Large Carnivores and the Conservation of Biodiversity

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Important collection of contributions on one of the major conservation challenges of the age.

From the publisher's announcement:

Large Carnivores and the Conservation of Biodiversity brings together more than thirty leading scientists and conservation practitioners to consider a key question in environmental conservation: Is the conservation of large carnivores in ecosystems that evolved with their presence equivalent to the conservation of biological diversity within those systems? Building their discussions from empirical, long-term data sets, contributors including James A. Estes, David S. Maehr, Tim McClanahan, Andr~s J. Novaro, John Terborgh, and Rosie Woodroffe explore a variety of issues surrounding the link between predation and biodiversity: What is the evidence for or against the link? Is it stronger in marine systems? What are the implications for conservation strategies?

Large Carnivores and the Conservation of Biodiversity is the first detailed, broad-scale examination of the empirical evidence regarding the role of large carnivores in biodiversity conservation in both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. It contributes to a much more precise and global understanding of when, where, and whether protecting and restoring top predators will directly contribute to the conservation of biodiversity. Everyone concerned with ecology, biodiversity, or large carnivores will find this volume a unique and thought-provoking analysis and synthesis.

The Authors
JUSTINA C. RAY is director of the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada.

KENT H. REDFORD is vice president for international programs at the Wildlife Conservation Society.

ROBERT S. STENECK is professor at the University of Maine's School of Marine Sciences at the Darling Marine Center, Walpole, Maine.

JOEL BERGER is senior scientist for the Wildlife Conservation Society.