Yet another volume on the 'biodiversity crisis', this book is
written by a curator of the American Museum of Natural History in
New York. The book presents a more long-term view of biodiversity
problems, noting the differences between the present extinction
problems and comparing the cause and results to the 'great
extinctions' of the past, when dinosaurs and marine invertebrates
were the main losses. Eldredge's conclusion is largely the same as
the biologists: the current crisis is severe and we need to do a
lot to avert, or at least lessen, the effect of the impending
'Sixth Extinction'. Starting with a microcosmic excursion to
Botswana's Okavango Delta, Eldredge offers a grand tour through
life's organisms, and along the way, numerous prescriptions.
Although clumsily written in places this book has much to offer.
(Kirkus UK)
In "Life in the Balance," Niles Eldredge argues that the Earth
is confronting a disaster in the making--an ecological crisis that,
if left unresolved, could ultimately lead to mass extinction on the
scale of that which killed the dinosaurs sixty-five million years
ago. Writing for general readers, he reviews compelling evidence
for this "biodiversity crisis," showing that species are dying out
at an unnaturally rapid rate. He demonstrates the importance of
maintaining biodiversity, taking the reader on a journey that
reveals the twin faces of biodiversity--over thirteen million
living species "and" the ecosystems through which these species
transform the sun's energy into life-sustaining matter. Throughout,
Eldredge shows how our own fate is intricately linked with that of
other species.
Eldredge, one of the world's foremost paleontologists, begins by
taking us to the heart of Botswana's Okavango Delta, considered by
many to be among the last "Edens" left on Earth--a place where a
rich assortment of organisms exist in natural equilibrium. However,
it is also a place where the results of human activity--pollution,
clear-cutting, water-diversion, encroaching agriculture,
disease--now pose the same ecological threats that, on a worldwide
scale, put the entire planet at risk. Eldredge then leads us on a
fascinating exploration of the Earth's organisms--animals, plants,
fungi, the microbes that underpin all life--and of the diverse
ecosystems from the tundra to the tropics in which these organisms
live. It is a journey that demonstrates the inherent value of the
millions of species and ecosystems on Earth, and the importance of
biodiversity to the entire biosphere and to humans' continued
existence.
Eldredge concludes that humans not only are responsible for the
biodiversity crisis but also hold the key to preventing an
impending Sixth Extinction. He argues that we must, among other
strategies, pledge ourselves to sustainable development and the
conservation of wild places. An eloquent and passionate account by
one of today's leading scientists, "Life in the Balance" will draw
new attention to one of the most pressing problems now facing the
world. In this book, Eldredge explores the same themes that
illuminate The American Museum of Natural History's new Hall of
Biodiversity, for which he is Scientific Curator. The Hall is
scheduled to open in spring 1998.
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