No Way Home: The Decline of the World's Great Animal Migrations (Hardcover)

by David S. Wilcove (Author)
Key Phrases: stopover sites, migratory songbirds, migratory herds, United States, North America, North Atlantic (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From The Washington Post

Reviewed by David Gessner

The world is doomed.

This is not breaking news. At least not to the environmentally attuned reader. To the litany of melting ice caps, reduced habitat and killer hurricanes, we can now add not just the extirpation of countless animal species but also the possible end of the great and stirring phenomenon of migration itself.

This grim, somewhat apocalyptic news is broken by an understated doomsayer named David Wilcove. In No Way Home, Wilcove lucidly describes the journeys of some familiar migratory superstars: monarch butterflies making their generational round trip between the northern United States and the mountains of Mexico, right whales dodging boats and fishing nets as they navigate the shipping lanes off our Northeast coast, already over-fished salmon blocked by dams, and wildebeests whose wild African territory has become no more than an oversized zoo.

The author doesn't overwork the awe aspect of these journeys, perhaps because they speak for themselves. Consider just the monarch: Its fluttery trip south defines precariousness -- to watch one travel is like seeing a piece of Kleenex migrate -- but somehow, using the sun as a compass, it makes its way back to its ancient home of spruce trees in a once-hidden mountainous forest in Mexico. Then, in the spring, it heads back north, laying its eggs in milkweeds along the way so that its young and their young can complete the return trip.

The motivation for migration is often evolutionary opportunism, being in the right place when the right food is there (when the milkweeds are blooming, for instance). But for animals, times of movement are times of peril. As Wilcove points out, migration, always a great feat of exertion and endurance, has never been more dangerous, and animals now face four relatively new threats: "habitat destruction, human-created obstacles, overexploitation, and climate change." In other words, while they are busy running or flying or swimming their particular marathons, animals are also contending with being hunted or fished, dodging nets and cell towers, and finding fewer patches of wildness to serve as pit stops. Then throw in the fact that the seasons have turned screwy, which is no minor inconvenience when your trip depends on exquisite timing.

Think of the poor Red Knots, robin-sized birds that fly up from Tierra del Fuego on their way to spending their summer in the Canadian tundra. They need to land on the shores of Delaware Bay just when the local horseshoe crabs are laying their eggs. If the horseshoe crabs are early, or late, there is no food, and if there is no food, there is no energy for the next leg of their 10,000-mile jaunt.

Wilcove, a professor of evolutionary biology and ecology at Princeton, has the science cred, but his book is clearly written for the non-scientist, and the sentences are brisk and no-nonsense. He's not after lyricism; he does well simply to present the facts and stay out of the way. The very occasional authorial intrusions -- I counted a grand total of three -- are off-putting, as when we are told, "Patience is not my strong suit" by a narrator who to that point has remained invisible.

Each chapter follows a pattern: a description of a particular migration, a scientific explanation of how and why it takes place, and an inventory of the current, often fairly overwhelming, manmade threats to that migration.

It could be depressing to dwell on the contrast between the wonder of these migratory feats and the dismal idiocy of so many of the roadblocks we've created for the migrants, but Wilcove's straightforward style makes the book less of a cri de coeur than a state-of-migration report, educational and important. In fact, it is refreshing to read a book like this without the mandatory apocalyptic screed. This Mr. Spock-like confession is about as far as the author goes: "Having spent a day in the company of right whales, I don't pretend to have a dispassionate view of their fate."

But if Wilcove were of a more philosophical bent, he might have considered what compels the massive globe-wide restlessness he describes, particularly when it comes to the species now overrunning the Earth. Hunger drives us as surely as it does loggerhead turtles, though our hunger is not always the physical sort. Scientists are the only human heroes in this book, but aren't they, with their constant trapping, marking and weighing, benign cousins to the beach-devouring developers? Isn't it the encoded inability of homo sapiens to stay still, to refrain from uncovering, digging into, and spreading across the globe, that makes it harder for other species to do the same?

And how are we -- chronically curious, inventive and inventing -- ever to begin to understand the consequences of our tinkering? Surely the scientist who created the first genetically modified, herbicide-resistant crops believed he was on to something good, never thinking that when the fields were sprayed, the milkweeds would die and the monarchs would lose what they had been fluttering thousands of miles to find.

Copyright 2008, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.

Review
"No Way Home offers entrancing accounts of some of the world's iconic migrants of the sky, land, and sea while underscoring the obstacles they face in their travels." (Audubon Magazine )

Starred review: "Skillfully balancing breadth and depth, Wilcove has written a fascinating and authoritative work. . ." (Library Journal )

"No Way Home presents numerous examples of migratory species that seem to be heading down the same dead end path as Martha''s brethren, but this is no doom and gloom tome. . . Rather, Wilcove... offers a seamless blend of research and personal experience that presents the history of migration, the problems facing species that migrate, and examples of programs that have had success in reviving declining populations." (Foreword Magazine )

"Animal migration has been inspiring humans for millennia, but the grandest migrations are under increasing threat from human activity. David Wilcove explores the fragile balance between migrating species and the resources they need. The result is not only a fascinating account of these amazing journeys, but also an urgent call to preserve the varied habitats on which migrants depend."-David Sibley, author of The Sibley Guide to Birds (David Sibley )

". . .startling and imaginative new wildlife book. . .Wilcove writes with a sense of drama, passion and awe for the incredible treks many animals make." (Sandy Bauer Philadelphia Inquirer )

"No Way Home is a captivating narrative...Wilcove''s writing is an effective combination of anecdotes and hard facts...Reading this book will help us all see why a top priority is to protect the remaining migratory species and their ways home. I recommend it highly for students of conservation and restoration, as well as the broader public." (Joy B. Zedler Ecological Restoration )

"In this important and exceptionally well written book, a leading wildlife biologist shows how human activity is not just erasing species and ecosystems but also cutting the ancient natural highways that make possible Earth''s greatest wildlife spectacles." Edward O. Wilson, University Professor Emeritus, Harvard University (E.O. Wilson )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Island Press; 1 edition (October 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559639857
• ISBN-13: 978-1559639859
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #211,766 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like National Geographic, only better, October 23, 2007

By	Erica Fleishman (California, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you've ever wished that your favorite nature article in National Geographic would go on for longer, No Way Home is the book for you. David Wilcove, one of the most respected conservation biologists in North America, vividly describes wildlife migrations from oceans to the skies and from dense Neotropical forests to open African grasslands. His facts are unimpeachable and his stories are utterly absorbing.

The seven chapters in No Way Home draw readers into the adventures of songbirds, monarch butterflies, great herds of ungulates, marine mammals, sea turtles, anadromous fishes, and more. We are treated to inside views of a National Wildlife Refuge in Florida, great northwestern rivers, the spectacular Masai Mara, and urban parks close to the hearts of local residents. Wilcove's commitment to conserving the mysterious phenomena of migration is clear, yet his tone is never preachy. Instead, he presents a straightforward explanation of why the legacy of human settlement and growth makes it difficult for animals to complete their life's journey. Tales of goofy ecologists, dedicated politicians, and even an intrepid author enliven the text. The book's tone is conversational. Threads of discussion range widely, but never lose cohesion.

Wilcove's message is realistic - climate change and economic pressures complicate dispersal for many creatures. Nevertheless, numerous innovative partnerships among conservationists, management agencies, and private citizens successfully have protected key habitats for migratory species. Such cooperative agreements also protect ecological processes that promote social equity and human well-being.

No Way Home is a fine read for outdoor enthusiasts, armchair tourists, and professional scientists alike. It is suitable for virtually all ages and political philosophies. The only drawback to the book is its lack of glossy photographs. For that, you'll need to renew the Geographic subscription.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important & engaging book, March 3, 2008

By	M. McMillan (Maryland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In his second book, No Way Home: The Decline of the World's Great Animal Migrations, David Wilcove renders an excellent account of an imperiled phenomenon most of us take for granted: migration. With one eye on the perils migrating creatures face and his other eye on the wonders of their journeys, the author both informs and entertains us. He sits front seat on a white-knuckle, high speed car chase after tagged dragonflies, wanders African plains in search of a million of wildebeests, and more. This book is as important as it is readable--a call to save not only breeding habitat for animals as diverse as butterflies and wildebeasts, but also to protect their winter homes and stopover sites between.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tearing Up the Web, March 10, 2008

By	jd103 - See all my reviews

No Way Home: The Decline of the World's Great Animal Migrations by David Wilcove is a book about the disruption of animal migration routes. In the introduction, Wilcove lists the four major problems. First is habitat destruction which may be at either end of the journey or at rest points along the route. Second, obstructions such as dams, roads, fences, cell towers. Third, overexploitation meaning hunting for food by more 'advanced' methods than traditionally used, such as miles long drift nets in the ocean.

Most interesting, most unpredictable, and most out of our control, climate change which can affect ecological relationships in many ways as species (plant and animal) which depend on each other for food, pollination, etc. react differently to rapid changes. An example is given involving when oaks leaf out, determining what the tannin (a defense against insects) level of the leaf will be when a moth is ready to lay eggs on it and when those eggs become caterpillars. Will migrating bird species arrive at the proper time to eat some of those eggs or caterpillars? If they get there too late, they'll not only be going hungry but the forest will be damaged by the larger population of moths.

From the air come the bird migrations of course, and one of those fascinating cases of pulling one strand of the web and finding everything else connected: the rapidly declining population of red knots (a bird which breeds in northern Canada and winters in South America) was discovered to be caused by increased taking of horseshoe crabs by humans in the Delaware Bay area. Eating horseshoe crab eggs was a very important stop on the birds' migration route. The author also looks at the migrations of monarch butterflies, grasshoppers, and dragonflies.

On land, there's a chapter on Africa which I skipped, and one primarily dealing with bison. This chapter includes discussion of the only remaining wild herd in its native range, which is in Yellowstone. Because many of these bison carry brucellosis, if they dare to leave the park on a seasonal migration due to snow at higher elevations, they are shot to prevent possible infection of local cattle. The irony here is that this disease was first introduced to North America via cattle imported from Europe.

From the water, we get discussions of whales, salmon, and most interestingly to me, sea turtles. Living at sea but laying eggs on beaches, the turtles have to deal with the worst of both worlds--fishing gear and shoreline development. At sea, they'll also eat plastic, mistaking it for the jellyfish they prefer. Turtles living near areas with large human populations are also developing tumors believed to be related to human pollution. As more humans live by the shore, more raccoons and other turtle egg eaters follow them. For millions of years newly hatched sea turtles have headed for the brightest spot at night--the ocean. Now that brightest spot is often a porch or street light.

Looming ahead for them to deal with are the effects of global warming. Rising sea levels may eliminate the beaches they return to for nesting. If they do manage to nest, the incubation temperature of their eggs determines the sex of the hatchling; in most species, higher temperatures will result in females. This has been observed even within a nest: the warmer central eggs will produce females while the eggs on the cooler edges will become males.

A very good summary of the problems other species face in dealing with our dominance of the planet, at its best when exploring the many and obscure ways in which everything is connected.