Customer Reviews

Life Out of Bounds: Bioinvasion in a Borderless World (Worldwatch Environmental Alert)

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Chris Bright's book on bioinvasion is timely and certainly on an important topic. The author is clearly informed on the numerous examples of the devastating environmental problem and the policy and social issues related to it. However, this is one of the most poorly organized books I have ever read. I read it with a group of college sophomores and the students were generally completely lost as to the purpose or direction of the writing throughout the text. While the author can surely take some blame, why didn't Norton provide some editorial guidance? In general, each chapter was filled with miscellaneous examples of the devastating effects of introduced species. But the examples were not organized in any apparent fashion within chapters nor was there any presentation of the basic ecological mechanisms or processes involved. The book presents a convincing argument that bioinvasion is a real problem, but no indication as to why or what, scientifically, can be done about it. The last two chapters are somewhat better: the last chapter's emphasis on scientific literacy was much appreciated. All in all, this book was a disappointing and confusing read.

Technology is advancing and the world is becoming a smaller and smaller place. Due to this always changing world, bioinvasion has become a new danger to the planet. Bioinvasion is the spread of exotic species that invade and spread all over the world, destroying ecosystems, endangering public health, disrupting the cultures of traditional forest and fishing peoples, and costing billions of dollars a year. These invaders range from highly flammable weeds to human pathogens and forest diseases. Worldwatch Institute researcher Chris Bright tracks and explains the dangers of bioinvasion, and analyzes the rate at which it is spreading. Bright outlines a counter-invasion strategy that can help prevent these alien species from spreading across the globe, and demonstrates how to appreciate native plants and animals. This insightful and informational book explains this danger that the public is not aware of, and how we can stop bioinvasion before it costs us the termination of nearly all native species.

This is an intelligent, important contribution to the field, and would make a superb addition to a college reading curriculum on the subject.