Nature of the Rainforest: Costa Rica and Beyond

Zona Tropical Publications

by Adrian Forsyth, E.O. Wilson (Foreword), Patricia Fogden (Photographer)

The words 'tropical rainforest' may conjure up vistas populated by jaguars, brilliant macaws, and flowers amid the grandeur of towering buttressed trees. But the eager, expectant visitor is not regaled with the sight of charismatic vertebrates, gaudy birds, and luminous orchids. In the rainforest, close encounters with life that moves are usually rare but brilliant episodes; one is bedazzled for an instant and then left alone in the quiet greenery. Under such conditions, one must see the episode as part of a process; tracing the connections between organisms is the essence of rainforest appreciation.--Nature of the RainforestNature of the Rainforest is a breathtaking tour of an environment that is the pinnacle of biodiversity and evolutionary sophistication by an award-winning author and two photographers who love the rainforest, understand its intricacies, and have spent considerable time there documenting its wildlife and complexity. Adrian Forsyth draws on four decades of personal encounters with the animals of the rainforest--including poison-dart frogs, three-toed sloths, bushmasters, and umbrellabirds--as a starting point to communicate key ecological topics such as biodiversity, coevolution, rarity, chemical defense, nutrient cycling, and camouflage. The luminous photographs capture stunning and rare creatures in action, including the now- extinct golden toad mating, a jaguar on the prowl, and the hermit hummingbird feeding. The behaviors and characteristics of the rainforest inhabitants featured here not only illustrate the text but also advance the scientific narrative and exemplify the critical importance of conservation. Thematic chapters are interspersed with four chapters devoted to specific habitats and regions of Costa Rica and Peru, areas with some of the most diverse arrays of plant and animal species in the world. The result is an exuberant celebration of the rainforest in text and images.

Genres: Photography

200 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2008

About the author

Adrian Forsyth, Ph.D., is a conservationist, author, and strategic advisor to the Andes Amazon Fund, which he founded. For over 45 years, he has worked in remote tropical regions across the globe. He co-founded the Andes-Amazon Initiative, the Amazon Conservation Association, and Osa Conservation. Forsyth has also served in leadership roles at major conservation organizations and authored nine natural history books. He earned his Ph.D. from Harvard under E.O. Wilson.

Reviews

[Mike Parkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

On first glance, this looks like an attractive coffee table book with great photos showing the fauna and flora of the New World tropics, That it is, but it is also so much more. Adrian Forsyth is both a professional biologist and a talented natural history writer, and every chapter here is engaging and provides new insights into some aspect of tropical biology, be it the different fruiting strategies and seed dispersers of tropical plants, the role of termites in nutrient cycling, or the value of prehensile tails for feeding strategies in the forest canopy.

A closer view of the photos, spectacular as they are, reveals that they are not just eye candy but very specifically complement and illustrate the insights described in the text. It is utterly mindblowing that all photos in this book are the work of a single couple (Michael and Patricia Fogden). A book like this can only result from close collaboration between the author and photographers and a lifetime of dedicated natural history study from both parties. While most of the book is based on experiences from Costa Rica, the insights are more general and will be of value to anyone in better understanding the ecology of the New World rainforest.