Millipedes and Moon Tigers: Science and Policy in an Age of Extinction

by Steve Nash

Millipedes and Moon Tigers explores those uneasy places where scientific research meets public policy-making--and the resulting human effect on our natural and historical landscapes. Steve Nash’s eye gravitates toward those specific, contemporary stories whose relevance does not diminish with a turn of the calendar’s page, for they represent larger, looming issues. The destruction wrought upon native ecosystems by invasive species such as snakehead fish; the drastic and, in many cases, mysterious reduction in songbird populations in recent decades; the blight of a century ago that wiped out four billion chestnut trees, which once made up a quarter of the Eastern forest... Nash does more than lament the passing of the continent as it once was. He reveals the factors that have led to endangerment and extinction--from environmental policies that are terribly outdated to technologies that are evolving more quickly than our attitudes--and presents possible solutions, in both the political and scientific arenas. Nash follows an archaeobotanist on her research in the Near East to see what ancient agricultural practices in this now largely arid region can tell us about where the West may be heading. He writes of Civil War battlefields that, in the wake of new development, are being obliterated one by one--and, along with them, a wealth of lost archaeological opportunities. Turning to a more modern battlefield, he writes of "agroterror"--the intentional introduction of plant and animal diseases into agriculture and nature--and suggests what might be done to stop this new threat. Focusing on the southeastern United States but addressing issues that affect the whole environment, many of the essays explore the intersection of the environment and the most cutting-edge technology. Nash introduces us to the minnow-sized Glofish, America’s first genetically engineered pet (the animal’s name is actually trademarked). Further advances in our understanding of molecular genetics could even result, some believe, in the cloning of endangered species. All of this is exciting--and problematic. Nash reports on the controversies over genetically modified pines and poplars--"science fiction trees"--and how fears of their escape into wild forests has prompted some environmentalists to go so far as to sabotage corporate laboratories. The urgency Nash conveys is as one of his subjects observes, it is much easier to maintain an ecosystem than repair it. There is no escaping a feeling of apprehension over the destructive dynamics Nash uncovers. Nevertheless, the essays collected here stress the opportunity that is still there for policies to be established that serve humankind by better serving nature.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published February 15, 2007

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reviewed this book for the Society of Environmental Journalists Journal. It's a collection of reports on a wide variety of subjects, from Civil War history to genetic engineering, a spectrum of conservation issues reflecting contemporary pressures: development, commerce, the momentum of scientific advances.
He’s not writing as an advocate, but he doesn’t avoid following the facts where they lead. As one of his highly quotable sources, Jeremy Jackson, a marine ecologist from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, says, “Unwelcome news about the world we live in has become classified very cleverly as advocacy.”
In the age of specialized reporting, Nash has specialized in reporting. He starts with a problem, researches the background and finds the sources to tell the story. His work demonstrates that solid reporting can illuminate any subject.

I have found myself referring to it and the powerful examples he makes of environmental issues in the news, such as the Glofish, a genetically engineered pet fish. This small book is worth reading and owning.