Conservation: A Beginner's Guide

Beginner's Guide (Oneworld Publications)

by Paul Jepson, Richard Ladle

The need to protect nature has never been so pressing. As unprecedented environmental challenges threaten to wipe out many of the planet’s species, there is a battle against time to formulate new ways of defending nature. Jepson and Ladle cover all aspects of modern conservation from inspiring successes to the most urgent crises, introduce exciting new techniques such as re-wilding and adaptive management, and explain how we can all contribute. Essential reading for anyone who does not want to see the last of pandas, polar bears, and parrots. Dr. Paul Jepson and Dr. Richard Ladle both work at the University of Oxford.

Genres: Wildlife

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2010

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Broad overview of the history of the conservation movement since its beginnings in the 19th century through to the heydays of the 1990s, when the big 3 conservation NGOs (WWF, CI and Nature Conservancy)became truly multinational in scale. Also introduces the basic science behind conservation biology, how protected areas are managed, how financing is raised, criticisms and current issues and trends. All in all a handy and slim guide useful as a jumping off point for further reading into specific areas of interest. I found the 'insider' view of conservation funding and the politics of conservation vs indigenous settlers particularly insightful, something not easily gleaned from textbooks or through the news media. Although broad strokes are used here to portray the practice of nature conservation, this book would be interesting for anyone remotely curious about the field.

[Ella M · Rating 1 out of 5]

An antiquated, somewhat colonial, and definitely limited perspective on the field of conservation. Conservation must, can, and should do better than most of what this book outlines. Also, not critical enough of the field, its practices, or its future. As someone working and studying in this field, I would say there is better material out there.

[Fahrul Amama · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in-depth review of what conservation is all about. I enjoy reading every chapter, especially chapter 7: Conservation's Critics. "It is not a choice between doing conservation well or doing it badly: it is about trying to find ways of changing that succeed in the messy and political real world."