Given widespread concern over the worldwide loss of
biodiversity and popular crusades to "save" endangered species and
habitats, why has the Endangered Species Act remained unauthorized
since October 1992? In Fate of the Wild Bonnie B. Burgess
offers an illuminating assembly of facts about biodiversity and
straightforward analysis of the legislative stalemate surrounding
the Endangered Species Act. Fate of the Wild surveys the
history of and analyzes the conflict over the legislation itself,
the heated issues regarding its enforcement, and the land-use and
habitat battles waged between conservationists, environmental
activists, and private property proponents.
Burgess's meticulous and exhaustive research makes Fate of
the Wild a valuable resource for professionals in conservation
biology, public policy, environmental law, and environmental
organizations, while the narrative clarity of the book will appeal
to anyone interested in the fate of nonhuman species.
Burgess explains how wilderness has been consumed by concrete
and asphalt, the effects of toxins on plants and animals, strip
mine tailings, oil slicks, and smog. She exposes, as well, the
"invisible" damage that manifests itself in the subtle degradation
of natural systems and in the increased incidence and number of
diseases, the rise in human infertility, and the drastic alteration
of weather patterns and landscapes.
Fate of the Wild presents a factual and balanced
discussion of the various sides of the contemporary debate over the
Endangered Species Act, alongside the author's clearly stated
position: We are overpopulating, polluting, and overdeveloping our
environment, and as a species we have embarked on a crash course
toward a sixth great extinction event on this Earth.
eISBN: 978-0-8203-4024-1
Subjects: Environmental Science, Political Science, Law
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