Lost Worlds : Adventures in the Tropical Rainforest

by Bruce M. Beehler

• ISBN13: 9780300122282
• ISBN10: 0300122284
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2008-04-22
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

Perhaps it is not possible to experience all the mysterious sounds, the unfamiliar smells, and the spectacular sights of a tropical rainforest without ever visiting one. But this exhilarating and honest book comes wondrously close to taking the reader on such a journey. Bruce M. Beehler, a widely traveled expert on birds and tropical ecology, recounts fascinating details from twelve field trips he has taken to the tropics over the past three decades. As a researcher, he brings to life the exotic rainforests and the people who inhabit them; as a conservationist, he makes a plea for better ways of managing rainforests"a resource that the world cannot do without." Drawing on his experiences in Papua New Guinea, India, Madagascar, Indonesia, the Philippines, Panama, and the Ivory Coast, Beehler describes the surprisesboth pleasant and unpleasantof doing science and conservation in the field. He explains the role that rainforests play in the lives of indigenous peoples and the crucial importance of understanding local cultures, customs, and politics. The author concludes with simple but tough solutions for maintaining rainforest health, expressing fervent hope that his great-grandchildren and others may one day also hear the rainforest whisper its secrets.

Author Biography

Bruce M. Beehler is vice president for the Melanesia and Pacific Islands programs at Conservation International. He is an internationally known ornithologist and leader of natural history expeditions, and his books include The Birds of Paradise, Birds of New Guinea, and A Naturalist in New Guinea. He lives in Bethesda, MD.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
In the Rainforest	p. 4
In the Zone and on the Plantation	p. 30
On the Trail of Ripley and Ali	p. 54
Wallace's Promised Land	p. 84
Biodiversity and Intrigue across the Inner Line	p. 105
Forest Gardens	p. 128
Local People Really Do Count	p. 155
Pitiful Scraps of Forest	p. 181
Lemurs, Vangas, Chameleons, and Poverty	p. 199
The Lost World	p. 221
Epilogue	p. 249
Bibliography	p. 253
Index	p. 255
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