Call number
Collection
Publication
New York : Metropolitan Books, 2009.
Pages
xii; 383
Description
Fraser offers the first definitive account about rewilding--a visionary campaign to confront the looming extinction of thousands of species by restoring habitats, reviving migration corridors, and brokering peace between people and predators. Traveling with wildlife biologists and conservationists, Fraser reports on the vast projects that are turning Europe's former Iron Curtain into a greenbelt, creating trans-frontier Peace Parks to renew elephant routes throughout Africa, and linking protected areas from the Yukon to Mexico and beyond.
Media reviews
"We are so close," Fraser says, and we require just a strong nudge in imagination and social engagement to make the rewilding dream real. With this lovely, necessary book, we step closer to that ideal.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2009
ISBN
9780805078268
Similar in this library
Library's review
Caroline Fraser's Rewilding the World picks up where conservation-oriented books leave off. The first chapter provides a crash course in the concept of keystone species and the need for large, interconnected areas with buffer zones to preserve these species (which are frequently large carnivores
This is a surprisingly hopeful book. While "rehabilitation" of damaged landscapes may never be able to recover the full range of biodiversity of undisturbed wilderness, it can do better than I had previously thought.
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that require extensive ranges -- see William Stolzenburg's Where the Wild Things Were for an excellent overview of these issues). From there, she moves into discussiosn of worldwide attempts not only to preserve wilderness areas around the world, but to "rewild" damaged areas by carefully managed re-introduction of native species and removal of invasives (contrary to naive belief, damaged ecosystems generally will not restore themselves simply by leaving them alone, unless there are large undisturbed reservoirs nearby to draw from). The various stories are both interesting and instructive -- the need to start small and ensure local support reveal themselves time and time again as Fraser describes why grandiose schemes like the Central American "Paseo Pantera" tend to fail while smaller-scale linkages between existing protected areas, when local populations not only support the process but see the benefits from it (for instance, ensuring that ecotourism dollars go to the local communities rather than American or European-run tour companies) have much higher success rates.This is a surprisingly hopeful book. While "rehabilitation" of damaged landscapes may never be able to recover the full range of biodiversity of undisturbed wilderness, it can do better than I had previously thought.
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User reviews
LibraryThing member chelseagirl
In Rewilding the World, Caroline Fraser provides an accessible, engaging introduction to the concept of "rewilding"- of restoring sufficient areas of wilderness that various species of wildlife have enough room to engage in their normal behavior. Focusing on the notion of "island biogeography,"
The book then takes on a global scale, moving from North America to South and Central America, Europe, Asia, and particularly Africa, surveying various wildlife preservation efforts. Fraser examines what has succeeded, and the very many causes of complete or partial failure. The book's ultimate message is that, despite the many complications along the way, this work is well worth doing, and that the limited success of programs that currently exist is only a starting place.
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Fraser clearly explains the limits of current conservation programs (national parks and otherwise) and demonstrates what needs to be done.The book then takes on a global scale, moving from North America to South and Central America, Europe, Asia, and particularly Africa, surveying various wildlife preservation efforts. Fraser examines what has succeeded, and the very many causes of complete or partial failure. The book's ultimate message is that, despite the many complications along the way, this work is well worth doing, and that the limited success of programs that currently exist is only a starting place.
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LibraryThing member VisibleGhost
I read this as a follow-up to [Where the Wild Things Were]. Wild Things is mostly about theories and how those theories have changed over time and are still changing. Fraser's book is a world tour of conservation efforts from from near every corner of the globe. Conservation biology is not the
Rewilding covers many of these efforts. It is interesting/important reading but I wouldn't call it pleasant reading. The bright spots are that there are still those making attempts to control diversity loss. Even small ones that seem like a drop in the bucket do add up. Fraser's book is informative and cautiously optimistic with a little bit of encouragement dished out along the way. Theory is abstract and can be beautiful even when coming to undesired conclusions. Reporting on conservation biology reality is messy, sometimes ugly, and non-abstract. It was a good read on a tough subject.
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management of animals and plants, it is the management of people. Because people are involved, the successes and failures of conservation projects vary widely. Some never get off the ground. Others are opposed from special interests from dozens of stakeholders. Some thrive for decades then come crashing to complete halts and reversals. Most of the time it's three steps forward and 2.99 steps backward. Sometimes, it's three steps forward and five steps backward. It's hard not to despair if you like lifeforms like tigers, wolves, and orcas.Rewilding covers many of these efforts. It is interesting/important reading but I wouldn't call it pleasant reading. The bright spots are that there are still those making attempts to control diversity loss. Even small ones that seem like a drop in the bucket do add up. Fraser's book is informative and cautiously optimistic with a little bit of encouragement dished out along the way. Theory is abstract and can be beautiful even when coming to undesired conclusions. Reporting on conservation biology reality is messy, sometimes ugly, and non-abstract. It was a good read on a tough subject.
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LibraryThing member quilted_kat
Rewilding is a relatively new term in the world of Ecology. It refers to the connections required to connect wildlife refuges and National Park systems to each other. These connections are essential to ensure the survival of large animal species, who require much larger territories to roam in than
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the parks currently provide. Rewilding the World thoroughly investigates and explains ecological movements from the Y2Y corridor in North America. It describes the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone Park and jaguar in Southern Arizona and why the reintroduction of apex predators is essential to balance the ecosystem. It takes you to Africa to explore the removal of fences to restore elephant, hyena, and lion habitat, and the Green Belt in Europe. It explains the reasons behind the protest to conservation efforts by ranchers, indigenous peoples, and government. The writing is interesting to read and holds your attention, and the facts are backed by over 20 pages of notes at the end of the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member bkd
I selected this book (and luckily received it) as an early reviewer because I am generally interested in environmental causes, but I will admit that most books like this tend to be spouting off the dire situation of the world without clear solutions. I figured this was going to be another book like
I was quite surprised to find that this book left me with hope that positive change can be made. Ms. Fraser starts the book talking in general terms about the three concepts of conservation: cores, corridors, and carnivores. Cores represent centers of biodiversity that in and of themselves need to be protected from human use and abuse. Corridors are the unbroken paths of wilderness connecting cores that allow genetic exchange, migration, and greater hunting territory for carnivores. Carnivores serve two functions: they are both keystone species in that they regulate the ecosystem (e.g., culling elk herds to prevent overgrazing in Yellowstone), and they are umbrella species, meaning that by preserving an area representing their territorial needs, you in turn protect many other species with lesser territorial needs. These concepts were somewhat new to me.
Some of the later chapters dealt with where conservation stands in various places around the world. Some of the highlights for me were the European Greenbelt (an extensive corridor created at the wall separating the Soviet bloc from the Western bloc), the Cordillera de Condor peace park spanning Ecuador and Peru, and, most especially, Costa Rica's conservation efforts led by Dan Janzen.
The hope that I took from this book was the positive gains made through working with local people (especially in Costa Rica), conservation being a governmental priority (such as in Namibia), and Dan Janzen's idea of endowments for conservation rather than direct funding ("sustainable conservation" as he calls it).
I didn't intend to give a complete rundown of the whole book, but I will say that it is worth checking out for anyone interested in environmental causes. This book was well researched and gives great insight into areas of the world that I had no prior knowledge of.
I will say that the price listed on my review copy was $27.50, and while I'm not sure if that will be the price when it is released (which it should be by now), for me that is a little steep for any book. I would either wait to buy it at a used book store or check it out from the library. But then again, I am something of a penny pincher.
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that, showing how we have lost biodiversity with no hope of reclaiming it.I was quite surprised to find that this book left me with hope that positive change can be made. Ms. Fraser starts the book talking in general terms about the three concepts of conservation: cores, corridors, and carnivores. Cores represent centers of biodiversity that in and of themselves need to be protected from human use and abuse. Corridors are the unbroken paths of wilderness connecting cores that allow genetic exchange, migration, and greater hunting territory for carnivores. Carnivores serve two functions: they are both keystone species in that they regulate the ecosystem (e.g., culling elk herds to prevent overgrazing in Yellowstone), and they are umbrella species, meaning that by preserving an area representing their territorial needs, you in turn protect many other species with lesser territorial needs. These concepts were somewhat new to me.
Some of the later chapters dealt with where conservation stands in various places around the world. Some of the highlights for me were the European Greenbelt (an extensive corridor created at the wall separating the Soviet bloc from the Western bloc), the Cordillera de Condor peace park spanning Ecuador and Peru, and, most especially, Costa Rica's conservation efforts led by Dan Janzen.
The hope that I took from this book was the positive gains made through working with local people (especially in Costa Rica), conservation being a governmental priority (such as in Namibia), and Dan Janzen's idea of endowments for conservation rather than direct funding ("sustainable conservation" as he calls it).
I didn't intend to give a complete rundown of the whole book, but I will say that it is worth checking out for anyone interested in environmental causes. This book was well researched and gives great insight into areas of the world that I had no prior knowledge of.
I will say that the price listed on my review copy was $27.50, and while I'm not sure if that will be the price when it is released (which it should be by now), for me that is a little steep for any book. I would either wait to buy it at a used book store or check it out from the library. But then again, I am something of a penny pincher.
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LibraryThing member sarradee
Rewilding is a process which will save the planet and all of it's creatures by restoring habitats, replacing migration corridors and teaching humans to live in concert with predators. The idea is fascinating and I started this book with much interest but also afraid that it would have the same
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message, ie. we're doomed, but without any clear solutions. Instead I found a fairly readable account of things that conservationists have done or are doing with varying degrees of success. The author discusses both the positive changes, and the negative and also discusses what should be done in the future. Show Less
LibraryThing member Nulla
A plethora of books have been written about the degradation of nature at the hands of man. Not so many have been written about attempts to preserve and conserve the ecologies of our planet. Dedicated to repairing as well as preventing further damage, these movements have been largely overlooked by
Caroline Fraser's Rewilding the World: Dispatches from the Conservation Revolution fills some of the gaps in this knowledge. The book documents Fraser's witnessing of some of the efforts to preserve and, in many instances, to bring back ecosystems which are on the brink of destruction. She has traveled extensively with wildlife biologists and conservationists to record and examine the damage done by politics, wars, agriculture, industry and other of man's occupations, as well as the efforts of individuals, institutions and governments to reverse or mitigate this damage. The scope is worldwide; serious attempts to bandage the planet are in progress from North and South America to Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.
The emphasis is on conservation rather than preservation. Largely, preservation takes place in bounded areas such as parks; places where people have limited access and the fauna is expected to stay put. This does not always work out very well since lions and tigers and bears don't read maps. Conservation, on the other hand, is an attempt to link discrete areas of habitat in order to establish natural boundaries for animal territories or migrations. It also recognizes that there needs to be a solution for the wilderness/people interface; somehow, we need to find a way to share these areas with wildlife. Conservation has to make sense for everyman, not just the educated and well-heeled. Fraser offers many examples of where rewilding has been a success, but has then been dealt setbacks because of political or economic issues.
This is a fascinating book. In many ways, it offers hope for the future, but it also reveals how close we are to a tipping point ecologically, and how difficult it is to deal with man's self-interest.
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the average person.Caroline Fraser's Rewilding the World: Dispatches from the Conservation Revolution fills some of the gaps in this knowledge. The book documents Fraser's witnessing of some of the efforts to preserve and, in many instances, to bring back ecosystems which are on the brink of destruction. She has traveled extensively with wildlife biologists and conservationists to record and examine the damage done by politics, wars, agriculture, industry and other of man's occupations, as well as the efforts of individuals, institutions and governments to reverse or mitigate this damage. The scope is worldwide; serious attempts to bandage the planet are in progress from North and South America to Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.
The emphasis is on conservation rather than preservation. Largely, preservation takes place in bounded areas such as parks; places where people have limited access and the fauna is expected to stay put. This does not always work out very well since lions and tigers and bears don't read maps. Conservation, on the other hand, is an attempt to link discrete areas of habitat in order to establish natural boundaries for animal territories or migrations. It also recognizes that there needs to be a solution for the wilderness/people interface; somehow, we need to find a way to share these areas with wildlife. Conservation has to make sense for everyman, not just the educated and well-heeled. Fraser offers many examples of where rewilding has been a success, but has then been dealt setbacks because of political or economic issues.
This is a fascinating book. In many ways, it offers hope for the future, but it also reveals how close we are to a tipping point ecologically, and how difficult it is to deal with man's self-interest.
Show Less
LibraryThing member skullfaced
Caroline Fraser gives us an accessible look into the worldwide process of rewilding in "Rewilding the World." The book is easy to read, provides a good number of notes, and covers a number of topics crucial to the rewilding movement. Her emphasis on working with local people when developing parks
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and rewild places is refreshing. While not a page-turner, the book is easy to read and suitable for anyone interested in the topic of conservation. Show Less
LibraryThing member themagiciansgirl
I was initially charmed by the title of this book. An image of a giant Johnny Appleseed skipping across the continents sprinkling wolves, elephants, tigers, frogs, birds, monkeys and spiders came to mind. But rewilding the world isn't necessarily manually replacing all the natural elements that man
The most startling idea I encountered in this book was that we may have crippled the earth so thoroughly that "we may be erasing the process of evolution itself." That's profoundly frightening. But this book is not all doom and gloom. It's about hope and progress and the beginnings of success. It's a step forward. It serves as an introduction to the profound idea of rewilding and offers encouragement and information to those who may already know of or be a part of the process.
The book is divided geographically and includes maps of existing and proposed parks and corridors. There is an extensive section on the continent of Africa, including the dilemma of balancing extreme humanitarian issues with pressing environmental ones. I especially enjoyed the section where the author accompanied two married graduate students as they collected data on crocodiles in Namibia. This is a comprehensive, sane and well-written account of ongoing and future global conservation efforts.
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-- through chemicals, hunting, agriculture and/or "progress" -- has destroyed. Rather it is letting nature rewild itself. Letting the earth heal in its own mysterious and infinetely complicated way. And apparently it does. Or at least can, with a jump start from us. But doing that isn't as easy as it sounds. It requires cooperation from some key areas: geographical, political, emotional and human, at the very least. But it's not impossible. And the key, according to the author, is to think big, start small and involve the people who actually live on the land.The most startling idea I encountered in this book was that we may have crippled the earth so thoroughly that "we may be erasing the process of evolution itself." That's profoundly frightening. But this book is not all doom and gloom. It's about hope and progress and the beginnings of success. It's a step forward. It serves as an introduction to the profound idea of rewilding and offers encouragement and information to those who may already know of or be a part of the process.
The book is divided geographically and includes maps of existing and proposed parks and corridors. There is an extensive section on the continent of Africa, including the dilemma of balancing extreme humanitarian issues with pressing environmental ones. I especially enjoyed the section where the author accompanied two married graduate students as they collected data on crocodiles in Namibia. This is a comprehensive, sane and well-written account of ongoing and future global conservation efforts.
Show Less
LibraryThing member GoofyOcean110
Conservation is a messy business. Protecting animals is really about finding ways to take care of people – local jobs, food, and goodwill. And it’s going to take a lot more room than anyone thought or is ready to acknowledge whether concerned about coyotes/wolves, buffalo, elephants, tigers, or
Fraser takes an in-depth look at a number of large-scale projects on most of the continents. Connecting corridors, peace parks, preserving predators, and even reintroducing extinct species. These are big ideas that take a lot of space on the ground, and Fraser skillfully introduces her readers to these projects and assesses their relative success/failure at conserving land and helping locals through travels that take her to most continents.
In general, this is a thoughtful and honest look at the issues, organizations, programs, and people in place tackling this complex process. She looks at the science, politics, social aspects, and historical perspective that will hopefully enable the global conservation movement to move forward. Sometimes she takes on too much – spending much time in Africa while skimping on other areas (like high latitude areas). The most disappointing aspect, though hardly ruining the fascinating reporting, was the concluding chapter which only gave a very cursory glance at the main themes through the book, didn’t fully make a case for the vital components necessary for successful conservation practices, and even introduced yet another important species (prairie dogs) which would have been interesting to pursue in more depth elsewhere. That being said, overall the book was quite interesting and informative, and it was well written and researched journalism.
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any other large charismatic macrofauna. These are the take home messages Caroline Fraser reports in her journalistic style from the front lines of the global conservation movement. Fraser takes an in-depth look at a number of large-scale projects on most of the continents. Connecting corridors, peace parks, preserving predators, and even reintroducing extinct species. These are big ideas that take a lot of space on the ground, and Fraser skillfully introduces her readers to these projects and assesses their relative success/failure at conserving land and helping locals through travels that take her to most continents.
In general, this is a thoughtful and honest look at the issues, organizations, programs, and people in place tackling this complex process. She looks at the science, politics, social aspects, and historical perspective that will hopefully enable the global conservation movement to move forward. Sometimes she takes on too much – spending much time in Africa while skimping on other areas (like high latitude areas). The most disappointing aspect, though hardly ruining the fascinating reporting, was the concluding chapter which only gave a very cursory glance at the main themes through the book, didn’t fully make a case for the vital components necessary for successful conservation practices, and even introduced yet another important species (prairie dogs) which would have been interesting to pursue in more depth elsewhere. That being said, overall the book was quite interesting and informative, and it was well written and researched journalism.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ranaverde
A thoughtful and wide-ranging book, Rewilding the World takes a look at the newest development in conservation: "re-wilding." Taken broadly, the term encompasses a range of activities from establishing wildlife corridors between protected zones, transnational parks, community development, and
The overall message that comes through is that preserving the world's biodiversity is going to require more than just isolated parks, walled off from humans, and a more creative, long-term solution. (One of the people Fraser interviewed compares such efforts to a marriage, rather than the "one-night-stand" approach of traditional, single-issue conservation.) Such long-term solutions rest heavily on community support, involvement, and education, particularly in unstable areas.
As Fraser lays out her case studies, taking us to nearly every continent, the message comes through again and again that human beings are a necessary component of the world's ecosystems, and that human suffering and ecological damage are inextricably linked. To solve such problems requires concentrated efforts on a variety of political, economic, and social fronts, not merely ecological (daunting though that alone is).
Although the stories she presents include dismaying failures as well as cheering successes, Fraser does an admirable job teasing out the larger lessons to be learned from both. Anyone interested in environmentalism, environmental justice, or just being an engaged citizen of the planet, will want this book on their shelves.
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restoration and reclamation of damaged areas. The overall message that comes through is that preserving the world's biodiversity is going to require more than just isolated parks, walled off from humans, and a more creative, long-term solution. (One of the people Fraser interviewed compares such efforts to a marriage, rather than the "one-night-stand" approach of traditional, single-issue conservation.) Such long-term solutions rest heavily on community support, involvement, and education, particularly in unstable areas.
As Fraser lays out her case studies, taking us to nearly every continent, the message comes through again and again that human beings are a necessary component of the world's ecosystems, and that human suffering and ecological damage are inextricably linked. To solve such problems requires concentrated efforts on a variety of political, economic, and social fronts, not merely ecological (daunting though that alone is).
Although the stories she presents include dismaying failures as well as cheering successes, Fraser does an admirable job teasing out the larger lessons to be learned from both. Anyone interested in environmentalism, environmental justice, or just being an engaged citizen of the planet, will want this book on their shelves.
Show Less