Watching, from the Edge of Extinction

by Beverly Peterson Stearns, Stephen C. Stearns

In this mesmerizing series of interviews with dedicated people who work to save endangered species throughout the world, an alarming truth the obstacles of human politics, greed, corruption, folly, and hypocrisy can present as much danger to a species` survival as biological causes. The dramatic lessons of this book shed new light on the problems of declining species and offer hope that we may yet change their fate.

Genres: Nature, Science

288 pages, Hardcover

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.