Tenacious beasts : wildlife recoveries that change how we think about animals / Christopher J. Preston.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Preston, Christopher J. (Christopher James), 1968- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Wildlife reintroduction.

Animal populations--Climatic factors.

Animal populations.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (320 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

Wildlife recoveries that change how we think about animals

Place of Publication:

2023.

Cambridge, Massachusetts : The MIT Press, [2023]

Summary:

"Conventional wisdom is that wild animals are being wiped out. But conventional wisdom skips some important details. Wildlife is rebounding. Not everywhere. Not every species. But a handful of wildlife populations have reached numbers unimaginable in a century. Red deer in Europe, bison in North America, humpback whales in the Atlantic. They have all seen their populations explode. They are back from the brink, numbering in the tens, or even hundreds, of thousands. Their return thrills those who have rooted for their recovery. It terrifies those who grew comfortable without them. This book tracks - and tries to understand - these dramatic rebounds. It shines a light on species returning to forests and farms, prairies and oceans, rivers and cities. It asks how these transformations can be happening and what they have to teach"-- Provided by publisher.

An inspiring look at wildlife species that are defying the odds and teaching important lessons about how to share a planet. The news about wildlife is dire--more than 900 species have been wiped off the planet since industrialization. Against this bleak backdrop, however, there are also glimmers of hope and crucial lessons to be learned from animals that have defied global trends toward extinction. Bear in Italy, bison in North America, whales in the Atlantic. These populations are back from the brink, some of them in numbers unimaginable in a century. How has this happened? What shifts in thinking did it demand? In crisp, transporting prose, Christopher Preston reveals the mysteries and challenges at the heart of these resurgences. Drawing on compelling personal stories from the researchers, Indigenous people, and activists who know the creatures best, Preston weaves together a gripping narrative of how some species are taking back vital, ecological roles. Each section of the book--farms, prairies, rivers, forests, oceans--offers a philosophical shift in how humans ought to think about animals, passionately advocating for the changes in attitude necessary for wildlife recovery. Tenacious Beasts is quintessential nature writing for the Anthropocene, touching on different facets of ecological restoration from Indigenous knowledge to rewilding practices. More important, perhaps, the book offers a road map--and a measure of hope--for a future in which humans and animals can once again coexist.

Contents:

Intro

CONTENTS

RESURGENCE

FARMLAND VILLAINS

1. CARS AND CARCASSES

2. THE WOLF NEXT DOOR

3. SHAKESPEAREAN

PRAIRIE PURITANS

1. A BISON IN A BOXCAR

2. A SAUSAGE ON A STICK

3. GENETICALLY AUROCH

RIVER ENGINEERS

1. HEALING DESTRUCTION

2. SO SALMON COULD LEAP

3. DEINDUSTRIALIZING RIVERS

FOREST MANAGERS

1. AN OWL WITH A PARACHUTE

2. PONIES AND POLO MINTS

3. PRUNING APPLES FOR BEARS

OCEAN PARTNERS

1. THE WHALES WHO LEARNED HOW TO FLOSS

2. A GREAT STIRRING

3. HAIRY POPCORN

CREATIVITY AND COURAGE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

NOTES

REFERENCES

INDEX.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 297-310) and index.

OCLC-licensed vendor bibliographic record.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-262-37255-X

0-262-37254-1

OCLC:

1369657183