Nature's Keepers: The New Science of Nature Management [Hardcover]

Stephen Budiansky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 1995

For more than a century, nature lovers have held fast to the belief that preserving the wild means keeping people out. One of America's leading authorities on environmental issues dramatically shows how the new science of mathematical ecology is helping us rescue our natural resources.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

U.S. News & World Report staffer Budiansky offers three major premises: humans have always interacted with and influenced the natural environment; as ecologists learn more about ecosystems, they are better able to design effective management strategies; anything humans do is natural and, therefore, of no great concern. The first two points are well documented but not overly novel. The last is patently absurd. What Budiansky ignores is that the scale on which humans interact with the environment is vastly greater today than at any other time in history because of our technological prowess and ever-increasing population. He accuses professional ecologists of promoting a political agenda rather than a scientific one, but his glaring naivete calls such an extreme position into question. His claim that science students "who can't stand the sight of a mathematical equation head for ecology" makes one wonder if he's ever seen a basic ecology textbook. Budiansky's engaging style does not compensate for his lack of meaningful content. Illustrations.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Formerly Washington editor of the journal Nature, Stephen Budiansky is a senior writer at US News & World Report, where he writes about science, the environment and current affairs. He lives with his wife and two children on a small farm in Virginia. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 310 pages
• Publisher: The Free Press; First Edition edition (September 25, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0029049156
• ISBN-13: 978-0029049150
• Product Dimensions: 17 x 6.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,497,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Budiansky is a writer, historian, and journalist, the author of 14 books about military and intelligence history, science, and the natural world. He is a former editor and writer at U.S. News & World Report and The Atlantic and the former Washington Editor of the scientific journal Nature. He lives on a small farm in northern Virginia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good read but no surprises, August 28, 2001

By 

Rolf Groeneveld (Wageningen, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nature's Keepers: The New Science of Nature Management (Hardcover)

Excellent read, but while Budiansky pretends he's presenting a radically new message, he actually kicks in a lot of open doors. No, the natural world is not really natural. No, ecosystems are hardly ever in equilibrium. No, indigenous peoples are not as nature-friendly as the noble savage myth wants us to believe. All these facts are generally accepted by ecologists, although they might be new to laymen. For some good old treehugger-bashing, buy it. To convince your all-too-romantic friends that conservation is not as simple as it seems, buy it. If you're an ecologist and you want to read something new, leave it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Preservationists beware!, October 4, 2000

By 

Paul Vandersteen (Naperville, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nature's Keepers: The New Science of Nature Management (Hardcover)

An excellent book on the management of our natural world. Budiansky supplies good arguments of why our natural world is not really natural at all. He explores the history behind our romanticized view of nature and reveals the damage this tainted view may be causing to the environment. Budiansky advocates using scientific data to make decisions about our surroundings rather than falling into the "wilderness myth" trap.

If nothing else, this book allows one to think about our perceptions of nature and our influence on the environment. Even though it can be a difficult read at times, I have my seniors in high school (I am a teacher) read this book, and it serves as an excellent tool to get them to think critically.