Customer Reviews

Lost Worlds: Adventures in the Tropical Rainforest

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4 star:		(2)
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Most readers know Bruce Beehler for his field guide type of books, Birds of New Guinea, etc. This is a whole different book. Part adventure story, part field biology and conservation. You learn as much about the native people of the various forests visited as you do the flora and fauna. For anyone who is facinated by the world of birds, this is a must read. I've been a bird watcher and aviculturists for over 40 years and have an entire library of bird books. I'm very happy to add Lost Worlds to my collection.

Dick S. Escondido, CA

For years I though 'A Naturalist in New Guinea" by Bruce Beehler could not be topped. But "Lost Worlds" has done just that. I have longed for a book that would serve as a tour of these magnificent areas by great ornithologists and not only in a field guide fashion. Beehler takes us through New Guinea and the forests of Panama and India in a frank and approachable manner making the experience seem very real. I felt like I was there. Having grown up in Panama and spent a lot of my life on Pipeline Road I felt instantly transported back there. I wish other great scientists of today would follow in Beehler's footsteps and relate their experiences in prose form and not only in field guide fashion. The positive effect on forest conservation and awareness could be furthered even more as these books could reach many audiences that may not otherwise be able to visit these places.Congratulations on an outstanding narrative.

This book is a fascinating account of Mr. Beehler's time in Papua New Guinea, told from the perspective of a scientist and conservationist. That being said, LOST WORLDS reads like an adventure yarn. So If you can't make it to the tropical rain forests yourself, this book is the next best thing to being there. Highly recommended for those who love being informed and transported all at one.

Excellent book. Lost Worlds, adventures in the tropical rainforest does more than give a reader a in depth look of the ecology of a rainforest, it gives the reader insight to some of the socioeconomic factors and other pressures that continue to threaten the existence of many of the rainforest today. From Panama to the Foja Mountains of the Island of New Guinea, this book gives description making the reader believe that they are right there experiencing the beauty of tropical rainforest firsthand.

Bruce Beehler, an ornithologist working for Conservation International, has written an interesting and very readable book of his experiences and insights into the conservation of tropical forests. He writes mostly of the forests outside of Amazonia, including southern and northern India, Papua New Guinea,the Phillipines, Ivory Coast,Madagascar and Panama.

This was a book that I found I didn't want to end as I was reading. I very much enjoyed his stories and comments ranging from observations of birds and wildlife to insights on conservation and concerns for the local people most impacted by parks and preserves.

Beehler doesn't quite match the eloquence of say Alexander Skutch (A Bird Watcher's Adventures in Tropical America), but he does provide an enjoyable read, new thoughts on conservation, and inspiration to act to help protect and enjoy the biodiversity of the tropics.

The author Bruce Beehler is vice president for the Melanesia and Pacific Islands programs at Conservation International. In Lost Worlds, he has written an extremely interesting account of rainforest field biology and conservation. He gives fascinating details of twelve field trips he has taken over the past three decades to Papua New Guinea, India, Madagascar, Indonesia, the Philippines, Panama, and the Ivory Coast. He is a well-known ornithologist, so most of his emphasis is on the bird populations in the places he visits.

Mr. Beehler's writing style is fine, and his descriptions of the field trips are extremely interesting. The only areas where the book bogs down a touch are in his discussions of how we should be attempting to preserve rainforest areas and how to deal with indigenous populations. This subject admittedly is very important, but he addresses it an extremely dry manner.

If you are interested in the natural world, you should enjoy Lost Worlds. The cover of the book by itself is reason enough to at least take a look.