of the rare animal's taxonomic niche and a summary of its research initiatives up to this point. The authors show the ways in which the pygmy hippo has come into contact with people in West African countries, both in terms of ecological impact and cultural: the creature has been the subject of local folktales, and is treated as almost mythic by some regions. Information on issues related to captivity, breeding, and zoos will be provided. The book is heavily illustrated with original photographs and anatomic drawings. The project should be of use to conservation biologists and zoologists, and will be the definitive single-volume account of an animal that the scientific community has designated to be ecologically significant to West Africa.

Her first night in a Tanzanian tent began with a prowling lion’s roar. Will the savage terrors open her eyes to an unseen world?

Sue Tidwell lived in awe of Africa’s extraordinary wildlife. After years spent appreciating the animals in her imagination, the tenderhearted American hated the idea of joining her husband on a big game hunt. And getting attacked by blood-sucking tsetse flies the moment she stepped off the plane gave no hint of the mind-blowing change of perspective in her future…

With her initial animosity turning into curiosity as they breathlessly tracked dangerous beasts, Sue formed a surprising bond with their young, government-assigned game scout. And as she became entranced by the tales and wisdom from the Masimba Camp crew, she was humbled by the mystery of the vilified safari and the people who relied on it for survival.

Supplementing her own experiences on the elephant-rutted roads with local insights and scientific research into conservation efforts, Tidwell explores how her preconceived beliefs sluiced away under the deluge of reality. And with an evocative narrative peppered with self-deprecating humor, vivid imagery, and over ninety photos and illustrations, you’ll emerge forever changed by the truths this greenhorn found buried in a rugged and romantic landscape.

The polar bear, king of the Arctic, is one of the world's most recognizable animals. Images of the majestic beasts roaming across the ice cap, plunging into frigid waters, and playing with furry cubs have come to symbolize the beauty and grandeur of the Arctic. Andrew E. Derocher and Wayne Lynch have spent decades following the bears, and this book offers the most comprehensive and readable review of their biology, ecology, behavior, and conservation.

With gripping photographs by Lynch, a preeminent wildlife photographer, and the personal stories of Derocher, this book is as stunning to look at as it is fascinating to read. It weaves together their remarkable experiences with the latest research to tell the amazing story of these Arctic predators, tracing the animals back to their evolutionary roots and looking ahead to the future of polar bears on a warming planet Earth.

Through informative and engaging language, Derocher carefully explains the sea ice ecosystem that is essential to the survival of polar bears. He addresses the threat of global warming to the Arctic--home to polar bears for tens of thousands of years--and describes in impressive detail their feeding habits, distribution, den ecology, and reproduction. Lynch's vivid photographs capture all this and more as they chronicle the wide range of polar bear behavior, from family rituals to ferocious predatory practices.

Captivating, accurate, and inspiring, "Polar Bears" belongs in the hands of all who love the wild.

Snakes are creatures of mystery, arousing fear in many people but fascination in a few. Recent research has transformed our understanding of the behaviour and ecology of these animals, revealed their important roles in diverse ecosystems, and discovered new and effective ways to conserve their populations and to promote coexistence between snakes and people. One of the leading contributors to that scientific revolution has been Prof Rick Shine. Based in Australia, whose snake fauna is diverse and often dangerous, his experiences and anecdotes will inspire a new generation of serpent scientists. Spellbinding stories highlight the challenges, frustrations, and joys of discovery, and give the reader a greater appreciation of these often-slandered slithering reptiles. Key Features Documents the important role played by a preeminent herpetologist. Focuses on research conducted in Australia, especially on snakes. Summarizes highly influential conservation studies. Explores the ways in which research has deepened our understanding of snakes.

A comprehensive work intended for anyone maintaining captive bats, Bats in Captivity is the only multi-volume series of its kind, detailing the captive care of bats worldwide. This volume comprises 25 papers by 37 contributing authors. It contains information on the legal aspects of maintaining and shipping bats, plus papers on developing traveling trunks and loan boxes, the use of ultrasonic mobility devices in education programs, conditioning and training bats for public demonstration, their use in outreach programs, and exhibiting bats in zoological institutions. In addition, there is comprehensive information on excluding bats from man-made structures, as well as how bat houses and artificial roosts are constructed and used.

A new addition to the successful 'Quick ID guide' series, Primates is a succinct survey of the features and habits of our closest relatives.

Divided into the three main primate groups - great apes, typical monkeys and prosimians (including the bushbabies) - this easy-to-use guide rovides pertinent facts, annotated photographs and up-to-date distribution maps to help readers accurately identify the most commonly seen and charismatic primates in the field.

The social calls of bats are an area about which relatively little is known, with more research still required to expand our understanding. However, these calls are increasingly recognised as a useful aid to identification: they appear to be species specific and are indicative of behaviour – as in territorial activity of males during the mating season. Because the gathering and interpretation of bat echolocation data are a matter of course during research, conservation and consultancy, it is a logical progression to build momentum behind the consideration of social calls in mainstream bat-related work. A better understanding of this subject could mean that non-intrusive survey methods are developed, ensuring that what is being observed is, as far as possible, purely natural behaviour. In turn this will contribute to better interpretation and more suitable mitigation, compensation and/or enhancement solutions. The book summarises what is understood so far about social calls of the bat species occurring in Britain and Ireland, and north-west Europe. This new edition has been updated and expanded throughout, now containing: foreword by the bat authority Michel Barataud, author of Acoustic Ecology of European Bats   almost double the number of figures and tables as appeared in the first edition completely overhauled call library, all in full spectrum format, with new additional examples  three entirely new chapters, covering bat-related acoustics, settings for social interaction, and survey guidelines The material will be useful to people carrying out bat studies, at whatever level and for whatever purpose, and will also encourage others to undertake further research. What's more, social calls are fascinating to listen to: they are, after all, produced with listeners in mind (other bats). In light of this, the book is accompanied by an extensive downloadable library of sound files which offer a unique gateway into the private life of bats. 

What was the state of wildlife in Britain and Ireland before modern records began? The Atlas of Early Modern Wildlife looks at the era before climate change, before the intensification of agriculture, before even the Industrial Revolution. In the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, beavers still swim in the River Ness. Isolated populations of wolves and lynxes linger in the uplands. Sea eagles are widespread around the coasts. Wildcats and pine martens remain common in the Lake District. In this ground-breaking volume, the observations of early modern amateur naturalists, travellers and local historians are gathered together for the very first time. Drawing on more than 10,000 records from across Britain and Ireland, the book presents maps and notes on the former distribution of over 160 species, providing a new baseline against which to discuss subsequent declines and extinctions, expansions and introductions. A guide to identification describes the reliable and unreliable names of each species, including the pre-Linnaean scientific nomenclature, as well as local names in early modern English and, where used in the sources, Irish, Scots, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish and Norn. Raising a good number of questions at the same time as it answers many others, this remarkable resource will be of great value to conservationists, archaeologists, historians and anyone with an interest in the natural heritage of Britain and Ireland.