Michelle Nijhuis’ spirited and engaging Beloved Beasts tracks the not always predictable course of species protection from the flora and fauna classification system developed in the 18th century by the Swede Carl Linnaeus to the present day. Although much of her subject matter has been previously chronicled, the author makes it new by treating it as one continuous story and by focusing on fascinating personalities like Edge. Her prose flows easily from these pen-portraits to heart-breaking statistics to larger social trends ... Always attuned to ironies and anomalies, Nijhuis points out the changes of heart that changed history ... at its best in illuminating the passing of the conservation torch from one advocate to the next.
Nijhuis parses thorny social and ethical issues, while anchoring this exceptionally comprehensive and enlightening history of conservation to incisive profiles of many ardent and intrepid individuals devoted to protecting animals and their habitats ... Nijhuis spotlights key moments in the evolution of ecological thought and practice inspired by the likes of biodiversity defender Edward O. Wilson, Nobel Prize–winning political economist Elinor Ostrom, and pioneering conservation biologist Michael Soulé. Along the way, she exposes the racism inherent in environmental decimation, chronicles the struggle to establish community-based conservation initiatives, and explains efforts to protect common species before they decline, introducing heroic contemporary innovators. Nijhuis has created a defining and invaluable chronicle of an increasingly urgent lifesaving effort.
A lively, mostly chronological history of ideas extending from 18th-century botanist and taxonomist Carl Linnaeus to modern-day biochemist Jennifer Doudna ... What Beloved Beasts also makes clear is that agreement even between like-minded individuals is difficult ... not didactic, but it’s still a call to action. And it has compassionate advice for readers who yearn for resilience amid the pandemic and the climate crisis ... With urgency, passion, and wit, Nijhuis recognizes those possibilities clearly and writes both to preserve history and predict what may lie ahead ... Alternately heartbreaking and encouraging, Beloved Beasts proposes a larger vision of stewardship – one that extends beyond just winsome or majestic creatures to encompass the entire planet.
As Nijhuis uncovers and examines these aspects of the movement, her reporting skills shine ... Throughout the book, Nijhuis conveys her thorough research with colorful prose ... She also segues into the challenges facing conservationists today, such as climate change, organized crime and corporate interests. But the main takeaway from Beloved Beasts is a sense of hope for the future.
[An] environmental history that is essential reading for anyone committed to preserving life on Earth ... Nijhuis weaves some of the boldfaced names of conservation history—Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson—together with lesser-known figures ... Nijhuis brings to these capsule histories the sensibilities of an ecologist. She's always on the lookout for relationships, and in the process reveals how the conservation and environmental movements (separate entities, she makes clear) operate like an ecosystem ... No matter their individual passions, all the heroes who appear in this book remain a single community—one held together by a shared love of life itself.
Edge is just one of the many people who Nijhuis highlights in her excellent history. She includes famous names, such as Aldo Leopold ... But it’s Nijhuis’ tales of lesser-known people, such as Edge and Michael Soulé, who is considered the father of conservation biology, that prove most fascinating ... The book truly shines, though, when Nijhuis is brutally honest about how the conservation movement gained a reputation for being antihuman ... the book’s focus on paths forward provides a bit of hope.
Through a series of richly drawn biographical portraits, [Nijhuis] introduces us to the men and women who have been working for more than a century to rescue endangered species from extinction ... Tracing key turning points in the development of conservation biology, Nijhuis shows that the growing threat of extinction provoked an intellectual revolution in the way scientists think about the very meaning of species ... Nijhuis is an engaging storyteller as well as a self-described 'lapsed biologist,' weaving this history with firsthand accounts of those on the front lines of species preservation today ... She acknowledges that her story offers no reason for great optimism concerning the fate of so many species now facing extinction, but she reminds us of the very real accomplishments of these 'passionate experts and passionate amateurs' who devoted their lives, and too often gave their lives, to protecting our fellow species from ourselves.
... absorbing ... Writing with warmth and humor, science journalist Nijhuis offers innumerable stories of the men and women—birders, scientists, hunters, and others—who played seminal roles in the haphazard advancement of modern species conservation ... Nijhuis gives us the remarkable stories of humans who have made a difference for other species.
[A] thorough history of wildlife conservation movements ... As she lays out the origins of environmental groups including the World Wildlife Fund and Nature Conservancy, Nijhuis warns that organizations and governments are not doing enough to stave off mass extinction ... Nijhuis’s comprehensive survey is sure to delight nature enthusiasts and those concerned with disappearing species.
A fine history of the genesis of the conservation movement ... The author delivers a vivid account of the movements’ past and present along with compelling minibiographies of the lives of many brilliant and energetic if not always admirable men and women ... The author concludes with a review of current efforts to preserve wildlife and wilderness ... Compassionate yet realistic and candid throughout, Nijhuis makes a significant contribution to the literature on environmentalism. An engrossing history of conservation and its accomplishments.
