"First published in Great Britain in 2018 by Profile Books, London."--Verso of title page. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:
Introduction: Rainforest Matters -- PART 1. Earth's Most Vital Systems: Rainforest--A Clue in the Name -- Living Atmosphere -- The Ecological Weave -- Evolutionary Treasures -- PART II. The Americas : The "New World" Rainforest Peoples -- Forest Clearance in the Americas -- Counting the Cost: Green Shields -- Protest and Survive -- Forest Dividends in Costa Rica -- The Best Forest Custodians -- Temperate Zone Rainforest -- PART III. Africa: Last Frontiers: The Congo Basin -- The Lost Forests of West Africa -- Climate and Cocoa Challenges -- PART IV. Asia and the Pacific: A Short Tour of the Eastern Forests -- How to Destroy a Rainforest -- Tigers, Pangolins, and Honeycreepers -- Poachers into Gamekeepers? -- PART V. Worth More Alive Than Dead: Globalized Deforestation -- ...And Global Solutions -- Valuing Nature and Rainforest -- Future Forests
Summary:
Rainforests have long been recognized as hotspots of biodiversity--but they are crucial for our planet in other surprising ways. Not only do these fascinating ecosystems thrive in rainy regions, they create rain themselves, and this moisture is spread around the globe. Rainforests across the world have a powerful and concrete impact, reaching as far as America's Great Plains and central Europe. In Rainforest: Dispatches from Earth's Most Vital Frontlines, a prominent conservationist provides a comprehensive view of the crucial roles rainforests serve, the state of the world's rainforests today, and the inspirational efforts underway to save them. In Rainforest, Tony Juniper draws upon decades of work in rainforest conservation. He brings readers along on his journeys, from the thriving forests of Costa Rica to Indonesia, where palm oil plantations have supplanted much of the former rainforest. Despite many ominous trends, Juniper sees hope for rainforests and those who rely upon them, thanks to developments like new international agreements, corporate deforestation policies, and movements from local and Indigenous communities. As climate change intensifies, we have already begun to see the effects of rainforest destruction on the planet at large. Rainforest provides a detailed and wide-ranging look at the health and future of these vital ecosystems. Throughout this evocative book, Juniper argues that in saving rainforests, we save ourselves, too.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.