Requiem for Nature [Hardcover]

John Terborgh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1999 | ISBN-10: 1559635878 | ISBN-13: 978-1559635875 | Edition: 1

Ecologist John Terborgh has been witness to the relentless onslaught of civilization in some of the remotest areas of the planet. Here he raises urgent questions: is enough being done to protect nature? Are current conservation efforts succeeding? Terborgh makes the case that nature can be saved - but that the greatest challenges are social, economic and political rather than scientific.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

How do we save the tropical rainforests of the world, answering the clarion call of so many environmental groups? For John Terborgh, a tropical biologist, the answer is dark and sobering: despite our best intentions, we may not be able to, for we lack both a coherent plan and, starkly put, the political will to do so. Sustainable development, "the mantra of the conservation movement," is of small help, Terborgh believes, because the realities of economic development are such that where the needs of humans are weighed against the needs of the natural world, nature always loses. Ecotourism, heralded as a model of economic possibility, is not much better because the novelty of seeing giant trees soon wears off and the chances of seeing wildlife are few ("restricted visibility means that most animals are not detected until the visitor is already well within the animal's flight distance, the distance at which a creature flees in the presence of a human"). If we're to save old-growth forests, Terborgh suggests, we'll have to suspend all economic activity in them, ending logging, prospecting, and recreation; only if we leave them alone do they have much of a chance. It's a grim view, and one that is unlikely to take much sway, no matter how correct it might be. Terborgh notes as much himself in his well-argued polemic, writing, "Whether we like it or not, tropical forests are worth more dead than alive. Nothing can save them short of a sea change in public opinion that registers not only in politicians' statements but also in their actions. Saving biodiversity will have to become a global obsession, not merely a pastime." --Gregory McNamee

From Scientific American

Development by humans is rapidly overwhelming the natural environment, according to Terborgh. Already, he says, "the global balance stands at roughly 5 percent for nature (counting only parks and other strict nature preserves) and 95 percent for humans," and the inevitable growth of the human population will make matters worse. Moreover, parks as they are now operated rarely work well. Even in developed countries, they are often too small to encompass the full spectrum of plant and animal life, and in developing countries they are poorly run. Terborgh, a professor of environmental science and botany at Duke University, has a few suggestions for improving the situation--national conservation trust funds, strict policing of protected areas and the internationalization of nature protection--but he does not seem optimistic that they will be widely adopted.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 246 pages
• Publisher: Island Press; 1 edition (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559635878
• ISBN-13: 978-1559635875
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,325,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Ecosystems > Tropical

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nature versus People, July 29, 2000

By 

Thomas Moore (Lima, Peru) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Requiem for Nature (Hardcover)

When John Terborgh publishes a book, anyone interested in the conservation of nature should read it. One of the world's foremost tropical ecologists, Terborgh writes in an unusually pleasing and, at the same time, provocative style. If the reader is only seeking entertainment or if a rigorously researched documentary of the context of personal experiences is sought, s/he will be disappointed; but, if the interest is in stimulating thought about the problems of nature conservation, the reward will be extraordinary. "Requiem for Nature" surpasses even Terborgh's own "Where Have All the Birds Gone?" as a intellectually challenging treatise.

For me, the richest passages in "Requiem for Nature" are those in Chapter 2 that describe the ecological relationships that must be maintained if nature is to be conserved and the need for a coherent, long-term strategy to meet the challenges.

As an anthropologist who has worked in areas near Manu National Park since 1971 --even before Terborgh arrived there-- I have long been following his work and thinking on tropical forest conservation issues. And I have many, many disagreements with his perspectives. However, no one can deny the value of his contributions in challenging current fashions in thinking about nature and its conservation.

The weaknesses of "Requiem for Nature" include serious inaccuracies in Terborgh's information about the historical and political contexts of the places he describes on the basis of his own and others' work, particularly in Chapters 3 and 4.

For example, the Summer Institute of Linguistics is said to have brought the Machiguenga into the Manu Park in the 1960s (p. 29); the Manu Park has been a Machiguenga homeland since at least Inka times and probably much longer. The purpose of Belgian linguist Marcel d'Ans's work is inaccurately described as "to open communication with uncontacted indigenous groups as a prelude to luring them out of the park" (p. 42).; d'Ans was there to develop policies for incorporating the indigenous peoples into park strategies, not to contact isolated Indians. There are numerous references to Amahuaca Indians in the Manu National Park (pp. 42-45). There are no Amahuaca in the Manu Park; they live along tributaries of the Urubamba and Ucayali Rivers farther north. The people referred to are Yora, a Yaminahua sub-group, in voluntary isolation until 1984.

Terborgh attributes many of the Manu Park's problems to regionalization (p. 35). But the regional governments in Peru only existed between late 1990 and April 1992, when they were closed by the Fujimori government. The inept Park officials accurately described by Terborgh, although designated and with administration from Cusco, were representatives of the central government, like those who served during "the halcyon days of the park's early period" (p. 31). The inspired Agrarian University professors of that time were in Lima, not in the Manu Park. The Park's director until July 2000, Ada Castillo Ordinola, accurately described as "competent and committed" (p. 38), worked closely, from an NGO, with the Inka Regional Government in planning for more satisfactory Park administration, while that Government lasted. Terborgh praises the policies of the Fujimori Government as enlightened (p.38), but he fails to recognize the failure of that Government to involve local peoples and institutions in planning for and administering the Park in a more effective manner. Democratic processes are clearly not one of Fujimori's strengths.

In Chapter 10, Terborgh makes convincing arguments regarding the limitations of most conservation efforts in recent decades, although he inaccurately describes USAID's role as promoting sustainable development in a manner opposed to conservation (pp. 164-165). Moreover, in chapter 11, he raises important points about the illusions of continuous economic expansion at the expense of nature.

Terborgh correctly calls for "a new paradigm" (Chapter 10) and a coherent public strategy to safeguard nature and its beseiged ecosystems, forests, and biological diversity. However, such a paradigm and strategy are more likely to be successful if they involve people and entire national territories, rather than exclude people from a few unique protected areas that justify, in the public mind, the destruction of natural wealth everywhere outside these areas. Local communities, especially indigenous peoples, are unlikely to accept relocation, as Terborgh advocates, and there is little reason to expect support for the massive public effort that Terborgh calls for on behalf of theoretically pristine natural areas unless they may serve people, including their indigenous inhabitants and other communities in surrounding areas, or even national populations, not just a few privileged scientists from northern hemisphere countires with large research budgets.

In short, "Requiem for Nature" is must reading even for those, like myself, who will be infuriated at the arrogance of some of its proposals. The debate it is inspiring cannot fail to be useful to our understanding of nature and conservation needs.

Thomas Moore; Lima, Peru; [e-mail]

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nature versus People, July 29, 2000

By 

Thomas Moore (Lima, Peru) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Requiem for Nature (Hardcover)

When John Terborgh publishes a book, anyone interested in the conservation of nature should read it. One of the world's foremost tropical ecologists, Terborgh writes in an unusually pleasing and, at the same time, provocative style. If the reader is only seeking entertainment or if a rigorously researched documentary of the context of personal experiences is sought, s/he will be disappointed; but, if the interest is in stimulating thought about the problems of nature conservation, the reward will be extraordinary. "Requiem for Nature" surpasses even Terborgh's own "Where Have All the Birds Gone?" as a intellectually challenging treatise.

For me, the richest passages in "Requiem for Nature" are those in Chapter 2 that describe the ecological relationships that must be maintained if nature is to be conserved and the need for a coherent, long-term strategy to meet the challenges.

As an anthropologist who has worked in areas near Manu National Park since 1971 --even before Terborgh arrived there-- I have long been following his work and thinking on tropical forest conservation issues. And I have many, many disagreements with his perspectives. However, no one can deny the value of his contributions in challenging current fashions in thinking about nature and its conservation.

The weaknesses of "Requiem for Nature" include serious inaccuracies in Terborgh's information about the historical and political contexts of the places he describes on the basis of his own and others' work, particularly in Chapters 3 and 4.

For example, the Summer Institute of Linguistics is said to have brought the Machiguenga into the Manu Park in the 1960s (p. 29); the Manu Park has been a Machiguenga homeland since at least Inka times and probably much longer. The purpose of Belgian linguist Marcel d'Ans's work is inaccurately described as "to open communication with uncontacted indigenous groups as a prelude to luring them out of the park" (p. 42).; d'Ans was there to develop policies for incorporating the indigenous peoples into park strategies, not to contact isolated Indians. There are numerous references to Amahuaca Indians in the Manu National Park (pp. 42-45). There are no Amahuaca in the Manu Park; they live along tributaries of the Urubamba and Ucayali Rivers farther north. The people referred to are Yora, a Yaminahua sub-group, in voluntary isolation until 1984.

Terborgh attributes many of the Manu Park's problems to regionalization (p. 35). But the regional governments in Peru only existed between late 1990 and April 1992, when they were closed by the Fujimori government. The inept Park officials accurately described by Terborgh, although designated and with administration from Cusco, were representatives of the central government, like those who served during "the halcyon days of the park's early period" (p. 31). The inspired Agrarian University professors of that time were in Lima, not in the Manu Park. The Park's director until July 2000, Ada Castillo Ordinola, accurately described as "competent and committed" (p. 38), worked closely, from an NGO, with the Inka Regional Government in planning for more satisfactory Park administration, while that Government lasted. Terborgh praises the policies of the Fujimori Government as enlightened (p.38), but he fails to recognize the failure of that Government to involve local peoples and institutions in planning for and administering the Park in a more effective manner. Democratic processes are clearly not one of Fujimori's strengths.

In Chapter 10, Terborgh makes convincing arguments regarding the limitations of most conservation efforts in recent decades, although he inaccurately describes USAID's role as promoting sustainable development in a manner opposed to conservation (pp. 164-165). Moreover, in chapter 11, he raises important points about the illusions of continuous economic expansion at the expense of nature.

Terborgh correctly calls for "a new paradigm" (Chapter 10) and a coherent public strategy to safeguard nature and its beseiged ecosystems, forests, and biological diversity. However, such a paradigm and strategy are more likely to be successful if they involve people and entire national territories, rather than exclude people from a few unique protected areas that justify, in the public mind, the destruction of natural wealth everywhere outside these areas. Local communities, especially indigenous peoples, are unlikely to accept relocation, as Terborgh advocates, and there is little reason to expect support for the massive public effort that Terborgh calls for on behalf of theoretically pristine natural areas unless they may serve people, including their indigenous inhabitants and other communities in surrounding areas, or even national populations, not just a few privileged scientists from northern hemisphere countires with large research budgets.

In short, "Requiem for Nature" is must reading even for those, like myself, who will be infuriated at the arrogance of some of its proposals. The debate it is inspiring cannot fail to be useful to our understanding of nature and conservation needs.

Thomas Moore; Lima, Peru; [e-mail]

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Current Challenges in Biodiversity Conservation, August 13, 2007

By 

Rodolfo Tello (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Requiem for Nature (Paperback)

This is a very interesting book. I was pleasantly surprised by the way the author presents his ideas openly, with a strong passion for wildness that can be felt page after page. The most outstanding feature of the book was the author's holistic approach to describing current environmental problems. He was able to articulate specific details without losing the book's overall "big picture" perspective. Written in a simple language, it is easily understood, and technical terms are kept to a minimum. His discussion of the environmental degradation processes all over the world allows readers to get a deeper understanding of looming threats to biodiversity, and the struggle of the different species for survival. Population growth and increasing competition for scarce resources are addressed as the main causes of today's environmental problems.

His policy recommendations call for a top-down approach, which the author regards as the only alternative that could bring positive results in the long run. In his scheme, local population surrounding protected areas are only small players on the ground, powerless to influence conservation processes. I cannot but disagree with these statements. Having worked for several years with indigenous peoples and local communities in the Peruvian rainforest, my research has evidenced that local people are key stakeholders in this process, and their engaged participation is critical in conservation efforts. At the policy level, I would call for a nutcracker approach instead, where efforts at the top level are matched with bottom-up initiatives, as a more effective way of achieving conservation in the tropics.

In my opinion, the biggest shortcoming of the book is the series of oversimplistic statements regarding the social dimensions of conservation. The author's arguments are basically explained from an anecdotal perspective, lacking a systematic analysis about the human potential for conservation. The book gives little credit to current sustainable development efforts, addressing them as merely "wishful thinking". For example, Integrated Conservation and Development Projects (ICDPs) are discarded upfront, based exclusively on assumptions about what ICDPs "frequently do", without single mention of concrete situations to back up his statements.

In practice, however, sustainable development projects have been getting results on the ground. In the surrounding area of Manu National Park (1), the Pro-Manu Project (2) promoted different activities, including (3) a successfully land-titling process, enhancement of health care services including family planning education and responsible parenthood, environmental education, institutional strengthening of the parks' management system, besides small projects aimed to increase food security among local communities. After project completion, national NGOs (4) continued to support the local people, allowing certain continuity in the accompaniment process. Thus, it reduced significantly the amount of land available "up for grabs by the first comer", acted to reduce birth rates and population growth, contributed to developing environmental awareness, and helped improve people's life conditions. At the same time, it strengthened the institutional capacity of the government agency responsible for park protection. In sum, a brief analysis of a single sustainable development project directly contradicts the assumptions regarding ICDPs presented in the book.

Overall, the book provides an important contribution to the current debate about conservation, especially if read from a critical perspective. It is a recommended material for an informed discussion on biodiversity conservation and sustainability at different levels.

(1) The Manu National Park in Peru is the place where the author leads a biological research station
(2) Pro-Manu was a Peru-European Union Agreement for a sustainable development project in the surrounding areas of Manu National Park
(3) In these cases, Pro-Manu acted by subscribing and financing the implementation of formal agreements with the government agencies responsible for conducting the required actions
(4) Civil society organizations like CEDIA, DRIS-Peru, and ACCA aimed to implement projects in the area after the activities of the Pro-Manu Project concluded.