Watching, from the Edge of Extinction

by Beverly Peterson Stearns, Stephen C. Stearns

In this book, Beverly and Stephen Stearns tell the stories of people who have worked directly with disappearing species in Europe, Africa, North America, and Oceania. They are stories of passion and commitment, of competence and selflessness. They are also stories that alarm, for even as unheralded heroes are working to reverse what often seems to be a species' inevitable march toward extinction, incompetent or self-interested parties are often working against them.

Genres: Nature, Science

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 11, 1999

Reviews

[Kim Zinkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

B+. Very interesting essays.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A compilation of first hand accounts of conservation in the field ranging from butterflies to seals and hunting dogs, each told by the scientists involved, with the common thread of them bearing witness as species were wiped out before their eyes, hence the apt title. Its a mixed bag overall as some of the chapters were quite dry, being more like diary entries than a compelling story, while others had a better flow. These stories bring to light the dismal plight of (surprisingly) some of the more charismatic animals like chimps and wild dogs, how they are slowly but surely disappearing from places one would think safe (Ivory Coast and Tanzania). And this was during the 80s and 90s! One wonders what the status is today, and hope that the local population declines had halted or at least slowed since then.