Joel Berger’s extraordinary new book Extreme Conservation reveals just how hard-won knowledge about various Arctic species is ... Some of Berger’s interactions with musk oxen are deeply disturbing, and it’s greatly to his credit that he admits to the failures as well as the triumphs ... The bleak nature of Berger’s work comes through strongly ... Berger is a committed conservationist whose work has increased the chance that musk oxen, saiga antelopes, takin, and pronghorns will survive. But is such altruism sufficient to induce someone to live a life of freezing discomfort, trauma, frequent failure, and social alienation? ... He is a hero of biology who deserves the highest honors that science can bestow.
Berger has quite a few enlightening things to say about polar bears in these pages ... He visits places that seem as remote from the climate-change debate as if they were moons of Saturn, but Extreme Conservation makes the point again and again that remoteness is itself frittering away—and was always an illusion in any case ... Berger is a passionate, eloquent guide to the hinterlands and their suddenly endangered signature inhabitant ... Joel Berger here describes a world on the cusp of altering beyond recognition—and the 'extreme conservation' necessary there will soon be necessary everywhere.
The writing is bright and engaging, borderline 'CSI' thriller at times, like when he encounters a mysterious 'death assemblage' of muskoxen frozen in ice. Berger has written a book about conservation, yes, but there is something here for every type of reader. Berger is a field biologist who aims to see the world from the perspective of the animals he studies ... The section on Bhutan is especially enjoyable, walking the line as the book often does between adventure tale and science writing ... This is not just a book for scientists or environmentalists, but feeling humans of all stripes ... This is a heavy yet humorous read of the most important kind. I challenge any reader capable of perspective and empathy not to feel inspired...and be spurred on to climate action by Berger’s vivid anecdotes of animals at the extreme edges of the world.
In clear and accessible prose ... Berger's tales are as compassionate as they are exciting to read. For example: when his experiment involving putting tracking collars on Arctic musk oxen results in the death of some of the herd, he considers the possibility that they're sentient, and seeks to find more humane means of gathering data. Extreme Conservation is a moving and necessary look at what the Earth will lose if climate change is left unchecked.
We follow Berger...radio-collaring moose in below-zero temperatures in Grand Teton National Park and comparing how bison mothers in areas with wolves, areas without wolves, and areas with new wolf packs react to wolf calls. Berger also bribes his way through customs in Vladivostok on his way to studying Russian moose and tries to get close to skittish guanacos in Argentina. The excitement and drudgery of fieldwork, combined with the author’s discoveries on how fear of predators changes the behavior of their prey, make for a book that teaches and thrills equally.
In language by turns lyrical, despairing, and hilariously funny, conservation biologist Berger relates stories from a life spent studying little-known animals ... The narrative is sprinkled with quotes from early Arctic explorers and anecdotes from other scientists, with Berger’s own wry humor added to the mixture. His experiences while wearing a bear suit to get closer to the musk ox, to pick one particularly delightful example, are pure slapstick. Informative and impassioned, this will be enjoyed by adventurers and environmentalists alike.
The author seeks to understand the myriad ways in which animals adapt to change, which ones are successful and which are not and why, and what can we do about it. There is a note of guarded optimism in the final chapter, in which Berger cites conservation successes while bemoaning the general apathy ... One disappointing feature are the photos, which are too small; the text deserves better. For armchair conservationists, an expertly guided trip into remote landscapes that will hopefully spur much-needed action.
