The lush and unique photography in this book represents National Geographic's Photo Ark, a major initiative and lifelong project by photographer Joel Sartore to make portraits of the world's animals-especially those that are endangered. His powerful message, conveyed with humor, compassion, and art: to know these animals is to save them. Sartore is circling the globe, visiting zoos and wildlife rescue centers to create studio portraits of 12,000 species, with an emphasis on those facing extinction. With a goal of photographing every animal in captivity in the world, he has photographed more than 6,000 already and now, thanks to a multi-year partnership with National Geographic, he may reach his goal. This book showcases his animal portraits: from tiny to mammoth, from the Florida grasshopper sparrow to the greater one-horned rhinoceros. Paired with the eloquent prose of veteran wildlife writer Douglas Chadwick, and an inspiring foreword from Harrison Ford, this book presents a thought-provoking argument for saving all the species of our planet.

"Elizabeth Hanson's "Animal Attractions" is much more than a history of zoological parks, it is rather a phenomenology of zoos and zoo people."--Terry Maple, Director, Zoo Atlanta

"Hanson's finely crafted chronicle of the American zoo traces the perennial struggle between the need to entertain, the desire to educate, and the yearning for natural and scientific authenticity that surrounds the public exhibition of wild animals in captivity. "Animal Attractions" is essential reading for anyone with an interest in zoos and their history."--James Serpell, author of In the "Company of Animals: A Study of Human-Animal Relationships"

"This thoroughly researched book explores the cultural and physical landscapes of America's zoos in fascinating detail. Hanson follows the progress--and the pitfalls--of every aspect of their journey from menageries to centers of conservation. She unflinchingly examines the wretched and the wonderful, the mediocre and the magnificent, and along the way she asks intelligent questions and reveals intriguing insights into an institution that is rarely examined with any seriousness."--David Hancocks, Director, Victoria's Open Range Zoo

"This is an innovative, well-researched, engagingly written, and important study of the cultural history of zoos in America. Hanson is the first to tackle this rich subject in a book, and what she achieves is impressive."--Richard Burkhardt, author of "The Spirit of System"

""Animal Attractions" provides a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at an important but historically neglected institution: the American zoo. Anyone who has ever enjoyed a day at the zoo will want to read this book to learn more about why we find theexperience so compelling."--Mark V. Barrow, author of "A Passion for Birds"

Stretching between Cleveland and Akron in heavily urban northeastern Ohio, Cuyahoga Valley National Park has been called a "Green-Shrouded Miracle," preserving precious green space and offering a retreat to more than two million visitors each year. It is a refuge for native plants and wildlife and provides routes of discovery for visitors. The winding Cuyahoga River gives way to deep forests, rolling hills, and open farmlands. In succinct, readable prose complemented by stunning historic and contemporary photographs, this updated edition of Cuyahoga Valley National Park Handbook provides a brief but comprehensive history of the park-the people, the land, the ecology, and the politics that led to its creation. Included in the second edition are new photographs and updated facts and figures. Cuyahoga Valley National Park Handbook is a must-have for every park visitor and anyone with an interest in America's national parks.

Die vierde boek in ‘n reeks. Al die boeke is met intensiteit baie fyn geskryf, Christof neem die leser op vlerke, elkeen het ‘n besonderse boodskap betreffende die natuur wat uitgedra word, dit gaan oor skryfkuns, vertelkuns wat jou vasvang, nie net oor die spesifieke reise wat gekies is nie, maar veral hoé dit beskryf is. Ervaar die passie waarmee dit geskryf is, met balans die natuurlewe uitbeeld soos dit daar gebeur, die unieke manier hoe die tonele en prentjies in die reisjoernaal die gebeure in Afrikaans vasvat, ook in die ruskampe, hoe die woorde ingespan word.

In die natuur gebeur daar nooit niks nie, al is daar byvoorbeeld nie ‘n leeujag nie, Christof en sy vrou volg die gebeure soos dit daar in die natuur met hul besoeke gebeur, die leser sien nie net die prentjies en tonele, wat beskryf word, hoor die geluide van die bos nie, maar ervaar dit asof hy/sy daar mét hulle is, jy ruik dit, proe dit, jy kan daaraan vat.

Die natuurlewe het sy eie ritme en bekoring, nét soos musiek, met elke lewende wese wat, in die omgewing waarin hulle moet oorleef, die sintuie en vaardighede wat aan hulle, eie aan hul soort, toegedeel is, ook teen die elemente inspan om hul spesie se voortbestaan te verseker.

Dit is soos dit in die Op Vlerke boeke geskilder word, met eie ritme, die note hou, om uiting aan elkeen se oorlewingsmeganisme te gee. Die manier van uitdrukking gee, diere, voëls beskryf, hier en daar ‘n insek, wat hulle doen, hoé, interaksie, beweging, gevoel, klanke, wat jou vasvang, die omgewing, plantegroei, die veld lewe gee, water, die terrein, dít is waaroor die boeke gaan, die skryfkuns met spesifiek die natuurlewe, waarin mens die skryfstyl kan uitleef wat met elke sintuig van jou praat.

Sculpted into graceful contours by countless centuries of wind and water, the Great Sand Dunes sprawl along the eastern fringes of the vast San Luis Valley of south-central Colorado. Covering an area of nearly thirty square miles, they are the tallest aeolian, or wind-produced, dunes in North America, towering 750 feet above the valley floor. With the addition of the enormous Baca Ranch and other adjacent lands, the dunes-originally designated as a National Monument in 1932-attained official National Park status in 2004. In Sea of Sand, Michael M. Geary guides readers on a historical journey through this unique ecosystem, which includes an array of natural and cultural wonders, from the main dunefield and verdant wetlands to the summits of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Described by explorer Zebulon Pike as "a sea in a storm" and by frontier photographer William Henry Jackson as "a curious and very singular phase of nature's freak," the Great Sand Dunes are a nexus of more than 10,000 years of human history, from Paleolithic big-game hunters to nomadic Native Americans, from Spanish conquistadores and transcontinental explorers to hard-rock miners and modern-day tourists in motor homes. Like these successive waves of visitors, Sea of Sand follows the water, analyzing its critical role in the settlement and development of the region. Geary also describes the profound impact that waves of human use and settlement have had on the land-which ultimately inspired the early grassroots efforts by San Luis Valley citizens to protect the dunes from further exploitation. He examines as well the more recent legislative effort led by an unprecedented coalition of local, state, and federal agencies and organizations, including The Nature Conservancy and the National Park Service, to secure the Great Sand Dunes' national park designation. Amply illustrated, Sea of Sand is the definitive history of the natural, cultural, and political forces that helped shape this incomparable landscape.

This book discusses biodiversity, management and environmental issues of several national parks around the world. The first chapter presents general principles of access to national parks for tourism and recreation under the provisions of the Nature Conservation Act. Chapter Two examines the contribution of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) exploitation to poverty alleviation in the Fako-Meme Forest region of Cameroon, as well as the nexus between NTFPs exploitation and forest conservation. Chapter Three studies the visitors' profile and travel motivations for the Peneda-Geres National Park of Portugal. Chapter Four focuses on the welfare of captive breeding stock for reintroductions into Saudi Arabian national parks.

By the turn of the millennium, it had become painfully apparent that the United States had made some serious misjudgments in its interactions with the natural world. The country's treasured national parks, while remaining immensely popular tourist destinations, were not immune to the damage. Preservation alone would no longer be enough; by this time, repair and restoration were necessary.

Can the United States reverse the mistaken policies that severely damaged the crown jewels of its national park system? This thoughtful and hopeful book, in turns analytical and personal, investigates that critical question by focusing on four of America's most-loved public paces. In "Repairing Paradise," William Lowry, an eminent expert on U.S. natural resource policy, details and assesses four ambitious efforts to reverse environmental damage in the national parks:

- The reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone

- Reducing the impact of vehicle traffic in Yosemite

- Restoring fresh water to the Everglades

- Removing structural impairments to river flows in the Grand Canyon

"Repairing Paradise" combines authoritative research with extensive personal experience. Lowry has spent time in all four of the parks --observing conditions, talking to the most informed decisionmakers, and taking photos. He deftly combines his field research with solid public policy analysis to paint an instructive portrait of the mission to restore the natural health and glory of some of the world's most wondrous places.

What started as a vision about the Olifants River Game Reserve has become the story of a game ranger's life. With a naturalist's eye for detail as well as the bigger picture of managing a fragile ecosystem through years of drought and plenty, Mario Cesare brings a storyteller's delight – and a dash of Italian passion – to sharing his world. Life-and-death encounters with lion, elephant and buffalo are balanced by rescues and interventions as these giants of the lowveld suffer the effects of human interference in their ecosystem. There are problems with poachers and with rapacious neighbours; then the delights of success – and in the case of the elephant population, the conundrums of too much success. Mario Cesare's career has taken him from Timbavati and Mala Mala to Olifants River and beyond – and he delights in sharing his good fortune. His latest task: to develop and nurture the Olifants River Game Reserve as the fences of the Greater Kruger National Park area fall, undoing generations of damage. Man-eaters, Mambas and Marula Madness: A Game Ranger's Life in the Lowveld provides a wealth of lessons on conservation as well as stories of life in the bush as it is enjoyed only by those fortunate enough to live on a 'Big Five' reserve.

From the world-famous Kruger National Park in South Africa, to Botswana's Okavango Delta, Namibia's Etosha National Park and Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park, ecotravellers want to experience African savannahs, forests, deserts, and other stunning habitats and catch glimpses of some of the world's most spectacular wildlife: hornbills and parrots, monkeys and big cats, frogs and toads, crocodiles and snakes. In this title is all the information you need to find, identify, and learn about Southern Africa's magnificent animal life. The authors, professional biologists, have selected for colour illustrations more than 500 of Southern Africa's most common amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals - the species you are most likely to see.

Since the 1960s, zoos and aquariums have been repeatedly challenged by animal rights activists, regulatory agencies, anti-tax advocates, and an assortment of litigators. Working through the American Zoological Association, these institutions learned to use the U.S. political system to their advantage and, simultaneously, crafted a more progressive public mission. This original study draws upon interviews, archival sources, Congressional records, court cases, regulatory hearings, media accounts, and the authors' ongoing field research.

Dressed in the familiar gray and green uniform and crowned with the traditional "Smokey the Bear" hat, the National Park Service Ranger is symbolic of many things in American culture: protection and preservation, education and enlightenment, solitude and self-sufficiency. In the past, rangers spent most of their working hours alone-patrolling miles of trails, often in dismal weather conditions, to force out wildlife poachers. Now, the modern ranger may be a law-enforcement official, naturalist, historian, or river guide. In this celebration of one of America's most enduring symbols, former ranger Butch Farabee briefly reviews the evolution of this national symbol. Packed with entertaining anecdotes and illustrated with over one hundred archival photographs, this book not only provides fascinating insight into the diversity of roles a park ranger must play, but also honors the unique people dedicated to guarding and maintaining this country's irreplaceable treasures.

Since emerging as a discipline in the middle of the eighteenth century, natural history has been at the heart of the life sciences. It gave rise to the major organizing theory of life--evolution--and continues to be a vital science with impressive practical value. Central to advanced work in ecology, agriculture, medicine, and environmental science, natural history also attracts enormous popular interest.

In "Finding Order in Nature" Paul Farber traces the development of the naturalist tradition since the Enlightenment and considers its relationship to other research areas in the life sciences. Written for the general reader and student alike, the volume explores the adventures of early naturalists, the ideas that lay behind classification systems, the development of museums and zoos, and the range of motives that led collectors to collect. Farber also explores the importance of sociocultural contexts, institutional settings, and government funding in the story of this durable discipline.

"The quest for insight into the order of nature leads naturalists beyond classification to the creation of general theories that explain the living world. Those naturalists who focus on the order of nature inquire about the ecological relationships among organisms and also among organisms and their surrounding environments. They ask fundamental questions of evolution, about how change actually occurs over short and long periods of time. Many naturalists are drawn, consequently, to deeper philosophical and ethical issues: What is the extent of our ability to understand nature? And, understanding nature, will we be able to preserve it? Naturalists question the meaning of the order they discover and ponder our moral responsibility for it."--from the Introduction

A breathtaking country of rugged mountain peaks, uninhabited desert, and spectacular river canyons, Big Bend is one of the United States' most remote national parks and among Texas' most popular tourist attractions. Located in the great bend of the Rio Grande that separates Texas and Mexico, the park comprises some 800,000 acres, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island, and draws over 300,000 visitors each year.

The Story of Big Bend National Park offers a comprehensive, highly readable history of the park from before its founding in 1944 up to the present. John Jameson opens with a fascinating look at the mighty efforts involved in persuading Washington officials and local landowners that such a park was needed. He details how money was raised and land acquired, as well as how the park was publicized and developed for visitors. Moving into the present, he discusses such issues as natural resource management, predator protection in the park, and challenges to land, water, and air. Along the way, he paints colorful portraits of many individuals, from area residents to park rangers to Lady Bird Johnson, whose 1966 float trip down the Rio Grande brought the park to national attention.

This history will be required reading for all visitors and prospective visitors to Big Bend National Park. For everyone concerned about our national parks, it makes a persuasive case for continued funding and wise stewardship of the parks as they face the twin pressures of skyrocketing attendance and declining budgets.

Ninety percent of the world’s megafauna (its larger creatures) have disappeared since humans migrated from Africa and fanned out across the rest of the world. Within a very short time the megafauna – mammoths, mastodons, woolly rhinoceros and the huge carnivores that preyed upon them were extinct. Only Africa seems to have escaped: not unscathed, but not entirely vanquished either.

This book:

• describes the history and extent of human impact on the worlds wildlife (marine included), good and bad;
• it examines, in particular, the status of wildlife in Africa – the world’s last great megafaunal sanctuary;
• and it questions whether Africa’s wildlife has reached its lowest ebb, and whether it is about to witness the turn of the tide?

The author sounds a note of cautious optimism: conservation initiatives have gained a new urgency in the 21st century, and governments in Africa and elsewhere are showing increasing resolve to tackle poaching. Vast transfrontier parks, many still in development, have the potential to provide a sustainable habitat for the continent’s megafauna.

If we can muster both local and international support, name and shame the rogue nations, and build a practical conservation model that does not conflict with human needs, then Africa’s wildlife can perhaps be saved.

Zoos, aquariums, and wildlife parks are vital centers of animal conservation and management. For nearly fifteen years, these institutions have relied on "Wild Mammals in Captivity" as the essential reference for their work. Now the book reemerges in a completely updated second edition. "Wild Mammals in Captivity" presents the most current thinking and practice in the care and management of wild mammals in zoos and other institutions. In one comprehensive volume, the editors have gathered the most current information from studies of animal behavior; advances in captive breeding; research in physiology, genetics, and nutrition; and new thinking in animal management and welfare. In this edition, more than three-quarters of the text is new, and information from more than seventy-five contributors is thoroughly updated. The standard text for all courses in zoo biology, "Wild Mammals in Captivity" will, in its new incarnation, continue to be used by zoo managers, animal caretakers, researchers, and anyone with an interest in how to manage animals in captive conditions.

From King Solomon's collections of "apes and peacocks" to the menageries of English and Hapsburg monarchs, the display of exotic animals has delighted and amazed observers for centuries. Originally prized as symbols of elite wealth and power, such collections have been dramatically transformed since 1800--particularly in terms of audience and purpose.

In "New Worlds, New Animals," R. J. Hoage and William A. Deiss assemble essays that concentrate on the development of the modern zoo in the nineteenth century. Taking an in-depth look at the social climate of the century, they chart the transition from elaborate menageries for exclusive patrons to public facilities that expressed the power and might of nations to institutions dedicated to public education, wildlife conservation, and biological research. These changes reflect the larger transformation of the West--from the colonial era's desire to "tame" newly discovered continents to today's more egalitarian, conservation-minded world.

"New Worlds, New Animals" begins with an overview of the history of menageries in antiquity and their development in Europe and the United States. Zoos in many countries had quite different origins--including a fish market that became an animal dealership before becoming a zoo and an Australian way station originally designed to acclimate Old World domestic stock to a new continent.

The authors also examine the period in the United States between 1830 and 1880, when popular traveling animal shows and circuses gave way to the first public zoos in New York and Philadelphia. They take an in-depth look at the establishment of the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C.--the first zoo created to preserve endangered species. Illustrated with nearly 100 photographs, "New Worlds, New Animals" gives readers a new respect for and understanding of the role of zoos in social and cultural history.