Win-Win Ecology: How the Earth's Species Can Survive in the Midst of Human Enterprise

by Michael L. Rosenzweig

Overview

As humanity presses down inexorably on the natural world, people debate the extent to which we can save the Earth's millions of different species without sacrificing human economic welfare. But is this argument wise? Must the human and natural worlds be adversaries?
In this book, ecologist Michael Rosenzweig finds that ecological science actually rejects such polarization. Instead it suggests that, to be successful, conservation must discover how we can blend a rich natural world into the world of economic activity. This revolutionary, common ground between development and conservation is called reconciliation ecology: creating and maintaining species-friendly habitats in the very places where people live, work, or play.
The book offers many inspiring examples of the good results already achieved. The Nature Conservancy, for instance, has a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense, with more than 200 conservation projects taking place on more than 170 bases in 41 states. In places such as Elgin Air Force Base, the human uses-testing munitions, profitable timbering and recreation—continue, but populations of several threatened species on the base, such as the long-leaf pine and the red-cockaded woodpecker, have been greatly improved. The Safe Harbor strategy of the Fish & Wildlife Service encourages private landowners to improve their property for endangered species, thus overcoming the unintended negative aspects of the Endangered Species Act. And Golden Gate Park, which began as a system of sand dunes, has become, through human effort, a world of ponds and shrubs, waterfowl and trees.
Rosenzweig shows that reconciliation ecology is the missing tool of conservation, the practical, scientifically based approach that, when added to the rest, will solve the problem of preserving Earth's species.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195156041
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/24/2003
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	9.66(w) x 6.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Michael L. Rosenzweig is Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona and a Fellow of the Morris K. Udall Center for Public Policy.

Editorial Reviews

"In thoughtful and elegant prose, peppered with humor and bits of philosophy, Rosenzweig presents...a hopeful, fresh vision.... The book is a wonderful source of motivation and inspiration, entertaining and thought-provoking for lay and professional audiences alike. Even the most skeptical readers will likely be convinced of the need to rethink conservation strategy."—Science

"Rosenzweig is marvelous! With vast erudition he has brought to life a novel sub-field of ecology. Win-Win Ecology focuses on saving species just as all hope seems gone! He demonstrates, with many fascinating examples, how humans can at least sometimes construct new ecological niches to replace those that human activity has destroyed. It doesn't always work but it works often enough to supply some hope for the world's future biodiversity. It is not a rosy pipe dream future but a realistic lantern of hope presented in lovely prose. It is necessary reading." —Lawrence Slobodkin, Founding Chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolution, SUNY-Stony Brook, and author of A Citizen's Guide to Ecology

"A wonderful contribution to a new wave of ecological thinking, a focus on how to preserve biodiversity in habitats already hosting high levels of human activity. Working to make such habitats more hospitable for other organisms is a critical accompaniment to ongoing efforts to protect them in reserves. Everyone should be aware of this hopeful trend." —Paul R. Ehrlich, President, Center for Conservation Biology, Stanford University

"Rosenzweig has done it all—elegant experiments and continent-wide summaries of ecological patterns. He combines those essential experiences with passionate and thoughtful writing to make a compelling case that we can and must live with Nature, not fence her off in reservations." —Stuart Pimm, Doris Duke Chair of Conservation Ecology, Duke University, and author of The World According to Pimm: A Scientist Audits the Earth

From the Publisher