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Jungles: Comment les forêts tropicales ont façonné le monde
Quand on pense à nos ancêtres homininés, on les imagine vivant dans la savane. Certainement pas dans des forêts tropicales, qu’on juge improductives à cause de leurs sols médiocres, des risques naturels mortels, de la présence d’animaux insaisissables et des climats extrêmes. Et pourtant, les forêts tropicales ont été essentielles à la vie sur toute la surface de la Terre, depuis l’apparition des premières plantes il y a des millions d’années, puis l’évolution des dinosaures et des premiers mammifères. Elles ont servi de pépinières à nos ancêtres qu’elles ont biologiquement façonnés. Elles ont abrité certaines des plus grandes villes préindustrielles du monde comme Angkor. Elles ont vu se développer des pratiques d’agriculture propres. Aujourd’hui encore, elles sont primordiales dans la régulation des phénomènes atmosphériques. Sans parler de leur rôle dans la production de la majorité de nos biens de consommation ! Mais l’Anthropocène, qui a commencé dans ces mêmes forêts il y a six mille ans avec l’activité humaine, pourrait bientôt faire basculer ce fragile équilibre. S’appuyant sur les dernières découvertes en biologie, botanique, climatologie, histoire et anthropologie, l’archéologue Patrick Roberts trace une histoire du monde selon ses jungles. Seule cette compréhension renouvelée permet de réagir de manière adaptée aux enjeux actuels de protection du climat et de la biodiversité qui nous concernent tous. À trente-deux ans, Patrick Roberts est directeur du laboratoire d’isotopes stables du département d’archéologie à l’Institut Max Planck. Couronné par plusieurs prix, membre de l’Académie européenne des sciences, il a publié son premier livre en 2019. Au-delà des interactions entre l’homme et la forêt tropicale, il s’intéresse à la relation entre changement climatique et changement culturel de notre espèce. Traduit de l’anglais par Odile Demange
436 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 14, 2021
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March 19, 2022
⭐⭐
This oner took me forever to get through. I just didn't find this author's voice engaging and found myself setting it aside in favor of other books. There were some very interesting chapters, especially the evolution of plants and the history of civilizations living in jungles. But the heavy focus on politics ran this one off the rails. 🤷🏻♀️
**ARC Vias NetGalley**
December 21, 2021
As can be seen from the multiple categories I've shelved this one under, this book aligned with many of my interests and is a topic close to my heart. For its very broad coverage, ranging from natural history and evolution to human prehistory and current trends this was indeed an ambitious undertaking, so it has to be lauded for that. The execution however, was flawed in many ways unfortunately.
I picked up quite basic and obvious factual errors in the references, such as birds being the most diverse vertebrates (it is fish), and the record for tree diversity in rain forests, where the author misquotes for total number of plant species. Anyhow, I attribute the mistakes to his expertise as an archeopaleontologist rather than biologist. He also kept using the term 'northern North America' that I found annoying, where 'Northern America' could have sufficed if the intention was to exclude Mexico, technically (but was it even necessary to be this precise?).
Secondly, the repeated contention that solutions to our current crisis in tropical conservation lie in lessons from past pre-industrial societies' ostensibly sustainable management of their land and natural resources, was problematic. While the meso-American and Ankorian civilizations were able to last for centuries, one cannot simply apply their way of lives to our current modern societies as the situation has changed dramatically since. Yes we should focus on localization of food production and practice agroforestry, but at today's level of population and consumption pressures it is simply not sustainable without a concurrent reduction in the size of economies everywhere.
On the whole this book covered a broad range of interesting areas that most readers may not have learned about and puts forth unconventional ideas from a historical social injustice perspective. The last few chapters about the litany of urgent issues surrounding environmental degradation were too repetitive and long-winded.
I picked up quite basic and obvious factual errors in the references, such as birds being the most diverse vertebrates (it is fish), and the record for tree diversity in rain forests, where the author misquotes for total number of plant species. Anyhow, I attribute the mistakes to his expertise as an archeopaleontologist rather than biologist. He also kept using the term 'northern North America' that I found annoying, where 'Northern America' could have sufficed if the intention was to exclude Mexico, technically (but was it even necessary to be this precise?).
Secondly, the repeated contention that solutions to our current crisis in tropical conservation lie in lessons from past pre-industrial societies' ostensibly sustainable management of their land and natural resources, was problematic. While the meso-American and Ankorian civilizations were able to last for centuries, one cannot simply apply their way of lives to our current modern societies as the situation has changed dramatically since. Yes we should focus on localization of food production and practice agroforestry, but at today's level of population and consumption pressures it is simply not sustainable without a concurrent reduction in the size of economies everywhere.
On the whole this book covered a broad range of interesting areas that most readers may not have learned about and puts forth unconventional ideas from a historical social injustice perspective. The last few chapters about the litany of urgent issues surrounding environmental degradation were too repetitive and long-winded.
December 9, 2021
Von der Entwicklung von tropischen Wäldern bis zur Symbiose zwischen Mensch und Umwelt wird in diesem Buch alles thematisiert. Wie haben Dinos von den Tropen profitiert und warum gibt es den Ursprung von tropischen Wäldern eigentlich nicht mehr?
Dieses Buch gewährt einen Einblick in die Welt der zerstörerischen Macht des Menschen. Wichtig ist auch das Kapitel vom Einfluss von Imperialismus und Kolonien und welche nachhaltige Veränderung es mit sich gebracht hat und wie diese den Rassismus von Heute maßgeblich geprägt hat.
Es hat mich thematisch ein bisschen an das Buch "Collapse" von Jared Diamond erinnert.
Dieses Buch gewährt einen Einblick in die Welt der zerstörerischen Macht des Menschen. Wichtig ist auch das Kapitel vom Einfluss von Imperialismus und Kolonien und welche nachhaltige Veränderung es mit sich gebracht hat und wie diese den Rassismus von Heute maßgeblich geprägt hat.
Es hat mich thematisch ein bisschen an das Buch "Collapse" von Jared Diamond erinnert.
March 26, 2022
Comprehensive work tracing the origins of tropical forests from the initial evolution of trees all the way to their state now. Main thing is that this book looks at evolution from the perspective of trees with them playing a significant role in regulating temperatures, CO2, as food for the evolving inhabitants etc.
Only qualm is the language. The language is very academic, and sentences are written to ensure they don't miss anything, not to ensure readers understand what is being said. This leads to long drawn out sentences joined at their hinges by comma after comma. You almost end up reading the book twice as most sentences make you read them again to understand. A better editor was needed.
Only qualm is the language. The language is very academic, and sentences are written to ensure they don't miss anything, not to ensure readers understand what is being said. This leads to long drawn out sentences joined at their hinges by comma after comma. You almost end up reading the book twice as most sentences make you read them again to understand. A better editor was needed.
July 16, 2021
Intriguing Premise. Fascinating Start. Back Half Marred By Politics And Questionable Scholarship. This book had an utterly fascinating premise, one I've read a couple of other books over the last year in the same arena - the history of wood and palm oil in those prior books. And y'all, the front half of this book, mostly concerned with prehistory, was *awesome*. Roberts tracks how the development of what we now call in English "jungle" began in the earliest geological eras of plant life, through the time of the dinosaurs, and into the evolution of humanity from our earliest barely-more-than-ape forebears to modern Homo Sapien Sapien.
But then we get into the first millennium ish AD and Roberts turns his focus to the native populations of the Americas - and blaming Columbus specifically and Europe generally for every ill to come since. Even while noting cases where conquest would not have been possible except that certain elements of the native populations betrayed other elements for their own personal power. Ok. Still has some solid points about the interrelationship between humans and jungle here, but even here the politics is quite heavy handed - though admittedly typical for elitist academics and perfectly in line with that level of thought.
Coming into much more recent times - within my lifetime ish, since the 1980s - Roberts goes deeper into the politics, even openly praising Greta Thunberg (a bit ironic, given Roberts' own actual academic pedigree vs Thurnberg's lack of one). But worse than that, he actively gets a bit lax with his scholarship through this point, noting the spread of Ebola into the US during the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak... without acknowledging that it was (mostly) active - and *safe* (as safe as anything *can* be with Ebola) - efforts by the US government to bring US nationals back to within the US for treatments. Instead, the implication from the author is that this was more direct results of lackadaisical regulations and rampant environmental destruction. He also (accurately) notes the 3,000 people killed by Hurricane Maria in 2017... without noting that Hurricane Irma had come through many of the same regions as an even stronger storm just two weeks prior, causing quite a bit of damage that ultimately led to a larger loss of life than normal when a second major hurricane (Maria) came through so soon after. (Disclaimer here: I moved to northern Florida in August 2017, barely a month before Irma and barely 6 weeks before Maria. I had a planned cruise in November 2017 to San Juan and St Maarten, among others, moved to Aruba and Curacao due to the combined effects of the two storms.)
Finally, in perhaps the most glaring questionable fact in the entire text, Roberts points to COVID-19 case counts "as of the end of July 2021". Except that I'm writing this review on July 15, 2021, almost exactly halfway into the month down to the minute, and I've had this book in ARC form since May 12, 2021. (And I should note that this book appeared to be mostly completely print ready at that time, though the publisher and author may claim that there were indeed a few more edits since that point.) Even if one assumes that this particular line was placed in the book by say May 10, at the very latest stages before making it available on NetGalley (where I got it), and even if one assumes that the actual number at hand is accurate (I have no real reason to doubt it, though I personally stopped paying attention to these particular numbers over a year ago), wouldn't it have been better scholarship to note that the case count was "as of the end of May 2021"? Or was the author projecting and hoping this either wasn't noticed, that he would be proven correct prior to publication (still almost exactly two months away, as this book is currently shown to publish on September 14, 2021 at the time of writing this review), or that this particular fact could be updated prior to publication with the actual number? None of those three options point to the same level of scholarship of the beginning of the book, and indeed the fact of their existence brings into doubt all prior points and presumed merits. Thus, including that particular fact ultimately does more harm to the entire text than even the most blatant of political biases displayed earlier in the text.
Still, ultimately this was a very approachable text that even when taking into account its standard academic biases generally presents an intriguing look into the history and development of humanity, and it actually has a respectable bibliography, clocking in at around 26% of the text. Thus the book is still ultimately recommended for that alone. Just... make sure you read other competing books in the same area in addition to this one.
Post Script: While looking for the author's website for the blog version of this review, I found out that the author is indeed a seeming expert *in prehistoric jungles*, having published several articles in peer reviewed journals over the last decade. But nearly every single article listed on his website deals with the prehistoric era, which perhaps explains the difference in how excellent this particular book was when it was discussing this particular era vs the problems that began mostly when he left it. Which is leaving me, for one, *very* interested in a follow up book expanding on the first half of this one with even more details, perhaps, of the environments, fauna, and flora of these prehistoric eras the author seems to know so well.
But then we get into the first millennium ish AD and Roberts turns his focus to the native populations of the Americas - and blaming Columbus specifically and Europe generally for every ill to come since. Even while noting cases where conquest would not have been possible except that certain elements of the native populations betrayed other elements for their own personal power. Ok. Still has some solid points about the interrelationship between humans and jungle here, but even here the politics is quite heavy handed - though admittedly typical for elitist academics and perfectly in line with that level of thought.
Coming into much more recent times - within my lifetime ish, since the 1980s - Roberts goes deeper into the politics, even openly praising Greta Thunberg (a bit ironic, given Roberts' own actual academic pedigree vs Thurnberg's lack of one). But worse than that, he actively gets a bit lax with his scholarship through this point, noting the spread of Ebola into the US during the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak... without acknowledging that it was (mostly) active - and *safe* (as safe as anything *can* be with Ebola) - efforts by the US government to bring US nationals back to within the US for treatments. Instead, the implication from the author is that this was more direct results of lackadaisical regulations and rampant environmental destruction. He also (accurately) notes the 3,000 people killed by Hurricane Maria in 2017... without noting that Hurricane Irma had come through many of the same regions as an even stronger storm just two weeks prior, causing quite a bit of damage that ultimately led to a larger loss of life than normal when a second major hurricane (Maria) came through so soon after. (Disclaimer here: I moved to northern Florida in August 2017, barely a month before Irma and barely 6 weeks before Maria. I had a planned cruise in November 2017 to San Juan and St Maarten, among others, moved to Aruba and Curacao due to the combined effects of the two storms.)
Finally, in perhaps the most glaring questionable fact in the entire text, Roberts points to COVID-19 case counts "as of the end of July 2021". Except that I'm writing this review on July 15, 2021, almost exactly halfway into the month down to the minute, and I've had this book in ARC form since May 12, 2021. (And I should note that this book appeared to be mostly completely print ready at that time, though the publisher and author may claim that there were indeed a few more edits since that point.) Even if one assumes that this particular line was placed in the book by say May 10, at the very latest stages before making it available on NetGalley (where I got it), and even if one assumes that the actual number at hand is accurate (I have no real reason to doubt it, though I personally stopped paying attention to these particular numbers over a year ago), wouldn't it have been better scholarship to note that the case count was "as of the end of May 2021"? Or was the author projecting and hoping this either wasn't noticed, that he would be proven correct prior to publication (still almost exactly two months away, as this book is currently shown to publish on September 14, 2021 at the time of writing this review), or that this particular fact could be updated prior to publication with the actual number? None of those three options point to the same level of scholarship of the beginning of the book, and indeed the fact of their existence brings into doubt all prior points and presumed merits. Thus, including that particular fact ultimately does more harm to the entire text than even the most blatant of political biases displayed earlier in the text.
Still, ultimately this was a very approachable text that even when taking into account its standard academic biases generally presents an intriguing look into the history and development of humanity, and it actually has a respectable bibliography, clocking in at around 26% of the text. Thus the book is still ultimately recommended for that alone. Just... make sure you read other competing books in the same area in addition to this one.
Post Script: While looking for the author's website for the blog version of this review, I found out that the author is indeed a seeming expert *in prehistoric jungles*, having published several articles in peer reviewed journals over the last decade. But nearly every single article listed on his website deals with the prehistoric era, which perhaps explains the difference in how excellent this particular book was when it was discussing this particular era vs the problems that began mostly when he left it. Which is leaving me, for one, *very* interested in a follow up book expanding on the first half of this one with even more details, perhaps, of the environments, fauna, and flora of these prehistoric eras the author seems to know so well.
April 20, 2022
Acknowledging nuance and complexity, Jungle is a fine revisionist narrative that shows humanity's long and entwined history with tropical forests. Read my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2022...
July 23, 2021
An incredibly thorough and thought provoking read. Realised I had many misconceptions regarding tropical rainforests and how humans have inhabited them, which makes the fact we are destroying them even more disturbing
September 2, 2021
I received an early copy in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Netgalley and Basic Books.
Jungle will change the way you think about the jungle and tropical rainforests. It presents an accessible refresher on biology and ecosystems that is enjoyable for the science and nature
enthusiasts. The author helpfully defines technical terms in the body of the text to avoid the need for reference materials. The text flows in a conversational manner that is easy to understand.
It doesn't get to the story of humans (through primates) until chapter 5. And not until chapter 6 does the author start to defend his new thesis. Practically speaking the history of humans is a history of farming. We can trace humanity's ability to survive in the jungle to the crops we can locate in the soil. Chapter 7 explores this in detail.
This is a fine companion to Four Lost Cities, exploring the rise of various jungle cities, including Angkor. The author argues that our current ideas of humans being unable to survive in the jungle comes from colonialism and the destruction that accompanies it. This is explored in detail through numerous crops and animals, the introduction of which led to changes in the environment we still deal with today.
Roberts describes how the globalization of the European methods of farming, especially cattle and related animals has lead to increased deforestation throughout the world. Spanish and European mining for gold and silver has had similar destructive impacts on the environment in South America and elsewhere.
Later chapters explore major ways our global capitalist culture is slowly destroying the environment and harming indigenous populations including the ever-destructive oil palm industry. It is a wake up call for those who recognize climate change is a threat but may not have understood just how severe a threat it poses.
Jungle will change the way you think about the jungle and tropical rainforests. It presents an accessible refresher on biology and ecosystems that is enjoyable for the science and nature
enthusiasts. The author helpfully defines technical terms in the body of the text to avoid the need for reference materials. The text flows in a conversational manner that is easy to understand.
It doesn't get to the story of humans (through primates) until chapter 5. And not until chapter 6 does the author start to defend his new thesis. Practically speaking the history of humans is a history of farming. We can trace humanity's ability to survive in the jungle to the crops we can locate in the soil. Chapter 7 explores this in detail.
This is a fine companion to Four Lost Cities, exploring the rise of various jungle cities, including Angkor. The author argues that our current ideas of humans being unable to survive in the jungle comes from colonialism and the destruction that accompanies it. This is explored in detail through numerous crops and animals, the introduction of which led to changes in the environment we still deal with today.
Roberts describes how the globalization of the European methods of farming, especially cattle and related animals has lead to increased deforestation throughout the world. Spanish and European mining for gold and silver has had similar destructive impacts on the environment in South America and elsewhere.
Later chapters explore major ways our global capitalist culture is slowly destroying the environment and harming indigenous populations including the ever-destructive oil palm industry. It is a wake up call for those who recognize climate change is a threat but may not have understood just how severe a threat it poses.
September 16, 2021
This is a book I didn’t know I needed! Roberts masterfully details the evolution of tropical forests on earth through each period. He quite convincingly shows how humans and forests cohabitate together through time and even still today. Finally, he shows why understanding and respecting our forests is so essential for the planet and for us as humans. Highly recommend!
July 12, 2021
A really nice look at interactions humans and other animals have within and around jungle and forests. A look that is not just the past fifty years but hundreds. Really good.
February 11, 2022
The topic of this book is fascinating while a little bit neglected, so I began reading it with enthusiasm. Unfortunately, while there are many worthwhile stories here, the style left me disappointed. It is rather dry and overloaded with data, my mind has been regularly drifting away during reading – and the author has a very annoying habit of constantly using unnecessary quotation marks.
So, if you are interested in the topic, you can try this book – but if you are looking for an engaging natural history book, look for something else.
Thanks to the publisher, Perseus Books, Basic Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
So, if you are interested in the topic, you can try this book – but if you are looking for an engaging natural history book, look for something else.
Thanks to the publisher, Perseus Books, Basic Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
July 1, 2021
I reviewed this in detail for New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/...
In brief: a fantastically researched and wide-ranging book, sadly let down by a difficult and rather dour prose style.
In brief: a fantastically researched and wide-ranging book, sadly let down by a difficult and rather dour prose style.
July 25, 2024
Of the author the blurb says he: 'has worked in tropical forests across the Amazon Basin, the lowlands of Sri Lanka, the Wet Tropics of Australia, and the islands settings of Wallacea and the wider Pacific'. And how did our doughty eco-warrior get to those places? Did he walk, cycle or use public transport? No, he flew with consummate insouciance and with the aid of a 'European Research Council Starter Grant of 1.5 million euros.' I know NO ONE who could have afforded to do all that. This over-privileged self-righteous Westerner then proceeds to castigate the West for its colonial and imperial past and repeatedly hectors the rest of us to 'save the planet'. Over the past twenty years I have read over 1,000 books and few of them are as annoying and irritating as this one.
According to Roberts, everyone in the West ought to feel a collective guilt for 'our' racist, colonial and imperial past and it somehow behoves 'us' to make amends for this. This is pretty rich coming from a wealthy Western Eco-Messiah who trots around the globe with gay abandon, spewing carbon into the atmosphere with every flight he takes. I am 69 and I have never owned a car or flown in a plane. Nineteen of every twenty journeys I take are on foot and the rest by bus or train. I have been interested in and supporting wildlife and the environment before this Jet Star was even born and I find his glaring hypocrisy utterly revolting
On page 200 of his screed he says: 'As global temperatures increase, ice-caps melt and sea levels in in the Indian and Pacific Oceans rise at a rate of 4 millimetres every year.' On page 264 he adds: 'we should perhaps be more sickened than we often are by this climate injustice and the current plight of these drowning nations.' 'Drowning in FOUR millimeters - that's some trick! Our Eco Messiah continues to damn us Westerners in the hell fire of 'global warming', throwing in some biblical Eco-Flood for good measure - climate sinners we all!
Roberts can see the wood and the trees - but little else. He is certainly no historian. He assumes everyone in Britain, Europe and the North of America lived the life of Riley because of our colonial empires. Sticking to the UK where I have lived all my life - this simply was not so. British genius bequethed to the world, nuclear and steam power, the jet and the hovercraft and the Agrarian and Industrial Revolutions but only an elite of about 1% of the population became wealthy from this. Many seven year olds worked in factories, down the pit or sweeping Victorian chimneys. Life was HELL for the working class throughout the 200 years of these two revolutions. Many ordinary people were exploited as badly as the indentured lablour or slaves that worked in the southern USA. So all that 'collective guilt' jive can go straight into the historical dustbin.
To add to his glaring historical ignorance, on page 294 he actually praises the cretins who destroyed the Edward Colston statue in an act of cultural vandalism. Then he goes on to laud the Black Lives Matter movement - a Communist organization via which its organizers feathered their own nests to the tune of millions of dollars. This racist organization - the clue is in its name - ought to be anathema to decent democratic people. Where does all this anarchy stop?
Roberts barely mentions the damage that China and india are doing to the planet - he excuses India because it obviously isn't in 'The West'. Meanwhile its President Modi recently bragged of producing a BILLION tons of coal in one year! And in the last eight years China has produced more carbon dioxide than Britain did throughout the whole of its Industrial Revolution. In fact the UK produces less than 1 % of global carbon dioxide emissions and this country has done more to CUT its emissions than any other.
In conclusion, our rich Western boy has benefitted immensely from the First World as he tries to send the rest of us back to the Dark Ages.
According to Roberts, everyone in the West ought to feel a collective guilt for 'our' racist, colonial and imperial past and it somehow behoves 'us' to make amends for this. This is pretty rich coming from a wealthy Western Eco-Messiah who trots around the globe with gay abandon, spewing carbon into the atmosphere with every flight he takes. I am 69 and I have never owned a car or flown in a plane. Nineteen of every twenty journeys I take are on foot and the rest by bus or train. I have been interested in and supporting wildlife and the environment before this Jet Star was even born and I find his glaring hypocrisy utterly revolting
On page 200 of his screed he says: 'As global temperatures increase, ice-caps melt and sea levels in in the Indian and Pacific Oceans rise at a rate of 4 millimetres every year.' On page 264 he adds: 'we should perhaps be more sickened than we often are by this climate injustice and the current plight of these drowning nations.' 'Drowning in FOUR millimeters - that's some trick! Our Eco Messiah continues to damn us Westerners in the hell fire of 'global warming', throwing in some biblical Eco-Flood for good measure - climate sinners we all!
Roberts can see the wood and the trees - but little else. He is certainly no historian. He assumes everyone in Britain, Europe and the North of America lived the life of Riley because of our colonial empires. Sticking to the UK where I have lived all my life - this simply was not so. British genius bequethed to the world, nuclear and steam power, the jet and the hovercraft and the Agrarian and Industrial Revolutions but only an elite of about 1% of the population became wealthy from this. Many seven year olds worked in factories, down the pit or sweeping Victorian chimneys. Life was HELL for the working class throughout the 200 years of these two revolutions. Many ordinary people were exploited as badly as the indentured lablour or slaves that worked in the southern USA. So all that 'collective guilt' jive can go straight into the historical dustbin.
To add to his glaring historical ignorance, on page 294 he actually praises the cretins who destroyed the Edward Colston statue in an act of cultural vandalism. Then he goes on to laud the Black Lives Matter movement - a Communist organization via which its organizers feathered their own nests to the tune of millions of dollars. This racist organization - the clue is in its name - ought to be anathema to decent democratic people. Where does all this anarchy stop?
Roberts barely mentions the damage that China and india are doing to the planet - he excuses India because it obviously isn't in 'The West'. Meanwhile its President Modi recently bragged of producing a BILLION tons of coal in one year! And in the last eight years China has produced more carbon dioxide than Britain did throughout the whole of its Industrial Revolution. In fact the UK produces less than 1 % of global carbon dioxide emissions and this country has done more to CUT its emissions than any other.
In conclusion, our rich Western boy has benefitted immensely from the First World as he tries to send the rest of us back to the Dark Ages.
September 15, 2024
I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second half. The first half was an interesting look at how mammals evolved to fit the tropical world and how the tropical world also evolved to fit mammals, especially in the growing diversity of angiosperms and the ways in which seed spread depended in part on mammals and mammals depended on the rich nutrients provided by the angiosperms to be successful. This past decade or two, there has been a growing recognition of how important plants are and how much more there is to know about them than was thought before. To some extent the first half of the book is part of that discussion, but only to an extent. Despite the title, the rest of the book is more about how humans have shaped the world around them.
Here we learn about how mankind has impacted tropical islands and forests. Here he focuses on how ancient colonization and development of the tropics, which was at times invasive and destructive, is followed by more recent colonization by Western civilization that has been much more invasive and destructive. Those earlier peoples in Roberts' view were learning through trial and error to live more harmoniously with the jungle, but then along came Western colonial powers to both mischaracterize those existing--now submerged--peoples and to have a very negative impact on the ecology of tropical islands and forests. This half of the book is more about centering marginalized peoples and convincing us to change our destructive capitalist and technological ways. Certainly a good goal, but a bit different from what the title and early chapters had set me up for. Rather than go on about how the book becomes less about the science and more about eco-politics, I'll let Roberts tell us what he was aiming at.
Roberts tells us in his final chapter, "A Global Responsibility," "I hope to have convinced you that tropical forests are a part of your history, your present livelihood, and your future security. I hope that the next time you turn on a nature documentary, you feel a little closer to the miraculous plant and animal life tropical forests have to offer. I hope that the next time you watch a film with an explorer cutting through a tangle of tropical vines, you are less surprised to witness the incredible achievements of preindustrial human societies rise out of the 'jungle' before them. And I hope that the next time you se a news report about the poor public health of Indigenous populations, racial tensions, multinational corporations mining, deforestation, and rampant fires in the tropics, you do not look away. "
Here we learn about how mankind has impacted tropical islands and forests. Here he focuses on how ancient colonization and development of the tropics, which was at times invasive and destructive, is followed by more recent colonization by Western civilization that has been much more invasive and destructive. Those earlier peoples in Roberts' view were learning through trial and error to live more harmoniously with the jungle, but then along came Western colonial powers to both mischaracterize those existing--now submerged--peoples and to have a very negative impact on the ecology of tropical islands and forests. This half of the book is more about centering marginalized peoples and convincing us to change our destructive capitalist and technological ways. Certainly a good goal, but a bit different from what the title and early chapters had set me up for. Rather than go on about how the book becomes less about the science and more about eco-politics, I'll let Roberts tell us what he was aiming at.
Roberts tells us in his final chapter, "A Global Responsibility," "I hope to have convinced you that tropical forests are a part of your history, your present livelihood, and your future security. I hope that the next time you turn on a nature documentary, you feel a little closer to the miraculous plant and animal life tropical forests have to offer. I hope that the next time you watch a film with an explorer cutting through a tangle of tropical vines, you are less surprised to witness the incredible achievements of preindustrial human societies rise out of the 'jungle' before them. And I hope that the next time you se a news report about the poor public health of Indigenous populations, racial tensions, multinational corporations mining, deforestation, and rampant fires in the tropics, you do not look away. "
April 10, 2025
Subtitled How Tropical Forests shaped World History, this is an ambitious history of tropical forests from prehistory to the present.
The earliest chapters looking at prehistoric tropical forests and how they co-evolved with early animals, including dinosaurs and the first mammals were definitely the best. Later chapters dealing with early human inhabitants of the tropical forests felt too brief and could have been used as the basis for entire books. The later chapters focussed too much on issues that don't seem central to the topic. For example, the details about slavery in the tropics were fascinating and, in themselves, vital to know, but might not have needed to be expanded on so much in a book specifically about forests. I would have been more interested (in the context of rainforests) to know more about the functioning of human societies that have long lived in rainforests. The author makes a very important point that we can learn from these societies, but seems a little naive in the extent to which he thinks we could recreate ancient settlement patterns in the modern world where there is so much population pressure on tropical areas.
A central and vital theme is climate change. The book outlines how the changing prehistoric climate affected rainforests and considers how current, human-made climate change is altering rainforest habitats today, with devastating consequences for wildlife and humans alike.
Another vital theme is how globalisation affects rainforest environments across the world. Crops such as bananas and coffee, palm oil and chocolate all grow in tropical areas and their cultivation often leads to degradation of vital rainforests. Equally important is the effect that introduced, non-native plants have had on tropical environments.
Initiatives to protect tropical rainforests are vital and are given a good discussion in this book, although I did sometimes feel the overview here was too pessimistic. (I'm pessimistic myself about the future of tropical forests, so it's perhaps unfair of me to hope that the author of this book should be able to offer more optimistic solutions to the issues.) The book ends with a call to action for everyone to do what they can to protect rainforests and to raise awareness, plus a very comprehensive bibliography and references section.
Overall, this is an excellent book for anyone wanting an overview of the importance of tropical rainforests. The first several chapters in particular.
The earliest chapters looking at prehistoric tropical forests and how they co-evolved with early animals, including dinosaurs and the first mammals were definitely the best. Later chapters dealing with early human inhabitants of the tropical forests felt too brief and could have been used as the basis for entire books. The later chapters focussed too much on issues that don't seem central to the topic. For example, the details about slavery in the tropics were fascinating and, in themselves, vital to know, but might not have needed to be expanded on so much in a book specifically about forests. I would have been more interested (in the context of rainforests) to know more about the functioning of human societies that have long lived in rainforests. The author makes a very important point that we can learn from these societies, but seems a little naive in the extent to which he thinks we could recreate ancient settlement patterns in the modern world where there is so much population pressure on tropical areas.
A central and vital theme is climate change. The book outlines how the changing prehistoric climate affected rainforests and considers how current, human-made climate change is altering rainforest habitats today, with devastating consequences for wildlife and humans alike.
Another vital theme is how globalisation affects rainforest environments across the world. Crops such as bananas and coffee, palm oil and chocolate all grow in tropical areas and their cultivation often leads to degradation of vital rainforests. Equally important is the effect that introduced, non-native plants have had on tropical environments.
Initiatives to protect tropical rainforests are vital and are given a good discussion in this book, although I did sometimes feel the overview here was too pessimistic. (I'm pessimistic myself about the future of tropical forests, so it's perhaps unfair of me to hope that the author of this book should be able to offer more optimistic solutions to the issues.) The book ends with a call to action for everyone to do what they can to protect rainforests and to raise awareness, plus a very comprehensive bibliography and references section.
Overall, this is an excellent book for anyone wanting an overview of the importance of tropical rainforests. The first several chapters in particular.
November 30, 2022
The first few chapters on (co-)evolution of plants and animals were geniusly written. They make you feel like watching a natural history documentary and are very easy to read. The geological timeline table at the end of the book is a good reference to keep going back to while reading. The story then goes on to the emergence of our own species and how they lived in the tropics. Roberts explains that next to the development of agriculture in Mesopotamia 8,000 years ago, traces of agriculture can be found in the tropics dating back to more than 10,000 years ago. He also explores pre-colonial civilisations in the tropics (Mayans, Aztecs, Inkas, Khmer Empire, Amazonian tribes, and others) with insights from new technologies such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and that through “agrarian-based low-density urbanism” these civilisations were able to sustain great populations before “The Great Dying” brought by the Columbian Exchange. The coming of European explorers to the tropics then marks the globalisation of goods exploited from the tropics and the book describes the negative impacts this has had on indigenous people and slaves brought from over the Atlantic. Although Roberts repeats many of his thoughts, which sometimes make the later chapters a bit more difficult to read, the information given is still very insightful and it is an important reminder how much of our wealth in the western world comes from exploiting nature and people. The two final chapters are a very good overview on the state of the tropics and of the world with regards to climate change. An argument is made for how we should try to stimulate a “race to the top” in consumerism and how tropical nations struggle to find a good balance between economic growth and conserving the tropics from which we have so much to owe. Great read with a very broad scope in both time (350 million years), geography and topics discussed. Good reminder of how climate change is closer than we think and no matter where you are will be “knocking at your door” soon.
April 15, 2022
what I liked about this book was the great detail in which P. Roberts shows how the world developed and how interrelated the Jungle is and how it can support human life if properly managed.
What I didn't like about the book were the last three chapters which went on too much about human caused climate change and in which he took for "granted" all the so-called research out there that supposedly proves that all climate change is due to humans. 1. I do not agree with that as earth changes climate all the time. and 2. many of the algorhythms used in these predictions are false and/or based on false and misleading information. The last two chapters are all about how we need to change right now and how we need to change before it's too late.
I agree that we are using this planet like we have a spare in the cupboard, but I already do all I can and get pissed off with people telling me I need to eat less meat because it's bad for the environment and then these vegans step on a plane for a mid year holiday in Bali. I have also had it with protestors who think they can stop the traffic by gluing themselves to the road to tell us how we need to live our lives. If humans really think that we can live on past the next couple of thousand years without self-destructing they are deluded. I for one have no invested interest in the survival of the human species - neither I nor my siblings have bred and thus I am the youngest and the last one on my family tree. And if anyone out there disagrees with me they can tell their therapist as I do not care for long term human survival. I recycle and I don't fly much and do my best for this planet while I am alive - that's all you will get from me.
What I didn't like about the book were the last three chapters which went on too much about human caused climate change and in which he took for "granted" all the so-called research out there that supposedly proves that all climate change is due to humans. 1. I do not agree with that as earth changes climate all the time. and 2. many of the algorhythms used in these predictions are false and/or based on false and misleading information. The last two chapters are all about how we need to change right now and how we need to change before it's too late.
I agree that we are using this planet like we have a spare in the cupboard, but I already do all I can and get pissed off with people telling me I need to eat less meat because it's bad for the environment and then these vegans step on a plane for a mid year holiday in Bali. I have also had it with protestors who think they can stop the traffic by gluing themselves to the road to tell us how we need to live our lives. If humans really think that we can live on past the next couple of thousand years without self-destructing they are deluded. I for one have no invested interest in the survival of the human species - neither I nor my siblings have bred and thus I am the youngest and the last one on my family tree. And if anyone out there disagrees with me they can tell their therapist as I do not care for long term human survival. I recycle and I don't fly much and do my best for this planet while I am alive - that's all you will get from me.
August 15, 2024
Het boek Jungle van Patrick Roberts laat op een genuanceerde wijze zien dat het huidige denkend over de evolutie van de mens niet helemaal juist. Eerst begint hij met een algemene evolutie van de aarde en legt hij onder meer hoe de oerplanten tijdens het devoon ongeveer 300 miljoen jaar geleden door middel van Biologische verwering mee verantwoordelijk waren voor de eerste massa extinctie van het leven op aarde. Tijdens het Jura ongeveer 230 miljoen jaar geleden legt hij de co-evolutie van planten en dinosauriërs uit. Tot een meteoriet inslag 66 miljoen jaar geleden op Yucatan een einde maakte aan 164 miljoen jaar heerschappij van de dinosaurus. Waarna de Mamalia met het geslacht Homo opkomen en de wereld stilaan veroveren. Wanneer je sapiens ( Harrari) of the down of everything ( wijlen David Graeber en David wengrow) hebt gelezen dan merk je op dat zij de algemene trend in de antropologie volgen en het idee creëren dat mens naar de open vlakte ging en daar leerde recht op lopen. Roberts
Laat zien dat dit verhaal maar deels klopt, aan de hand van interdisciplinair onderzoek maakt hij duidelijk dat de mens ( homo habilis en Homo erctus) ook in de oerbossen leefde. Des te meer laat dit boek een nieuwe invalshoek schijnen op de evolutie van de mens en het aardse leven op aarde. Kortom een noodzakelijk boek in een zeer fascinerende wetenschapstak
Laat zien dat dit verhaal maar deels klopt, aan de hand van interdisciplinair onderzoek maakt hij duidelijk dat de mens ( homo habilis en Homo erctus) ook in de oerbossen leefde. Des te meer laat dit boek een nieuwe invalshoek schijnen op de evolutie van de mens en het aardse leven op aarde. Kortom een noodzakelijk boek in een zeer fascinerende wetenschapstak
December 28, 2024
4.5
This book is now one amongst my favourite environmental books that I've ever read. The first half is an incredibly immersive read, detailing on not just the last few millenniums, but the last 350 million years of evolution in forests/jungles and how their relationships with humans and animals has developed. Even if someone was not at all interested in the environment, sustainability or conservation, this is the type of book to make them re-think and perhaps even passionate about the subject.
However, I spotted an error where he stated that birds are the most diverse vertebrates on Earth when it is very obviously, the fishes. This made me do further research on the book and its reviews and unfortunately it seems there are quite a few factual mistakes like this. This is rather disappointing as I initially found all of the information very educational and had I not spotted this and chose to do further research, I would have trusted this and relayed the incorrect information. The book contains 67 pages of cited sources so it's bewildering how these mistakes occurred, ruining what otherwise would have been 5* from me.
Nevertheless I would still recommend this book - it is highly thought-provoking and engaging throughout and covers a wide variety of topics, not to mention again the huge timescale that is covered.
This book is now one amongst my favourite environmental books that I've ever read. The first half is an incredibly immersive read, detailing on not just the last few millenniums, but the last 350 million years of evolution in forests/jungles and how their relationships with humans and animals has developed. Even if someone was not at all interested in the environment, sustainability or conservation, this is the type of book to make them re-think and perhaps even passionate about the subject.
However, I spotted an error where he stated that birds are the most diverse vertebrates on Earth when it is very obviously, the fishes. This made me do further research on the book and its reviews and unfortunately it seems there are quite a few factual mistakes like this. This is rather disappointing as I initially found all of the information very educational and had I not spotted this and chose to do further research, I would have trusted this and relayed the incorrect information. The book contains 67 pages of cited sources so it's bewildering how these mistakes occurred, ruining what otherwise would have been 5* from me.
Nevertheless I would still recommend this book - it is highly thought-provoking and engaging throughout and covers a wide variety of topics, not to mention again the huge timescale that is covered.
June 22, 2024
Tries to do for tropical forests what Steve Brusatte's "Rise" series did for Dinosaurs and Mammals - provide a sweeping historical perspective on a modern aspect of nature we're all familiar with, support that with the latest research in these fields, and do so in a way that's fairly accessible to the average reader. Unfortunately, I don't think "Jungle" quite achieves the heights of Brusatte's immensely enjoyable series. Whereas Brusatte cut through the jargon and dense academic info with entertaining stories and personal anecdotes, Roberts seems intent on beating you over the head with it - for 300 pages. There's some good stuff in here, but not enough for me to think I've gotten the "full story" of the role tropical forests have played in Earth and human history. I also deeply disagree with some of the conservation philosophies espoused here - they seem to me incredibly naive and unrealistic. Was going to give this 2 stars, but I think it's clear Roberts has thought deeply about this material, and is clearly qualified to talk about it. I may disagree with many of the conclusions presented here, and I think Roberts and I are just starting from different world views, but ultimately "Jungle" is a nice, if flawed, work of environmental nonfiction.
October 28, 2024
The overarching topic of this book is one that most definitely needs to be addressed. I picked it up because the title & book summary caught my attention & interested me. Understanding the depth of the jungles, the history & impact they have on our planet is crucial. There are aspects of this book that are very interesting & informative.
However, in my opinion, missed the mark. Coming out in 2021, it is marred by political & ideological rhetoric that I don’t believe belongs in the overall topic. I think it’s important to address items such as slavery and the impact they had on the changes to the jungle landscape, however, a brief visit of this would have sufficed. It doesn’t need the full-blown off script dialogue that came with it. The book delves into certain topics such as slavery or “Columbus statues being torn down in 2020” in a greater depth than I would characterize as important to the overall topic. Had there been less political discourse/talking points I think this book would have been much better.
However, in my opinion, missed the mark. Coming out in 2021, it is marred by political & ideological rhetoric that I don’t believe belongs in the overall topic. I think it’s important to address items such as slavery and the impact they had on the changes to the jungle landscape, however, a brief visit of this would have sufficed. It doesn’t need the full-blown off script dialogue that came with it. The book delves into certain topics such as slavery or “Columbus statues being torn down in 2020” in a greater depth than I would characterize as important to the overall topic. Had there been less political discourse/talking points I think this book would have been much better.
June 16, 2021
I was expecting a different book. I liked the first chapters, especially the ones devoted to the important role of plants in the evolution of our planet. In all the books or movies about dinosaurs, for instance, their natural environment tends to be more of a background, but it influenced everything, from their diet to the eventual survival of some species over others. I also enjoyed the history lessons in the middle chapters, including the civilizations that thrived in the jungles and how humans started modifying their natural environments. My problem was the heavy political content. I was expecting to learn more about the science of nature and not about Greta Thunberg. Maybe the synopsis should have been more clear about this part so that it wouldn’t feel so much as a bait and switch.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Perseus Books, Basic Books!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Perseus Books, Basic Books!
June 1, 2023
4.0 Stars
Jungle has many strengths as a nonfiction. I really loved the journey through history as Roberts explored the interplay between animal, botanical, and human evolution in tropical and remote forests. Both the hard science and anthropological elements of this book felt well researched, and concepts were presented in an engaging way.
Where Roberts lost me a little bit was the politics. I agreed with everything he had to say, but I would have appreciated a bit more of a neutral presentation of these facts. As it stands, Roberts wears his biases on his sleeve, and at times, I felt like he was lecturing/condescending to the already converted.
Still really interesting audiobook and overall well worth the listen.
Jungle has many strengths as a nonfiction. I really loved the journey through history as Roberts explored the interplay between animal, botanical, and human evolution in tropical and remote forests. Both the hard science and anthropological elements of this book felt well researched, and concepts were presented in an engaging way.
Where Roberts lost me a little bit was the politics. I agreed with everything he had to say, but I would have appreciated a bit more of a neutral presentation of these facts. As it stands, Roberts wears his biases on his sleeve, and at times, I felt like he was lecturing/condescending to the already converted.
Still really interesting audiobook and overall well worth the listen.
August 25, 2021
This is an immersing read exploring the evolution of jungles and their influence on human societies. I was really excited to see the time-depth covered in the book, and also the focus on plants! In my opinion, this gives it a scope and perspective that is often lacking from natural science works, particularly those with a conservation focus.
Quite impressively, the author manages to achieve the very difficult task of presenting a huge amount of scientific data in an accessible and engaging manner. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in the natural world.
Quite impressively, the author manages to achieve the very difficult task of presenting a huge amount of scientific data in an accessible and engaging manner. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in the natural world.
February 13, 2022
Book was interesting when author kept to research on plants and emerging humanoids, then about 3/4 of the way in, his stance went into evil capitalism, imperialism, slavery, and climate change. And what does BLM have to do with this topic?? And then to link SARS-CoV-2 to bats in 2021? Roberts sucks you in with good data for 200 pages and then slowly dumps 200 more pages of brainwashed bullshit on the reader.
May 3, 2022
Not the type of book I expected. I thought it waa going to be more focused on jungles not on history and geopolitics. It took me forever to finish it, the way it is written can be a little dry and repetitive. Some chapters are really good others really boring in my opinion. It reminded me of the book "1493" but not as captivating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2022
A wonderful gift from a friend. Gained answers and fresh insights into the agricultural practices of tropical societies. The author reinforces political and historical narratives that led to current state of forests throughout the book. Although it seemed repetitive, it stresses on the importance of understanding these narratives for tropical forest conservation.
February 17, 2023
This book is very much a human-centered evolutionary history. It was extraordinarily dense and read like a textbook with very long page long paragraphs and very limited images. I wish the author was more open about the fact that these are one interpretation. There is limited data for some of these time periods and sometimes piecing together a narrative is more art than science.
August 26, 2023
The book starts off with an outlook into the evolutionary history of tropical ecosystems. Afterwards it discusses the political and conservation issues that TRFs face. In particular, the book explains the major influence of colonial history on tropical societies in the past & today.
Overall, a good read that will provide readers with an overview of important concepts in tropical ecology.
Overall, a good read that will provide readers with an overview of important concepts in tropical ecology.
January 8, 2023
The first chapters of the book dealing with prehistoric times were truly fascinating. You can really feel that it's Patrick Roberts' field of expertise. However, the book becomes more and more tedious as we approach modern time, slowly turning into a manifesto for ecologism.
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