Nature's Strongholds: The World's Great Wildlife Reserves [Hardcover]

Laura Riley (Author), William Riley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 2005

Bengal tigers in the jungles of India. Birds of Paradise in the wilds of New Guinea. Penguins on frozen beaches in Antarctica. These and other charismatic and endangered species find homes within the world's great wildlife reserves. Only a few persons have had the opportunity to visit many of these wildlife sanctuaries and witness these magnificent animals firsthand. Now, for the first time, the splendor of the world's most impressive wildlife reserves is captured on the printed page in this gloriously illustrated book by naturalists Laura and Bill Riley.

The Rileys, who received Pulitizer Prize nominations for their book on American wildlife refuges, spent ten years researching this book, visiting reserves on every continent. The 600 sanctuaries featured were chosen on the basis of exhaustive on-scene reports, interviews, and personal experiences. From Ecuador's Gálapagos Islands to Tanzania's renowned Serengeti, they represent the last places on earth where the natural world remains intact. Some of the reserves are as large as European countries, others the size of small farms. Many are growing as people everywhere become aware of their beauty and importance.

The book includes information on each sanctuary's historical and ecological significance, details about how to visit and what to see, and a comprehensive index for locating individual species.

A feast for the eyes, Nature's Strongholds offers a magical excursion into these majestic-and seldom seen-paradises. Anyone who has ever dreamed of taking such a journey will long to have this book.

Includes:

• 150 color photographs
• Information on each reserve's historical and ecological significance
• details on best times to visit as well as monthly temperature and rainfall
• descriptions of habitats
• 75 detailed maps

Editorial Reviews

From Scientific American

From Botswana to the Camargue, from Denali to Komodo Island, this book covers more than 600 reserves in over 80 countries. The authors, long-time nature writers and conservationists, have included information on how to visit these extraordinary sites, their ecological significance and some historical background. Most of the world's charismatic and endangered species--many depicted here in gorgeous color photographs--owe their continued existence to such reserves, the last places on earth where nature remains more or less intact. The volume itself is a terrific resource.

Editors of Scientific American

Review

The book's comprehensive geographical coverage, as well as the quality of information it provides, will ensure that it will find a broad audience around the world. -- Gerhard M. Van Den Top, Times Literary Supplement



Nature's Strongholds . . . offers conservationists, wildlife enthusiasts, travel professionals, ecotourists and armchair travelers detailed information about the world's best reserves and parks. . . . [N]o other book compares with this one in scope. It serves as a reminder of what humanity stands to lose in the battle to preserve the world's last natural 'strongholds. -- Roger Harris, American Scientist



Wife and husband team the Rileys spent 10 years researching this guide to 600 nature reserves in more than 80 countries visited by 40 million people each year. The weighty result of their endeavors is a lavishly illustrated . . . book that will tempt any armchair traveler to get up and go. . . . If we're lucky, what's recorded here will save some amazing creatures and plants from extinction. But the Rileys note the threats, from human settlement growth, logging, mineral and oil exploitation, to war, that make these reserves so necessary. -- Paul Nettleton, The Guardian



Outstanding in layout, design, and photography . . . this book provides concise, well-written descriptions that capture the essence of each reserve and park. . . . The book makes delightful reading for the armchair traveler and serves as an excellent overview and reference source for hard-to-find information on wildlife and wildlife habitats in more remote areas of the world. -- Choice



This exhaustive guide is a veritable encyclopedia. . . . Covering 600 of the world's best reserves, the book summarizes the history and ecology of each and includes the best time to visit, types of animals, nearby lodging and transportation and temperature and rainfall charts. . . . [T]he brilliant photography will have you packing your bags. -- San Francisco Chronicle



The Rileys' book has the potential to close . . . gaps in protection. It will inspire more people to visit reserves. . . . From aardwolf to zubr (European bison), this volume fills an information gap for scientists, environmental organizations, and anyone interested in the best wild places. -- lene Schwartz,"Bioscience

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 640 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press; 1 edition (January 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691122199
• ISBN-13: 978-0691122199
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #459,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Magnificent Gift to the World, February 27, 2005

By 

Eugene H. Pool (Belmont, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nature's Strongholds: The World's Great Wildlife Reserves (Hardcover)

Nature's Strongholds is one of the most beautiful books I have seen in a long time. The photographs are not only gripping and moving, but also sharp, clear and very carefully printed. The layout makes the wealth of information enticing and accessible, which is a great boon to the armchair traveler as well as to the regular explorer. The information provided for each site is just what the serious traveler, amateur ornithologist, conservationist, or eco-tourist would want, too--a list of significant birds, beasts, and other features not to be missed. Most valuable of all, perhaps, is the inside information on each location that the Rileys, explorers and conservationists of many years experience, provide. Both as a record and as a call to preserve the spectacular refuges described, Nature's Strongholds is a magnificent gift to the world!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Likely to be a Prize Winner, April 25, 2006

By 

Thomas mangelsdorf "Thomas Mangelsdorf, M.D." (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nature's Strongholds: The World's Great Wildlife Reserves (Hardcover)

Nature's Strongholds, by Laura Riley and William Riley, is a very important book for the history of life.
It is not really an encyclopedia. Nor a lesson in geography. It is not just a very practical travelog with rich inside information.
It is all of those, but what it really shows is a detailed locator, through all the continents, of the Sacred Places, indeed the Strongholds, where the evolving wildlife is guarded, protected and preserved for now and the future.
The pictures and text are brilliant and flow from their many years of exploration and devotion.

5.0 out of 5 stars Nature's Strongholds reviewed by Ted Lamont, September 20, 2005

By 

Camille B. Lamont - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nature's Strongholds: The World's Great Wildlife Reserves (Hardcover)

Laura and Bill Riley's book is a unique directory and guide to the best wildlife reserves around the world. It is a tremendous resource for ecologists and orginary tourists like myself. The many photographs are beautiful and the detailed descriptions are suberb. The book is a valuable tool for travelers and fascinating and enjoyable even if you cannot make the trip.