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Extreme Conservation: Life at the Edges of the World
"Extraordinary. . . . Berger is a hero of biology who deserves the highest honors that science can bestow."—Tim Flannery, New York Review of Books
On the Tibetan Plateau, there are wild yaks with blood cells thinner than those of horses’ by half, enabling the endangered yaks to survive at 40 below zero and in the lowest oxygen levels of the mountaintops. But climate change is causing the snow patterns here to shift, and with the snows, the entire ecosystem. Food and water are vaporizing in this warming environment, and these beasts of ice and thin air are extraordinarily ill-equipped for the change. A journey into some of the most forbidding landscapes on earth, Joel Berger’s Extreme Conservation is an eye-opening, steely look at what it takes for animals like these to live at the edges of existence. But more than this, it is a revealing exploration of how climate change and people are affecting even the most far-flung niches of our planet.
Berger’s quest to understand these creatures’ struggles takes him to some of the most remote corners and peaks of the across Arctic tundra and the frozen Chukchi Sea to study muskoxen, into the Bhutanese Himalayas to follow the rarely sighted takin, and through the Gobi Desert to track the proboscis-swinging saiga. Known as much for his rigorous, scientific methods of developing solutions to conservation challenges as for his penchant for donning moose and polar bear costumes to understand the mindsets of his subjects more closely, Berger is a guide par excellence. He is a scientist and storyteller who has made his life working with desert nomads, in zones that typically require Sherpas and oxygen canisters. Recounting animals as charismatic as their landscapes are extreme, Berger’s unforgettable tale carries us with humor and expertise to the ends of the earth and back. But as his adventures show, the more adapted a species has become to its particular ecological niche, the more devastating climate change can be. Life at the extremes is more challenging than ever, and the need for action, for solutions, has never been greater.
On the Tibetan Plateau, there are wild yaks with blood cells thinner than those of horses’ by half, enabling the endangered yaks to survive at 40 below zero and in the lowest oxygen levels of the mountaintops. But climate change is causing the snow patterns here to shift, and with the snows, the entire ecosystem. Food and water are vaporizing in this warming environment, and these beasts of ice and thin air are extraordinarily ill-equipped for the change. A journey into some of the most forbidding landscapes on earth, Joel Berger’s Extreme Conservation is an eye-opening, steely look at what it takes for animals like these to live at the edges of existence. But more than this, it is a revealing exploration of how climate change and people are affecting even the most far-flung niches of our planet.
Berger’s quest to understand these creatures’ struggles takes him to some of the most remote corners and peaks of the across Arctic tundra and the frozen Chukchi Sea to study muskoxen, into the Bhutanese Himalayas to follow the rarely sighted takin, and through the Gobi Desert to track the proboscis-swinging saiga. Known as much for his rigorous, scientific methods of developing solutions to conservation challenges as for his penchant for donning moose and polar bear costumes to understand the mindsets of his subjects more closely, Berger is a guide par excellence. He is a scientist and storyteller who has made his life working with desert nomads, in zones that typically require Sherpas and oxygen canisters. Recounting animals as charismatic as their landscapes are extreme, Berger’s unforgettable tale carries us with humor and expertise to the ends of the earth and back. But as his adventures show, the more adapted a species has become to its particular ecological niche, the more devastating climate change can be. Life at the extremes is more challenging than ever, and the need for action, for solutions, has never been greater.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2018
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279 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 23, 2019
I absolutely powered through this book. Incredible insights into conservation science and ethics, and the impacts that climate change is having on animal behaviour, genetics and range distribution etc. Definitely recommend to anyone interested in conservation and, more generally, adventure.
July 21, 2020
Equal parts adventure and meditation on the value of wild nature, Extreme Conservation offers an intimate picture of biological field work in the world's most remote locations. See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2019...
October 26, 2018
The conservation work that Dr. Joel Berger does is critical, impressive and pretty (darn) incredible given the extremely harsh terrain conditions and complicated political circumstances that he has to deal with. I am also praising the author’s honesty about the harshness and sometimes the very harmful consequence of field conservation on the welfare of the species individuals that we study. Intelligent rational discussions about this do not surface enough.
Now, now.. the narrative was very painful for me, and that's why I give it a 3 stars. I found the writing style convoluted, cumbersome, and very inefficient. Don't make the mistake to try to jump at the end of a chapter, hoping to find the summary and key points of that chapter, it does not happen. Besides, you would run the risk to miss many enlightening or important remarks that randomly pop up throughout the book. I am not blaming the author, that’s just his style - and that’s just not mine.
Now, now.. the narrative was very painful for me, and that's why I give it a 3 stars. I found the writing style convoluted, cumbersome, and very inefficient. Don't make the mistake to try to jump at the end of a chapter, hoping to find the summary and key points of that chapter, it does not happen. Besides, you would run the risk to miss many enlightening or important remarks that randomly pop up throughout the book. I am not blaming the author, that’s just his style - and that’s just not mine.
January 5, 2019
Choppy and convoluted writing hindered this book's beautiful topic. It was hard to follow at times. There were also multiple errors in the book, like "Fairbank's" for the possessive of the city of Fairbanks, Alaska. In addition, there were a couple of spacing issues and extra words (like an "a" where it shouldn't be).
I didn't love it.
I didn't love it.
January 28, 2019
Fascinating at times, but a bit repetitive and more detailed than I cared about. It was interesting to learn more about the animals in these icy settings, and how climate changes may affect them in a myriad of ways. Also, the considerations on how to best study them were a revelation.
February 16, 2019
Excellent job of describing events of his travels. Did a great job I predicting possible outcomes with the impact of climate change on the different species (or. Muskoxen, Yaks, etc.. in extreme habitats.
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July 19, 2020Donated to the local library
March 10, 2025
No conservation biologist works in any tougher conditions than Berger. Primarily studying Muskoxen in the Arctic, Berger also does stints in Tibet studying and Saiga antelope and Bhutan studying Takin. Conditions are at times overwhelmingly cold and tough, but always brutal and include close encounters with Polar Bears while studying his Muskoxen on Wrangell Island.
Berger’s stories of the extraordinary beasts and amazing people he works with give an insiders view of the life of a field biologist and the extreme passion that drives them.
Berger’s stories of the extraordinary beasts and amazing people he works with give an insiders view of the life of a field biologist and the extreme passion that drives them.
April 11, 2025
I couldn't finish this book, I found it very distressing. I understand scientific research, of course, but in gathering information on these marginalized animals, they inadvertently caused harm. it is admitted in the book, it was a concern. it seems then a time to step away.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews