Victor Scheffer writes of a social revolution. Environmentalism began as a revelation that the resources supporting life are limited and that men and women can--if they act wisely and soon--reduce their material demands and their numbers before limits are reached and the richness of human existence is diminished forever. The revelation grew into a revolution driven by a morality of life or death for the human race. Environmentalism is not a word deeply rooted in the American vernacular. It was seldom used before the appearance of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962, although warnings about the environment had been sounded earlier. It has roots in conservation--the preservation and careful use of natural resources--and in ecology--the study of the relastionships between these roots. It describes areas of major concern to environmentalists in the sixties and seventies, ranging from wasted croplands and forests through endangered species to birth control. It reports progress on three fronts: educational, legal, and political. Richly anecdotal, the book is an informal history of a generation of aroused citizens who began to see their outdoor surroundings--and indeed all of Planet Earth--in a new light. The formative years of the movement-1960 to 1980-are central to the narrative. By 1980 environmentalism as a social science, a field of political management, a philosophy, and to many a religion, was firmly in place. The movement met with notable setbacks during the Reagan years, however, and Scheffer concludes his narrative with an epilogue highlighting environmental events from 1981 to 1989. Although veterans of the movement will find much in the book familiar territory, they will welcome the broad coverage of crises, decisions, and laws that set the stage for environmental victories. As a new generation joins the environmental movement, the book will help them understand the moral impetus that gave birth to environmentalism and the public awareness and concern for change that grew with the movement.

This book provides a thorough, up-to-date examination of conservation biology and the many supporting disciplines that comprise conservation science. In this, the Third Edition of the highly successful Conservation Biology: Foundations, Concepts, Applications, the authors address their interdisciplinary topic as it must now be practiced and perceived in the modern world. Beginning with a concise review of the history of conservation, the authors go on to explore the interplay of conservation with genetics, demography, habitat and landscape, aquatic environments, and ecosystem management, and the relationship of all these disciplines to ethics, economics, law, and policy. An entirely new chapter, The Anthropocene: Conservation in a Human-Dominated Nature, breaks new ground in its exploration of how conservation can be practiced in anthropogenic biomes, novel ecosystems, and urban habitats. The Third Edition includes the popular Points of Engagement discussion questions used in earlier editions, and adds a new feature: Information Boxes, which briefly recap specific case histories described in the text. A concluding chapter offers insight into how to become a conservation professional, in both traditional and non-traditional roles. The authors, Fred Van Dyke and Rachel Lamb, draw on their expertise as field biologists, wildlife managers, consultants to government and industry, and scholars of environmental law, policy, and advocacy, as well as their many years of effective teaching experience. Informed by practical knowledge and acquired skills, the authors have created a work of exceptional clarity and readability which encompasses both systemic foundations as well as contemporary developments in the field. Conservation Biology: Foundations, Concepts, Applications will be of invaluable benefit to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as to working conservation scientists and managers. This is an amazing resource for students, faculty, and practitioners both new and experienced to the field. Diane Debinski, PhD Unexcelled wisdom for living at home on Wonderland Earth, the planet with promise, destined for abundant life. Holmes Rolston, PhD Van Dyke and Lamb have maintained the original text’s emphasis on connecting classical ecological and environmental work with updated modern applications and lucid examples. But more importantly, the third edition contains much new material on the human side of conservation, including expanded treatments of policy, economics, and climate change. Tim Van Deelen, PhD Fred Van Dyke and Rachel Lamb break new ground in both the breadth and depth of their review and analysis of this crucially important and rapidly changing field. Any student or other reader wishing to have a comprehensive overview and understanding of the complexities of conservation biology need look no further – this book is your starting point! Simon N. Stuart, PhD Anyone who teaches, talks or writes and works on Conservation Biology, needs this latest edition of Conservation Biology (Foundations, Concepts, Applications, 3rd edition) by Fred Van Dyke and Rachel L. Lamb. This will be useful to both beginners and experts as well. The authors included almost all important issues in relation to conservation biology. This is really an outstanding book. Bidhan Chandra Das, Professor, Ecology Branch, Department of Zoology, University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh