Ghost Bears: Exploring The Biodiversity Crisis

by R. Edward Grumbine, Michael E. Soulé (Foreword)

In Ghost Bears , R. Edward Grumbine looks at the implications of the widespread loss of biological diversity, and explains why our species-centered approach to environmental protection will ultimately fail. Using the fate of the endangered grizzly bear -- the "ghost bear" -- to explore the causes and effects of species loss and habitat destruction, Grumbine presents a clear and inviting introduction to the biodiversity crisis and to the new science of conservation biology.

Genres: Nonfiction

314 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Brian Burhoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Chapter Three, GHOST BEARS, first because R Edward Grumbine took me to Grizzly Country where I met some bears and then he told me the First Nation's "Bear Mother Myth" and I love Bear Stories.

I read the rest of his book because he told great personal stories of the land and the endangered bears. And he looked at the state of our environmental and wildlife laws -- which can be discouraging... You've gotta read it.

Brian Alan Burhoe - Civilized Bears

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is dense. It’s at once a primer in ecology, an overview of policy, a critique of the human condition, and a roadmap to a more ecologically responsible way of life. It sat in my shelf for ages and I’m glad I waited to pick it up until such a time that my own personal understanding of these complex topics were broadened by a BS & MS in wildlife biology and conservation science, and had matured enough for me to be able to more completely grasp the concepts.

Like I said, dense. And interesting to read in its own right, but particularly so considering it was published in ‘92 and since then the biodiversity crisis has worsened, but Grumbine’s prescriptions on ways to address it are no less appropriate. That this book was so predictive of our current situation stuck with me over the time I spent with this text, and while I’m not sure I’d call this book approachable for the layperson, I think many people who seek a means to exist within nature as opposed to outside of it would benefit from picking up a copy.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I can't give a full review of this book since I did not read the whole thing, but only random parts. Let me first disclose that Ed was my conservation biology professor this past quarter. Let me also say that he is one bad-ass teacher. Ghost Bears is Ed's account of the biodiversity crisis in the North Cascades. He tackles a lot of issues--reserve design, the endangered species act, habitat fragmentation, ecosystem management, biodiversity corridors, and forestry management in the U.S. and Canada, to name a few. His focus may be the North Cascades, but this is information that could be applied anywhere is the U.S. and even abroad. For anyone wanting to know the policies and complications behind conservation practices, it is incredibly informative. Ed is a talented writer who makes Ghost Bears highly readable and enjoyable. Now I must go back and read the whole thing start-to-finish.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a keystone reading when I took a seminar in ecosystem health and stewardship in California. Dr. Grumbine writes about California's diverse ecosystems and the peril they face via overdevelopment, using the fate of the grizzly bear—the titular "ghost bear"—as his prime example of how a species can find its numbers vastly reduced due to human-wrought changes in the ecosystem.

Grumbine certainly knows his topic well and is an engaging writer. In fact, his tone is vivid and downright poetic at times, presenting prose that is personal and thus quite compelling even beyond the core science behind the observations he makes. A powerful and necessary book for anyone interested in the fate of natural lands in the Pacific states.