The polar bear could be driven to extinction by global warming melting the Arctic ice within a century. West Africa’s gorillas and chimpanzees could soon be on the brink of extinction because of hunters and an epidemic of Ebola virus. Interesting and depressing news items but if you want to get a world perspective on threatened plants and animals, you should buy this attractive and informative book.
The author is environmental officer at the University of Cambridge and has packed a lot into this short atlas. Each two page opening shows a map and supporting text. This is enriched by tables and diagrams plus small photographs, all cleverly integrated into the main map. The book is divided into seven parts. First, is a look at evolution and mass extinction with sections on the ever‐popular dinosaurs and the decreasingly popular species, man. The planet’s major ecosystems are then examined: tropical and temperate forests; grasslands; wetlands; mangrove swamps and coral reefs. So‐called “fragile regions” are covered: the Arctic; Antarctic; Australia; South America; the Galapagos; Madagascar. Parts four and five cover animals, plants and birds. The final parts deal with conservation issues such as biodiversity, trade in species, ecological hotspots and conservation, not forgetting domestic breeds. The atlas concludes with statistical tables of protected ecosystems and biodiversity, and threatened species. There is a list of references containing many useful Web sites, and an index.
What makes this book such a pleasure to use are the many pie charts, symbols and graphs which accompany and illuminate the maps. I suspect this will be a very popular work with students and, indeed, professional conservationists. It is very nicely produced and invites browsing. I thoroughly recommend Atlas of Endangered Species for every school and university library not least because of its modest cost coupled with an authoritative text. It deserves to be a great success.
