Nature's Keepers: The New Science of Nature Management
Author: Stephen Budiansky
List Price: $25.00
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ISBN: 0029049156
Publisher: Free Press (September, 1995)
Sales Rank: 591,831
Average Customer Rating: 4 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 3 out of 5
Good read but no surprises
Excellent read, but while Budiansky pretends he's presenting a radically new message, he actually kicks in a lot of open doors. No, the natural world is not really natural. No, ecosystems are hardly ever in equilibrium. No, indigenous peoples are not as nature-friendly as the noble savage myth wants us to believe. All these facts are generally accepted by ecologists, although they might be new to laymen. For some good old treehugger-bashing, buy it. To convince your all-too-romantic friends that conservation is not as simple as it seems, buy it. If you're an ecologist and you want to read something new, leave it.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Preservationists beware!
An excellent book on the management of our natural world. Budiansky supplies good arguments of why our natural world is not really natural at all. He explores the history behind our romanticized view of nature and reveals the damage this tainted view may be causing to the environment. Budiansky advocates using scientific data to make decisions about our surroundings rather than falling into the "wilderness myth" trap.If nothing else, this book allows one to think about our perceptions of nature and our influence on the environment. Even though it can be a difficult read at times, I have my seniors in high school (I am a teacher) read this book, and it serves as an excellent tool to get them to think critically.
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