Living Planet: Preserving Edens of the Earth - Hardcover

World Wildlife Fund

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 060960466X ISBN 13: 9780609604663

Publisher: Crown, 1999

Synopsis

Our planet is a precious jewel, a unique oasis of life in a seemingly barren cosmos. Looking at Earth from outer space, one astronaut described it as "piercingly beautiful." But a rapidly growing human population has put a strain on Earth's resources and has wrought alarming and permanent changes in the environment. Untold species of plants and animals have been wiped out forever, and others are in imminent danger of becoming extinct. Ecologist Gordan Orians has suggested that we may be entering a new geologic age -- the Homigicene -- with humankind as the great leveler.  "We are carrying so many organisms around the world and depositing them in so many places where they did not formerly live that we are blurring the distinctness of the different regions. At the time, we are destroying habitats where diversity might be maintained."

Long at the forefront of nature conservation, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has launched its revolutionary Living Planet Campaign in response to this dire situation. Instead of focusing on individual species and fragments of land and water, WWF scientists have identified 237 ecoregions -- known for simplicity's sake as the Global 200 -- that best exemplify the terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecoregions on Earth. (For your convenience, a removable, full-color map of Global 200 is included in the back of this book.) The organization is working with governments, industry, and local people around the world to protect these regions from further damage -- the equivalent of creating a fleet of arks safeguarding an irreplaceable cargo for a voyage into the future.

Living Planet: Preserving Edens of the earth highlights the precious web of life that WWF's campaign seeks to help save. Lavishly illustrated throughout with stunning four-color photographs, the book features the work of three acclaimed nature photographers: Frans Lanting, Galen Rowell, and David Doubilet. All pioneers in outdoor photography, they have captured on film the fragility and wonder of life on Earth, from the forests of the Andes to the coral reefs of Australia.  By bringing the beauty of the Global 200 into living rooms around the world, WWF hopes that readers will be inspired to share in its determination to leave our children a living planet.

About this title

Review:

The World Wildlife Fund has an ambitious goal. With its Living Planet campaign, WWF intends to preserve a bit of every major ecosystem type in the world. From Borneo to Ethiopia, Angola to Oregon, these conservation areas are a serious effort to prevent the complete destruction of rare and unique wildlife habitat. The project's goals are stated in the introduction to Living Planet:

By conserving the broadest variety of the world's habitats, we can conserve the broadest variety of the world's species and most endangered wildlife.... Regardless of where they are located, Global 200 ecoregions are all unique expressions of biological diversity, each with its own highly distinctive species, ecological processes, and evolutionary phenomena.

To chronicle this "conservationist's vision of Noah's ark," WWF sent three extraordinarily talented nature photographers around the world. Frans Lanting specializes in intimate animal portraits, Galen Rowell in capturing mountainous landscapes, and David Doubilet in the underwater world. Each photographer contributes unforgettable portraits of the beauty and wonder of Earth's most fragile places. Living Planet is a truly stunning testament to the difficulties and successes of the Global 200 project. Breathtaking photos introduce readers to the diversity of plant and animal life in the ecoregions. Here's a small sample: a pair of tortoises basking on an island in the Indian Ocean. An enclosed wall poster shows the ecoregions around the globe. And to complete the package, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Living Planet goes to the World Wildlife Fund to help them continue their conservation work. --Therese Littleton

About the Author:

Known worldwide by its panda logo, World Wildlife Fund is the largest privately supported international conservation organization in the world. WWF has sponsored more than 2,000 projects in 116 countries and has more than a million members in the United States alone. From working to save the giant panda, tiger, and rhino to helping establish and manage parks and reserves, WWF has been a conservation leader for nearly four decades.

Frans Lanting has been hailed as one of the great nature photographers of our time. His work has appeared in books, magazines, and exhibits around the world. He has received numerous prestigious awards, including BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year. His most recent book is the best-selling Eye to Eye: Intimate Encounters with the animal World (1997).

Galen Rowell's stunning wilderness and mountain photography has earned him international acclaim. In 1984 he received the Ansel Adams Award for his contribution to the art of wilderness photography. He is the author of thirteen books of photographs, including the best-selling Mountain Light (1986) and his most recent regional best-seller Bay Area Wild (1997).

David Doubilet is recognized as one of the best undersea photographers in the world. His work has appeared in a variety of international publications, including National Geographic, for which he has produced more than fifty stories. His books include Light in the Sea (1989), Pacific: An Undersea Journey (1992), and Water Light Time (1999).

Noel Grove has written for National Geographic for twenty-five years. He has published four books, including the best-selling Wildlands for Wildlife (1983). He is the cofounder of the Society of Environmental Journalists.

About this edition

• Publisher: Crown
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 060960466X
• ISBN 13: 9780609604663
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256