... an eloquent and fact-filled refutation to the Reagans of the world who see untamed nature as a blank space on the map that cries out to be developed for human uses ... To their credit, Reid and Lovejoy don’t limit themselves to making these utilitarian arguments for forest preservation, which are persuasive but a bit dry. They intersperse the science with accounts of what forests have traditionally meant to the peoples who live in them ... or all its scholarly precision, is ultimately an impassioned plea to save the world’s last great wild places by two men who had come, through long professional acquaintance, to love them. Readers will find their passion to be contagious.
John Reid and Thomas Lovejoy argue persuasively in their wide-ranging and earnest new book ... Ever Green diligently lays out the science supporting forest preservation, starting with the crucial role trees play in capturing and processing carbon, which contributes to rising temperatures if left floating freely in the atmosphere. But the book’s best moments come when the authors talk about the forests themselves and the luxuriant diversity of life—animal, plant, and human—that can be found in them. The result is an appeal to both the mind and the heart. We must preserve the forests to survive, and we must preserve the forests because it is a moral imperative ... Cultural anthropology dominates Ever Green, to its great benefit and readers’ enlightenment, but ultimately this is a book about climate change.
The authors expertly and enthusiastically illuminate the intricately webbed fecundity of these vast forests ... They vividly describe tree species and the myriad life forms they sustain ... With stunning photographs, lively anecdotes, fresh perspectives, spirited prose, and realistic and just solutions, this is deeply informative and inspiring forest advocacy.
