Richard B. Primack. 2002. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts. 698 pp. ISBN 0-87893-719-6. Cloth, $72.95.—This is one of five current textbooks (that I am of aware of) on conservation biology. Essesntials of Conservation Biology was first published in 1993 (the second edition in 1998) and was the first textbook to focus on the subject. Conservation biology, as a scientific discipline, is still very young—barely >15 years old. Of course, many essential facets of the subject are as old as biology or its many subdisciplines, such as ecology, evolution, behavior, genetics, or specialties like ornithology. All are extremely critical to conservation biology and are woven nicely into the book. The field of conservation biology has grown out of tremendous concern over the deterioration of the living world and especially the unprecedented loss of species and continued threats to biological diversity.
Overall, Essentials of Conservation Biology is very well written and organized. The subject matter is handled in a balanced way, with examples from many disciplines and biota. The book has six major parts: (I) Major Issues That Define the Discipline, (II) Valuing Biodiversity, (III) Threats to Biological Diversity, (IV) Conservation at the Population and Species Levels, (V) Practical Applications, and (VI) Conservation and Human Societies. Each of the 22 chapters is assembled around a theme and each includes a summary, a discussion section (which is a series of questions), and suggested readings. Each chapter has tables, figures, black-and-white illustrations, and “boxes” (a total of 31 in the book) that are sidebars of information on specific topics ranging from sea turtles, sharks, fungi, and butterflies, to scientists as activists and the cost of the Three Gorges Dam in China.
The book begins with a clear description of “What is Conservation Biology” and provides a solid introduction to the complexities associated with biological diversity (Chapters 1–3). There is early reference to Genesis and the Bible (on page 14), with a negative emphasis on the exploitative aspects of man's “dominion over every living thing that moves on earth.” Unfortunately, not until Chapter 6 (page 144) is it pointed out that Genesis also describes our human responsibilities as stewards of the earth; those two references should have appeared together.
Two issues that are inadequately considered in the initial chapters are (1) “What is a Species?”—answered with only a brief description, and (2) the fact that ecological processes are part of most definitions of biological diversity. The definition of a species should have more detail because it is complicated and can be a contentious issue. Ecological processes are mentioned under Community Diversity but could be more explicitly included as a major component of biological diversity.
I applaud the early emphasis on the economics associated with conservation issues (Chapters 4–6). Economics and the monetary realities of conservation are extremely critical. Assigning monetary value to species is a controversial subject and difficult to accomplish. A nice example is included (in box 6) of calculating how much a species is worth.
Some of the text (e.g. box 5) has an advocacy tone. That might be criticized by some who would complain that the text is not objective and lacks a “value-neutral” perspective. The book comes nicely back to economic and social issues in the last section (Chapter 20), in the context of sustainable development.
The book summarizes many issues of importance to avian conservation and provides numerous avian examples. For instance, seven species of birds have gone extinct in North America since 1492 (Table 7.1); a total of 113 species of birds in the world have gone extinct since 1600 (Table 7.2); and 1,183 (fully 12%) of the 9,500 species of birds are now threatened with extinction (Table 7.3). The book also has a strong emphasis on habitat loss, habitat change, and landscape effects such as fragmentation; all issues that are very important to birds. The book is a bit weak on describing some of the complexities of landscape patterns. For instance, little distinction is made between permanent and temporary fragmentation, an important distinction in agricultural and urban landscapes as compared with forested regions. Most agriculture and urban habitats are permanent changes in the landscape, whereas logging in forests is temporary, albeit of relatively long duration. The statement that “98% of the forests of eastern North America were logged or cleared for farming…no bird species went extinct because of habitat loss” is a bit misleading. That no bird species went extinct is true, but 98% of the forests were not logged or cleared for farming simultaneously or in a short period. That conversion took place over decades, so there were still combinations of age-classes in the forests.
The author has done an excellent job of incorporating new literature published since the first and second editions in 1993 and 1998. The book has >1,200 literature citations, the great majority of them since 1993. The bibliography includes citations from a relatively limited number of journals, primarily conservation biology journals such as Conservation Biology, Biological Conservation, and Biodiversity and Conservation. Journals such as Science, Nature, BioScience, Ecological Applications, and Trends in Ecology and Evolution are frequently cited, but citations to relevant specialty journals or other journals besides those named above are infrequent. For example, in my perusal of the bibliography I noticed very few publications from ornithological journals; though numerous articles on birds were included from those listed above. Most of the publications and citations are also from journals published in the United States; however, the text includes broad representation of conservation examples from all over the world.
I was surprised or disappointed that several references were not discussed in more detail. For example, Rabinowitz's (1981) original work on the “seven routes to rarity” should be given more credit, and the prioritization scheme of Milsap et al. (1990) should be cited. The latter work is a good example of multitaxa priority-setting in conservation efforts that considers the degree of correlation among multiple measurements of conservation status for species. Also, Rahel's (2000) paper on the homogenization of fish communities in the United States resulting from exotic species introductions has a powerful message for fish conservation. More interpretation of Hubbell's (2001) theories or Bell's (2001) papers on biodiversity, biogeography, and neutral macroecology would be welcome additions, but perhaps those, as well as recent controversies about “cold spots,” must wait until the fourth edition.
Aside from a few shortcomings, Primack has provided another excellent revision to his Essentials of Conservation Biology. The book has clearly met its mark of providing “a thorough introduction to the major concepts and problems of the field” and is ideal for an advanced undergraduate course or beginning graduate course in conservation biology. Overall, it is well edited (I found only one spelling error—the scientific name of the blackfooted ferret). The publisher conservatively estimates that >60 universities are currently using the textbook, and it has been translated into numerous languages. I highly recommend this book to all students of ornithology and teachers of conservation biology.
