Reichholf, J: The Demise of Diversity Loss and Extinction

'The Demise of Diversity, a translation from German, is one of 12 works (e.g., The Earth by F. Schmidt-Bleek, CH, Mar'10, 47-3826; Climate Change by M. Latif, CH, Apr'10, 47-4431) aimed at providing generally understandable information on the status of global resources and threats to sustainability. Reichholf, a former professor of nature conservation at the Technical Univ. of Munich, delivers in 170 pages both a sobering and a hopeful account on the status of Earth's biodiversity. He clearly establishes humans as one of the many life forms on Earth, not special, but one with enormous impacts. He provides a harsh critique of Western conservation approaches that banish nonhuman nature to museum-like margins. He is particularly concerned about the special protections society affords agriculture and forestry, the main threats to diversity. Hopeful examples come from the highly transformed landscapes of Europe where many species including birds, wolves, bears, and other large mammals make strong comebacks due to changes in people's attitudes. It is a highly readable account that will certainly stimulate discussion. Summing Up: Recommended. All libraries.' - B. Blossey, Cornell University -- B. Blossey CHOICE Magazine 20100501