Earthscape: Exploring Endangered Ecosystems runs on both IBM and compatible (386/33 MHz or faster CPU, Windows 3.1 or better, 8 MB free RAM (16 MB recommended), double speed CD‐ROM drive, 256‐color VGA monitor) and Macintosh computers (Macintosh 68040 or faster or Power Mac, 8 MB free RAM, double speed CD‐ROM drive, System 7.1 or higher). The opening menu offers options to explore “environmental basics,” “ecosystems,” “endangered species,” or to go to the “conservation directory.”
The environmental basics section provides definitions and basic concepts relating to ecology, conservation and management, and “biomes and communities.” Ecosystems describes thirteen ecosystems and discusses the diversity of life which inhabits them. The ecosystems include the arctic tundra, Florida Everglades, Amazonian rainforest, Greater Salmon‐Selway, Columbia River Basin, Northern forest, Okavango delta, coral reefs, Madagascar, Sonoran desert, prairie potholes, Great Lakes, and the Himalayas. Each entry includes a map; an introduction; a description of the geology, climate, and resources and coverage of the area’s biodiversity; environmental concerns; and endangered species pertinent to each ecosystem.
Endangered Species contains the text of the Endangered Species Act, the legislation that protects endangered plants and animals in seven U.S. ecosystems. It also provides access to information about endangered plants and animals. The articles all begin with an opening screen that gives the name, species, and sub‐species of the plant or animal, and the date it was listed as an endangered species. Some of the entries also have pictures. The articles proceed to provide a description of the plant or animal, describe its habitat, the causes for its endangered status, and conservation and recovery efforts. Articles on animals also cover the animal’s behavior and food and breeding habits. A final button in this section, labeled “general information” seems superfluous. It just provides a list of and links to the endangered species covered in the previous section.
The Conservation directory provides directory information about agencies and organizations concerned with the management of natural resources. It has separate buttons for U.S. and Canadian environmental groups, arranged by state or province and subarranged by government agencies and citizens’ groups. Agencies outside the U.S. and Canada are arranged by country; and national and regional groups are arranged by name. Entries provide name, address, phone and fax numbers, and date of foundation. They may include a brief description of the organization and a list of its publications.
Earthscape is very easy to navigate. Each topic opens two windows. A small window on the left shows the outline of the entry while a larger one on the right contains the main text. Page numbers on the bottom of each screen, such as 2 of 10, give the reader a clear understanding of the length of the article and his or her relative location. Most screens have an Internet button to retrieve more current information.
Buttons in the lower left, in the shape of different types of leaves, provide options to go quickly to a particular section of the disc or to go to the previous menu or to go back a screen. A Tools button offers a dictionary and search options. It also provides factoids, such as “It takes an entire forest ‐ over 500,000 trees ‐ to make the Sunday newspapers in the United States.” and “Plywood emits formaldehyde: It is one of the biggest polluters of air in homes.” Clicking on a bumblebee icon that appears on the screen randomly throughout the program provides access to the same factoids. An interesting option on the Tools button is labeled “What you can do.” It makes different suggestions on how to help preserve the environment. One can opt to view suggestions targeted to an individual, a family, or an entire community. This is an excellent tool for use in class to personalize the subject and reinforce learning.
A “File” button lets users set file preferences, print or copy information, or get help or quit. Most of the text in the program seems rather small. While this may be fine for younger audiences which comprise Earthscape’s target audience, older readers, such as parents and teachers, may have difficulty focusing their eyes.. This can be particularly troublesome on maps. Because the text appears as part of a page image, it cannot be resized on the screen. Nor can the reader copy selected portions of the text. When one selects the copy option, it copies the entire screen of information. The print option, however, lets students print a single page or the entire article.
Some “zoo‐type” CD‐ROMs, like The Animals, arrange their exhibits by biomes; but their exhibits focus less on the endangered species than does Earthscape. On the other hand, a product like Beacham’s International Threatened, Endangered, and Extinct Species release 2 (reviewed in the September issue: 97/85) covers more species and includes more images than does Earthscape. It is also targeted at an older audience. Earthscape’s strength lies in covering ecology and conservation. Here, it has no electronic counterpart. It is also significantly cheaper than the Beacham title, making it more affordable for the average user. Recommended for junior high and high school levels and possibly introductory college level.
